As I was cutting up fresh tomatoes, celery and cucumbers for our salad lunch today I found myself caught up with thinking about WHO I am. How did I get to be the 'ME' I know?
I felt the influence of my Aunt Ruby - now gone several years- today as I was making that salad.
She was a 'Safe Place' for us when my siblings and I were children.
She had a garden and served three well balanced meals a day - all from FRESH not packaged food!
My Aunt Irene (for whom I am named) was also a great influence for good in my life.....
and another 'Safe Place.'
While my memory is not GOOD - which can be a blessing! - I do recall spending time with her at their farm out in West Texas. My cousin, Shirley, who passed away way too young, was another who helped me become who I am today.
I suppose the power of INFLUENCE is the greatest human power there is.
I am ever so grateful to those who have influenced me in my life - as in
dear Mrs. Morrison - our landlady I met when I was 15 years old and she was 63.
She had a lasting influence on me and all four of my children. She lived to be in her 90's.
I had no real role models growing up.
I thought the TV programs of the times (Father Knows Knows Best, Ozzie and Harriet, you remember those?) showed what NORMAL families were like and I knew we were not one of them! I never had a birthday party or had friends sleep over or play dates.
Having married very young, the 'older' ladies in the church were who I patterned my life after.
I have NO idea where my CLEAN streak comes from or how I came to this decorating addiction penchant!
Somewhere down the line I have morphed into my very own person.
I know my own heart and my own mind.
This was not always the case. I was a process in becoming. Aren't we ALL?
I am still a very shy lady by nature. I do not push myself forward in a group.
Flexibility in mind - if no longer in body - has helped me adjust to the changes in life.
It doesn't TOTALLY freak me out that I have a commode sitting in my dining room!!
I have learned to go with the flow and LIFE does seem to FLOW!
I would not want to become stagnant standing still in the stream.
I am happy to say as I end this day - the floor is DONE!!!!
The commode, alas, is STILL in the dining room but it will return to its rightful place tomorrow!
Hopefully in time for art class!
While LD was working on the floor I decorated!
It's what I DO!!!
Many of these decorations were made by Amber and Benjamin back in our home school days.
I love this wreath made year before last from a jersey cardigan.
EVERYTHING gets decorated around here!
Kitchen to foyer.......
to gazebo.....
to the plants.....
to the front porch!
Louis Dean gave it ALL a thumbs UP!!!
I took this picture by accident and I LOVE it!!
It is a place mat on the dining room table.
Our Memorial Day Dinner consisted of smoked sausage, potato salad and fresh corn on the cob.
I DID catch Louis Dean helping himself to an unplanned dessert - a Snickers bar!
It's getting dark and we are ready to go sit out on the driveway.
We ARE who we ARE, you know!
And sitting on the driveway with a glass of wine is how we end our day around here!
Hope YOU all had a good one!
12 comments:
I hope you had a good day– I spent a lot of the day cleaning and getting ready for a garage sale next weekend! But I took time to remember too! Love, sandie
Your house is simply lovely. So homey. I wish I lived closer and could just come to visit and see it in person. I know we would have a good visit and even though I am shy like you are, we wouldn't be shy with each other. I feel as if I've already met you in person!
What a thought provoking post. I am going to have to go through my memories and see who has influenced me. I know there are a LOT of people who fit into that category.
All decked out for Memorial Day...and you make it look so easy! Your holiday dinner sounds just fine to me.
I love this so much. I struggled for years with trying to define "who am I?". By the grace of God I have learned (the hard way) to just go with the flow. I've never felt like I fit-in with my extended family, but I'm so thankful that I am now ok with that. It was a long time coming!
This post is why I love blogging and reading blogs.
You are who you are, and perfectly YOU.
PS I think your LD and my GD have more than a little in common - and I knew it when I saw that commode in the living room!
It's good, to remember influences, especially 'safe places.'
But it is wonderful, to just be ourselves. :-)
"Auntie is in a teaching mood today." :-)
I have said the same thing to my children. People are who they are. Oh they can mellow some, age helps...but the basic person will always be there. Funny how it talks about that in the Bible too!!
Linda
Taking in your words and thoughts personally make me hopeful. You know. Thank You my precious special Linda and her LD
Love your sense of humor! The commode in the dining room made me laugh! You never know what you'll find here at any point in time either! Love your decorating style...
Linda...what a wonderful life...and I read between the lines that life was not always so easy for you...Well you have become a wonderful lady... I would love to meet you in person one day...but if not here someday up there!!
I loved reading how you became who you are. That gives me food for thought. How did I become who I am? It is a journey full of people and situations, isn't it?
I love the toilet in the dining room LOL
You may be shy but you have a demeanor that draws people to you. Now as far as becoming stagnate. I can't see that happening to you or LD. Y'all loved life and make it fun.
Hugs
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