When we were young

We had our three children, had a home t hat was comfortable and life was better than it had been for several years. As I grew up in the thirthies and lived on a farm, church was one thing that did not seem important in our lives. My parents had struggled through the depression and there was not the incentive in the family to go to church. I grew up unchurched. I was determined that my children would have a church and church family to nurture and love them. Bob had an Aunt Carrie who was a staunch Presbyterian and she soon had us going to church there. I found what I was looking for all those years, a real loving, caring Christian family. We joined that church in 1949, was baptized with all three of my children. Bob had already been baptized. It made a big, big difference in our lives and the lives of our children. Those childdren are still members of the church and have served that church faithfully since they were small.

We learned how important family is to the lives of each of us. Love for one another that never changes whatever the circumstances are. As a family we did many things together. We took short trips around Indiana with our children. We took them to State Parks and things of interest that would help them appreciate the beauty of God's creation and trips that they would remember always. I would take them into a woods and point out trees and wild flowers. I remember my oldest daughter saying to her children, ask your Grandma what the name of that wild flower is. These our things they remember. Now they have Video games, computer games and they sit in the house and play their games and miss the beauty of the outdoors. We would fix a picnic lunch and go to the park so they could play and wade in the creek as I did when I was growing up. Life was much simpler through the forties and early fifties than it is now. The pace was slower and children had time to dream dreams and play and be children that they deserve to be. They should have the time to dream those dreams and time to play , to read the many books that open up a new world for them. Now it is hurry, hurry, and for what?