Home Again

Here it is, Saturday night, and I am back at my parents' home again.  I just left here Sunday, and I'm back -- but not for a good reason's visit this time.  And while there is sadness among us, we are rejoicing and reminiscing about all the good things in our pasts.  One of my cousins told his mother "I'm sure Dad (my Uncle Jim) is up there in Heaven, showing Oliver (my Dad) how everything works up there."  Sure made me smile, because knowing Uncle Jim, that's exactly what he's doing.  *grin*

It's not my place to question the how's and why's of what God allows to happen to certain individuals, because we may never know the answer to it.  For me, it's comforting to know that Dad is at peace, that he is finally free of the crippling effects of arthritis on his hands and feet, and that the cancer no longer causes him any pain.   Mom said that he told her a couple days ago that maybe it was time for him to give up.  Lordy, he's been fighting to hang on for a long, long time.  Many others would have given up long ago, but not Dad.  He hated the thought of leaving Mom.  He hung on because he loved her that much, didn't want her to be alone in the world, I think.

They just don't make many men like Dad.

It's an hour from the airport to home, so we had plenty of time to think and share all the little things we remembered.  Moving to California with very little money when I was 3 years old, my parents were brave, trying to make a new life for themselves.  We talked about Christmas trees, how the first few years our trees were pretty scraggly.  Little did I know how they came to be.  Dad and Uncle Jim worked in the maintenance dept for Stanford University.  When the sorority girls went home for the holidays, they would throw out the Christmas trees.... and they each brought one home.  Isn't it funny what you don't know about your family until you start reminiscing?

Dad always wanted the best for us. Not the biggest, the most expensive, or the latest and greatest.  Some of the toys we had were salvaged just like that Christmas tree. We had the best set of building blocks.  They were large wooden blocks, and not just a few, it was a huge box full of them.  Most were the same size, and if I had to guess, about 3x3" blocks.  We played often with them!  There was also a farm set with a barn, some fencing, horses -- we could be regular cowboy types when we played!

And then, with two girls, came the years of the Barbie and her accessories.  Mom would sew the most beautiful gowns!  Dad built a carrying case for the doll, her clothes, shoes and purses.  My sister was more into the playing with the doll part, dressing them up.  I was more into the setup and arrangement of the furniture, the kitchen, the rooms.  I would painstakingly cover boxes to create couches, chairs, and other assorted furnishings.  (Wasn't Con-tact paper great???)

And now I'm rambling on as I meander down the path of reminiscing.