Friday, April 17, 2015

Remembering Our Memories!!

This Friday was a rather special one!
It was a day filled to the brim with memories!
Even last night's dreams were about memories.


My siblings and I are on a journey. We are making a timeline of our childhood and connecting the dots of events year by year. I have divided the timeline according to the houses we lived in.
These were all houses - never 'homes.' There IS a difference.
This morning we gathered with some of our cousins for lunch and a time of remembering.


Deanie prepared this beautiful - and delicious! - gourmet sandwich tray!!!
Those are not just your average turkey and cheese sandwiches. Each sandwich is layered with a cream cheese concoction and butter. I brought a basket of cheese and crackers, a dip and fresh veggies as well as some tasty cookies from ALDI. That's where Ruth Ann and I shopped yesterday afternoon after our walk. You can get a lot for your money there!


Deanie did the complete beauty shop run!
She left a plate of sandwiches and veggies for Mother's lunch.
We met up around the corner and took off for our cousin's house!
Deanie forgot the box of photos she was going to bring so she had to go back for them.


Just look at me ducking down in the front seat so Mother wouldn't see me!!!
Since it's harder and harder to make Mother understand what is going on - sometimes it is just easier if she doesn't know!! Let me tell you, I had no idea I could get all the way down in that floorboard!!!
It was a lot easier getting DOWN there than it was getting UP, though!!!

We had a great visit with several of our cousins and connected a few more dots on our timeline!

After we left, Deanie drove us down Memory Lane.


We were inner city kids and lived in a small compact area of Fort Worth.
Always near the railroad tracks. Always.


This may account for my love of train sounds.
I remember going to sleep to the chugging of the trains.
And what is more beautiful music than that of a train whistle?


The house we lived in no longer exists but THIS is the very spot we called our back yard in 1959.


The hobos gathered here and we actually played there with them.
You can tell this is STILL a place where they congregate.
Thanks be to God this is no longer our 'back yard.'


One thing that remained constant in all the places we lived then - and is still there now - is the trash.
I have always hated trash - especially trash along a fence line.
Poor Louis Dean could not understand why I practically had a melt down when he said he wanted to put up a cyclone fence. He hasn't mentioned it again and now we have lovely TALL wood fences!


This was the house we lived in in 1960.
It has not improved over the years but some of the neighboring homes have.


The next house was still inner city but much nicer and probably safer.
I always loved this road and it is right down the street from where we lived.


This house HAS improved since we lived there!

We drove by a few others but it was not really safe to stop and take pictures.


This house on Travis Avenue in Fort Worth was the last one I lived in before I left home.
The side door that opened from my bedroom has been boarded up.



Next we toured our old schools.
This was the first Junior High Scool I attended. 
We moved frequently so I didn't go here for very long.
It is now upscale apartments and lofts.


Our old elementary school!!!


Deanie and I both attended here.






The last school we saw was Rosemont Junior High School.
For me it was a tiny bit of 'normal' for a tiny bit of time.
It was also the last school I attended.
I finished the seventh grade here and all other education has been self taught.
See that row of windows above the door?
When we arrived the windows were empty.



By the time we left, there were faces peering out wondering what in the world we were doing!!
We had parked in the parents pick up line!


It was a good day.
The past loses its power over us when we take it out and revisit it from the safety of our place in life today.


I truly believe God has a plan for our lives and I believe he has protected us and blessed us in ways we are just now understanding.

The following is An Encouraging Word from Max Lucado

JosephSon of JacobGraduate with honors from the University of Hard KnocksDirector of Global Effort to Save Humanity Succeeded
How? How did he flourish in the midst of tragedy? We don’t have to speculate. Some twenty years later the roles were reversed, Joseph as the strong one and his brothers the weak ones. They came to him in dread. They feared he would settle the score and throw them into a pit of his own making. But Joseph didn’t. And in his explanation we find his inspiration.
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. (50:20 NASB)
In God’s hands intended evil becomes eventual good. Joseph tied himself to the pillar of this promise and held on for dear life. Nothing in his story glosses over the presence of evil. Quite the contrary. Bloodstains, tearstains are everywhere. Joseph’s heart was rubbed raw against the rocks of disloyalty and miscarried justice. Yet time and time again God redeemed the pain. The torn robe became a royal one. The pit became a palace. The broken family grew old together. The very acts intended to destroy God’s servant turned out to strengthen him.
“You meant evil against me,” Joseph told his brothers, using a Hebrew verb that traces its meaning to “weave” or “plait.”
“You wove evil,” he was saying, “but God rewove it together for good.”
God, the Master Weaver. He stretches the yarn and intertwines the colors, the ragged twine with the velvet strings, the pains with the pleasures. Nothing escapes his reach. Every king, despot, weather pattern, and molecule are at his command. He passes the shuttle back and forth across the generations, and as he does, a design emerges. Satan weaves; God reweaves.


We are ALL on a journey of one sort or another!
I hope yours is as healing and exciting as ours is!







17 comments:

Stacey said...

What a fun day! It makes me a little sad to go by my old house but it's not far away so I do periodically. Time flies too quickly.

You are too cute!

Vee said...

That was profoundly beautiful! I love that you are doing this together. It requires work and intention. And how like God that you are finding your healing in and through it.

Susie said...

Hugs to you dear Linda. I have gleaned from many of your posts that your childhood was a struggle. I knew we were soul sisters. To think you trusted hobos with your innocents eyes and hearts. Hobos used to just be men down on their luck , maybe seeking jobs....now it's a very scary situation...I do not think children could be safe. Too many drugs, booze and criminals. We kids used to go by some of our old houses...you are right ...houses not homes. Love makes a house a home. I am glad you and Deanie were together for that trip. We can't forget our past but thank God we are not living it any longer. Bless you and your family, xoxo,Susie

Linda said...

A fantastic and enjoyable day, Linda! Love your photos, and your mother looks radiant, as always. :)

Arlene G said...

Linda, I think it is great that you are putting down your history for your children and grandchildren. Not everyone's history is pleasant and I realize how blessed I was to have a stable home life growing up. My father in law 's family was torn apart by death and alcohol and one day my husband's great aunt was sharing with us some sad memories. My husband told her, Aunt L, it was bad but you all turned out real well. She looked thoughtful for a moment and agreed. I can tell from your blog that you choose happiness and I enjoy reading about your wonderful life now. God Bless you and your siblings.

Changes in the wind said...

If you aren't the cutest thing hiding from your Mother!! So glad you and your sister are doing this...it is obvious that it is special to you both and thanks for sharing it with us.

MadSnapper said...

what a fun day. if i were in the car and Deanie had to go back, i would have to get out down the block and stand there and wait for her to come back and get me. i love that hiding photo. a wonderful day of down memory lane... all 4 of the houses i lived in with my parents have been torn down and are no more.

Beth said...

What a beautiful post. I enjoyed hearing about your past and I think you all exploring and writing it down is a wonderful thing. Your children and grandchildren will enjoy reading it too.

Ginny Hartzler said...

What a wonderful, wonderful journey you are all taking!!! And now you can revisit it all from a place of joy and contentment! I see you wearing that pretty new top again. You look beautiful anyway, but even prettier in this one! Living by the tracks and playing with the hobos, it sounds so sad! BUT at that age you did not know that, and probably had fun and made the best of what you had. You did not know any different. It is so wonderful you have sisters to bond with. I love the railroad tracks and the mournful sound of a train whistle! Hiding from your mom, that is both funny and sad.

Kelly said...

I really enjoyed this post! It was fun to see pics from your childhood even though they didn't come with the best memories for you. I had no idea that you grew up with so much change going on around you. I don't know what that's like since I lived in the same house from age 2 to 22. My parents divorced and remarried but other than that life was normal. I've always wondered how it must feel to live a life where you have to move so frequently. I bet it helped you accept change though. See, I hate change! Probably because I'm not used to it. I think it's nice how close all of you have remained despite living the way you did. That sort of lifestyle can pull families apart.

Debby said...

It sounfs like you were survivors. I can't believe that school is open. Well take that back. It looks like the one I was tge sacc ditector of. Cute picture of you hiding. I would have gotten stuck.

Aloha Acres said...

Wow! What an amazing journey you are on, indeed. I pray you've had lots of healing during this process. Thank you for sharing with those of us that will one day, in one form or another, be confronted by our own past. You are such an encouragement.

Wanda said...

Oh Linda, what a journey. I think you and are siblings are doing such a great thing. I lived in the same house until I was 18 and left for college never to return to live. The 27 years we served at the FBC in Hughson, CA was the second longest time I had been in one home. I love what you say about the difference of a house and home. Back from our trip, rested up, and excited about blogging again. Love and Hugs

Wanda said...

BTW your new blogger look is lovely.

Carole said...

Linda, you may have been self taught but you teach us all about optimism and hope. Big props to you! Cheers from Carole's chatter

Judy said...

What a great post...your walk down memory lane and the lessons learned! Once again we are reminded that nothing is wasted...there is a purpose for everything that happens to us.

Penny said...

Glad to hear your timeline work is progressing so well Linda. You are a strong and beautiful person X