not sure where i'm going with this post. just typing, really. because the thoughts are a bit jumbled and bending toward nostalgic lately. i was sorting though some old photos, looking back at the many memories of my childhood.
just thinking about the stages of life and how my kids are now where i was then. forming memories and impressions and foundations based on their childhood experiences. in all of the photos i felt an obvious recurring theme.
above, i'm about two or three months, and loving the dairy a bit much already....perhaps this is when the summer shirtless trend started for my brothers...
it hit me, glaringly noticeable, the longer i sat and stared at them. my childhood was a wonderful gift! period. i was a happy kid. my mom loved me, she loved my brothers. my dad loved me and my brothers too . i feel like i always knew it, i never doubted it. my life was pretty terrific. i was blessed. i was secure. i was content. i had my needs met consistently and lovingly. i was healthy. i was thankful. i am still
so thankful.
over and over, photo after photo, i saw it in my smile, my eyes, my surroundings. my world was safe. it was stable. it was conducive to growth and creativity and allowed me to just "be a kid". the playtime, the vacations, the meals, the pets, the backyard fun, the holidays~ all said the same thing to me. "you are free to just be you...."
the above pic says a lot as well...looks like mom is thinking maybe this rug hooking craft wasn't the best gift after all. here's when she first knew i hadn't inherited the "craft gene".
yep, deck stairs turned into an icy ramp was much more my thing, and this one was so much fun.....
sure, there were days, maybe even occasional weeks where the family felt stress, or pain, or friction, we were not perfect or even close~ yet those times were so few in comparison to the usually great and sometimes spectacular days in between. i also remember being conscious very early on of our family's financial state. i remember my parents scrimping and saving for things like Christian education, or vehicles or vacations. i remember knowing that we were not materially wealthy, compared to some, yet still very well provided for~ and generally i remember feeling content with all that we had. i was grateful for our blessings. we had many...
Christmas~ always a highlight...Mom made Christmas so special with all the little details...about the hair, it must be addressed. above, the longggg stage of feathered hair began. it didn't work for me overly well but i kept trying and hoping it would suit me....let's just say the curls were not happy being tamed.
proof of my love of animals, above and below. it's there inside me, buried deep but still there...
my award winning bunny, Winnie.
the huge pan of cabbage rolls above was a typical meal, and only now do i know the work that went into making that many. i've only made them once since being married, with Mom's help, and even then it seemed like a huge undertaking. she did this regularly for our family, and the three "hollow-legged" males in the house ate like ravenous beasts. she loved (and still loves) seeing her food consumed and enjoyed~ it speaks her love in such a tangible way. that bottle of homemade milk didn't speak quite as much love to me, however, and i'm not missing it a bit...glad that phase didn't last, yet it was another way Mom was being conscientious with their finances, and that i understand...
i was thankful for two parents that invested in our lives. certainly, i had my moments of grumbling, complaining and wishing for more~ i still do slip on occasion with this~ yet, the photos took me back so vividly to a time of my life that shaped me profoundly.
i'm so grateful that my parents took their role seriously. having just come through foster care training, both Jeff and i were inundated with statistics and ugly descriptions of the effects on kids who aren't so fortunate. kids who enter the foster system having endured neglect, abuse, trauma, rejection, etc....kids who turn into teens and adults with lifelong struggles from poor choices their parents have made. kids whose parents most likely endured the same when they were children. the cycle is sooo tough to break. so, all that being said, it seems my little stroll down memory lane caused more introspection than i expected. but the resulting conclusion was a great reminder~ i had a great childhood. i want that for my kids too. minus the homemade milk....
