FAMILY TIES

There are many things that tie families together, some better than others. (Romans 12:10)

Hanging our heads out the rolled down windows to avoid cigarette smoke might not have been a good one but we "back-seaters" remembered it even long after our parents quit smoking.

Growing up in Hoptown we shared a "wolf" language taught by Daddy that was only understood by us.

Dalfaddy, Bulfuddy, Dolfotsy and Bolfobby were in the know. Silly. Yes! ....... But to this day it's a tie that binds.

Stories we heard over and over whether we were there when they happened or not. Several years after Daddy came home from the war, my older sibling who was 4 yrs old at the time, asked Daddy to go to church with Mommy and him. Daddy's reply was he couldn't because his shoes weren't polished. Well, that was an easy fix. Older brother, already dressed in his "Sunday go to Meetin' ", white pique suit with white Peter Pan collared shirt proceeded to the cabinet to get the black polish. The shoes were duly polished and his clothes probably had as much blackness as, if not more than, Daddy's size 11 shoes. Daddy went to church that Sunday and for the next 64 years until his stroke incapacitated him. Faith is certainly a tie that binds in a positive way. In 2010 he was honored as one of three oldest living members of Hopkinsville's First United Methodist Church. 

Inside jokes also bind well. "Cut the mustard" always gets snickers at our house....especially as we recall the time Reverend Grimstead said it! Crazy Ada's "Oh just forget about it" rings a bell every time we hear someone refer to it."

These days my youngest child and I have an ongoing "Fun" dispute.

Any one out there have disputes on punctuation marks? Is ampersand in your vocabulary of dispute?

At my house they have been gifted as reminders. Quite a gift! Fun reminder!

From paper weight to wall hanging, I smile every time I walk past an ampersand. 

It's "my" Molly's way of greeting me with a wink!

Smells like home!

9/5/12 The smell that wafted (in BIG wafts) from the toaster oven was all too familiar. At least there was no smoke this time! I’m famous for burning toast. This morning it was my muffin.

Chatting with JoLynn recently, we discussed looking for life lessons from the Lord in the middle of all our circumstances. I wondered. Are there life lessons in burnt toast? If there are, I’m a slow learner---one with an acquired taste for burnt toast. 

20+ years ago, son Buddy’s (a freshman in college) suitcase held a sign for our kitchen. “Dinner will be ready when the smoke alarm goes off!” Molly and Josh became schooled in waving a dishtowel in front of that blaring smoke alarm. 

Various remedies have been tried through the years, including a brief stint with no smoke alarm in the kitchen. New toasters. Low settings, only. No toasters. But toast, even if well scraped toast, is a staple at our house. Now, most recent acquisition, an above the counter toaster oven, has begun to turn on me. 

Life lessons: palate adaptation, shared jokes---those only family members truly “get” are important, (I bet my kids are smiling if they are reading this.)

I think Ecclesiastes 3:4 has my spiritual life lesson. No more weeping over spilt milk or burnt toast, acceptance and laughter can go hand in hand. No mourning over insignificant happenings---let them go and just DANCE!

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Grandson, Owen, told his mommy that she smelled delicious. Daddy said, “She does always smell good, doesn’t she?” Owen said, “Yep, she smells like, “turkey and pancakes.” Mmm- mmm, I could eat her up.

As for me, I smell like burnt toast.

Ah-h-h the smells of home.