Small Town Livin'

We loaded up the whole family and headed north this past weekend to visit my Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna. We stayed in the guest house again. It was a long weekend visit, instead of a five day visit like the one we did last year. We packed a lot of fun into a couple of days, though.

We ate our meals alfresco and I reminded Uncle Keith how we used to eat the exact same way in the very same back yard when Grandma and Grandpa were still alive. I've been thinking a lot about Grandma and Grandpa lately. I miss them terribly. I know they would have loved to have been there this past weekend, watching the kids run and play and experience so many things with the wonder that is so common to childhood.

After dinner each evening, we watched old episodes of Rawhide and ate popcorn that Uncle Keith popped in the Whirley Pop. Nothing like old black and white t.v. reruns to tell it like it is. Good is good and evil is evil. And no matter what, good always wins and cowboys always ride and end the show by saying, "Head 'em up! Move 'em out!"

Saturday morning we woke up and Matt asked me what I'd like to do most. "Well," I said, "I'd like to go to some yard sales, but I know there won't be any of those." (This is Small Town USA during the harvest season.) Imagine my delight when Aunt Leanna told me that there was a neighborhood yard sale going on that morning. Yeah for me!

We hit a grand total of five yard sales with unbelievably good prices. I even procured a swimming suit for Paul. He had forgotten to pack his own suit. The little boy at one sale was kind enough to go into his house and find an extra swimming suit of his for me to buy. I paid him extra for the effort. Paul was thankful that he got to go swimming that afternoon with the rest of the crew at the community pool.

There are a lot of trains that run through that small town. Saturday after we ate hamburgers for lunch, we got to see a train up close as it sped along the tracks behind the drive-in. My kids were ecstatic. They waved furiously at the engineer who waved back and then blew the train whistle an extra time just for them. Pretty cool.

My dad made a special trip to town to help his three oldest grandkids fish on Saturday afternoon. Grandpa Tom is an expert at putting worms on hooks and taking hooks out of fish mouths. His skills were put to good use that afternoon. Uncle Keith promised Paul that he would take him for a little more fishing before church the next day. Needless to say, both Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna were surprised to find Paul the city boy on their doorstep at 5:30 a.m. all bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready to head to the fishing pond.

Of course Uncle Keith treated the kids to combine rides and special drinks at the local coffee shop. I stayed back at the house with Isaac and got to spend some time with Aunt Leanna. The kids also enjoyed playing with the dogs, Libby and Arie, throughout the weekend.

Sunday we went to church. We took the first pew on the left, just like last year. The opening hymn was "How Great Thou Art." Behind me I heard Uncle Keith's tenor and Aunt Leanna's alto and I was immediately transported back in time thirty odd years or so. Same hymn, same voices, same church, same girl--now all grown up with a family of her own. Needless to say, I got a bit teary.

Later in the service, we sang my Grandma's favorite hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." How many times in my life, surrounded by those I love, have I sung that hymn in that little church? Time marches on and though that small congregation still has many familiar faces, many faces are now absent, saints who have gone on to Heaven. Yet, through tragedy and triumph, those still living gather every Sunday and give glory to God. And the immutable God, the Lord the Giver of Life, always meets His people there with His unfailing love. No matter how wildly the winds of change swirl around that tiny church, she stands faithful to her First Love, a bulwark in the midst of the storm. I was privileged to worship there on Sunday.

After such a fun filled weekend, many a tear was shed when it was time for our family to pack up and head home. Lydia asked, "Can't we stay for one more day?" Joel asked, "Can't we stay for a thousand more days?" Alas, it was time to go, but when we got home, we pulled out the Whirley Pop and ate popcorn as we watched one last episode of Rawhide before snuggling up in our beds for the night.