I believe that every family is unique. They come in a variety of flavors, usually inherited from their parents and grandparents.
My family seldom argued in front of us or used bad language. Mama wouldn’t allow alcohol in the house. She read the Bible to us and prayed before we went to bed. We were in church when the doors were open.
By today’s standards, we may have been poor, but we never lacked food, clothing, or heat. We had an outhouse and heated water on the kitchen stove for Saturday night baths. In the wintertime Ruthie and I heated a couple of bricks on the hot coal stove before going to bed. Wrapped in a towel, we put them under three or four quilts. Sleeping in an ice-cold room was a way of life.
On wash day we laid dish towels and wash cloths on bushes because we ran out of clothesline. If we didn’t have something and couldn’t afford it, we made do. We never ate out – too expensive.
At the end of the day, music brightened our house with southern gospel songs written in four-part harmony and bass leads. My oldest sister, Doris, played the piano and sang alto, Daddy sang bass, and I sang soprano. We were happy.
You might have called me a wall flower. I prefer finicky. Not many guys passed my rigid requirements: Be a Christian -- Don’t Drink -- Be Perfect. No, I wasn’t going to marry an alcoholic like my older sister. Weighing ninety-five pounds with buck teeth and cat-eyed glasses may have been the reason I didn't have many dates.
Fresh out of high school, my sister and I, along with three of our girl friends from Granby, Missouri, went to Kansas City, found a job, and shared an apartment.
One night I agreed to go on a blind date with my sister and her date.
I don’t remember his name, but I’ll never forget the smell. His body odor overpowered the cologne and brylcreem. It was a long evening.
I empathize with girls in the dating world. Maybe wisdom will spare them from blind dates. However, that’s how I met my husband …two years later …teeth fixed.
No, he wasn’t the smelly one
Elvis sings this on my Ipod.
“When the storms of life are raging, stand by me. …
…When the world is tossing me like a ship upon the sea;
Thou who rulest wind and water, Stand by me.”
Words by C. A. Tindley.
Sometimes we need to be reminded that Jesus is standing beside us, and that He’s in us through His spirit. We can lean on that.
