As I finish out these 7 1/2 weeks in my childhood home, I am keenly aware of the impact that growing up in this old house has had in making me the person that I am.
My parents live in a 86 year old home with gorgeous woodwork, pocket doors, and two staircases. They fell in love with it 25 years ago and overlooked the Liquor Barn at the end of the street. By God's grace, the things that happened outside the walls of this old house in the often rough inner city neighborhood, had little effect on who I became as a person--save the fact that I am very aware of God's goodness to me and His protection having experienced the reality of angels camped in tents around me. But as I look around the inside of this "living museum" I can see clear evidence of who I am today.
Books: Looking around at the stacks upon stacks of hundreds of books, it's obvious that I was raised by two bibliophiles who passed on their love to me. My father must be the envy of the homeschool community with his collections of World and American Landmark books as well as numerous other history and biography books. It has become almost a family joke that anytime anyone brings up some era in history (especially World War II and the Civil War) my dad will respond by saying, "I've got a book..." and heading into the library, whose shelves are overflowing, to find it. My mother has her share as well: although raising 5 children prevented her from reading as much as she would have liked. She relished the daily newspaper instead and managed to read many Christian books (fiction and non-fiction). Once she had a little more time to read, her stacks of biographies of the founding fathers began quickly covering the flat surfaces of the house! My mother did make time to read to us though and if you listen to me read to my own children, you'll hear that her animated style and use of dramatic inflection and various accents, influenced me to great extent. I am appreciative to have inherited a love for books from my parents and remember fondly the wonderful moments curled up in a corner of this old house reading. I've enjoyed reliving the past by reading a Grace Livingston Hill and an L.M.Montgomery book since coming home...if I could only find my Nancy Drew books, I'm sure I could plow through a couple of those before dawn.
Music: Although not as numerous as the stacks of books, the stacks of CDs continue to gain momentum. From the old 78s of the Victrola and the records on the record player, to the cassettes and CDs, my family has enjoyed music for as long as I can remember. My introduction began as an infant when my parents took me along to a Led Zeplin concert. Since then I've enjoyed Big Band, Oldies Music, Maranatha, Contemporary Christian, Classical, and Country. My husband has not embraced the Country Music, so he has had numerous sanctifying moments as he has had to endure the likes of Brad Paisley, but fortunately for him, I don't make him listen to it in our own home.
I was fortunate to take Piano lessons for 5 years and wish that I played better, I would have attempted to practice here if the piano were not covered in the aforementioned books! I was also encouraged to sing, especially duets with my dad in the car listening to the Everly Brothers! That love of singing led to choir, show choir and eventually leading worship with my husband at our church in Maryland. How grateful I am to have received a heritage of music that ultimately culminates in worship of my God and King.
Movies: When my parents got a VCR, they began a quest to tape every old movie they could. They would sit with the TV section of the Sunday newspaper and highlight the ones that needed to be programed into the VCR so that we wouldn't miss taping them! One of my homeschool projects in Junior High was to catelog all of the 300+ Video Cassettes (most with three movies each). I remember a short phase when I detested watching black and white movies, but for the most part, I was infatuated with Cary Grant and Bing Crosby and adored Audrey Hepburn! I still love old movies! We watched plenty of new movies as well and it may suprise you to know that I am a huge Rocky fan and love the movie Grease (feel free to be appauled). My taste in modern movies has matured as my conviction about what is edifying has grown, but I still have a weakness for movies and popcorn!
TV: Although we've been watching less and less of it in recent years (in part out of conviction, in part out of lack of time), I can still sit in front of the television watching hours of meaningless programs if the opportunity is presented to me. I grew up doing so. My mother did place limitations on television viewing when I was younger, but even then, our lives revolved around which one program we were allowed to watch and my elementary school journals are full of entries about Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Webster, The Cosby Show, and other shows. Over time my mom's limitations were eroded and I watched many shows that I would not want my own children watching. To this day I have to be very careful about what series I begin watching as I am quickly hooked!
Games: Like many families, we enjoy playing games together. Unlike most families, we can choose to play Monopoly in several different languages as my parents collected them as we traveled around Europe in the years my father was stationed in Berlin with the Army. The Canadian edition is definately our favorite and completely worn out due to excessive usage. We also enjoy Flinch, Milles Bournes, and numerous other card games. My parents also have a collection of the Authors card games which were a lot of fun and a great tool for learning. This love of gaming has continued to my own family and we have enjoyed many hours of playing games together in this visit alone. From the old Amish game of Dutch Blitz to the newer European games of Lost Cities and Settlers of Catan, we continue to enjoy spending time together as a family playing games.
Food: I have been spoiled by years of good food and am fortunate to have learned to cook like (although not nearly as well as) my mother. From my first meal of Curried Chicken (at 10 1/2 months old), I have been fed delicious, interesting foods from Chinese Sweet & Sour Chicken and Korean Bulgogi, to Irish Corned Beef & Cabbage and Greek Mousaka and the American Rump Roast, Pork Roast, and (my favorite) Chicken, Rice and Raisins. In addition, I've enjoyed numerous rich and decadent desserts. Upside Down Chocolate Pie, Chocolate Cream Puffs, countless variations of Cheescake, and Boston Cream Pie (unlike any other in the world) are my favorites! You won't see me giving up sugar anytime soon! My family loves to cook and we love to eat even more, especially together. My mother was committed to preserving the family table to the extent that she would serve dinner at 9pm if that was when everyone would be home to eat together after sports, musical practices, etc. Sharing wonderful homemade food together provided rich memories and much joy as I was growing up!
Clutter: I know I am not alone in my aversion to clutter and yet despite the aversion, it continues to plague me from my childhood. In fact, as I was packing, I was still unable to part with letters from childhood friends written in elementary school, which would be fine except that one box quickly turns into numerous boxes when you're unable to throw anything away. Obvious things are easy (yet another credit card application), but not everything is so obvious (I might need this someday or it has sentimental value). I get this not only from my mother and father, but from my grandparents as well. Is there any hope for me? As I look at the piles of papers which surround me, I'm doubtful!
Patriotism: Along with bookshelves, the Library (painted in Superman Blue) also holds vestiges of my father's service in the Army especially his years beneath the shadow of the wall. The American flag waves proudly on the front porch and expresses the love that those who live here have for our nation. My mother wrote letters to Senators and Congressmen and even appeared before the local house of delegates to speak in favor of a pro-life bill. We lived lives of activism and fought to uphold the original intentions of the Consitution. I am proud to be an American and I became that way in this old house.
Family: I am the oldest of five children and we were taught to love and respect one another. One of my mom's disciplinary tactics was to force us to stand, hugging eachother, when the sibling rivalry was at its worst. I use the same tactic with my own kids now and am appreciative for parents who desired that their children build relationships with eachother. We did not always get along, but we spent time together as a family. We had fun, laughed, cried, fought, played, talked. I love my sisters and my brother with all my heart now and even though I still disagree with them at times, I am so thankful that God gave them to me and for all the years we had in this house together. Today, I enjoy watching my own children develop friendships with eachother and with my siblings as they play dress-up in my old clothes while playing some of the same games and with some of the exact toys that we enjoyed together. It's been fun! I also learned to honor my father and mother although I haven't always been good at it and sometimes wonder if I might not live that long life as a result, but I do love and respect them and am thrilled to see them continue to become more godly as the years go by.
God: More than anything else, this old house was full of the love of God. Although none of us were ever perfect, God's love prevails. I was raised in the fear of the Lord and continue to fear Him today. My mother taught me to study my Bible inductively and I learned to worship through hymns and contemporary music from both my mom and dad. I also learned to think critically and Biblically and was given the tools to develop a Christian world view. The hours of Christian talk radio and the numerous Christian books I was given were helpful in this as well. My father modeled for me a strong work ethic and faith in God even in the worst of times. My mother was an example of how the Lord can bring beauty from ashes.
In the end, I am so very thankful for my Heavenly Father's numerous blessings and for all that He has taught me about Himself and about myself in this old house.
As I have reflected upon the numerous influences that have resulted in the person that sits here today, a hybrid of my mother and father, I am in awe of God's amazing grace! Especially as I see the prostitutes lined up and down the street. If not by His grace in saving my soul, I might not be the blessed mother of four, married to a fabulous, godly, husband. I might be on the street myself....but I'm not. I thank Him for that with all my heart and thank Him also for this old house which was a refuge for me in this stormy world.
I am also reminded of a song. I'm sure most of you will remember it from Amy Grant's Lead Me On albums.
If these old walls
If these old walls could speak
Of things that they remembered well
Stories and faces dearly held
A couple in love
Livin' week to week
Rooms full of laughter
If these walls could speak
If these old halls
If hallowed halls could talk
These would have a tale to tell
Of sun goin' down and dinner bell
And children playing at hide and seek
From floor to rafter
If these halls could speak
They would tell you that I'm sorry
For bein' cold and blind and weak
They would tell you that it's only
That I have a stubborn streak
If these walls could speak
If these old fashioned window panes were eyes
I guess they would have seen it all
Each little tear and sigh and footfall
And every dream that we came to seek
Or followed after
If these walls could speak
They would tell you that I owe you
More than I could ever pay
Here's someone who really loves you
Don't ever go away
That's what these walls would say
They would tell you that I owe you
More than I could ever pay
Here's someone who really loves you
Don't ever go away
That's what these walls would say
That's what these walls would say
That's what these walls would say |
