Growing up: Part 3.

THE HOLIDAYS
Don't worry I am almost done "Growing up".  My childhood memories of the Holidays were nice.  My favorites were Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving.  They all revolved around family when I was younger and probably why I enjoyed them so much.  I will start with Thanksgiving as a child.

Growing up Thanksgiving was always enjoyable.  My family would all pack up into my dad's truck and go to my grandma's house.  Several of my mom's side of the family lived on the same street.  The rest lived a few towns over, but a few lived out of state.  Every year all the relatives would show up, even from out of state!  There would be lots of food, of course, and lots of desserts.  Yummy.  I couldn't have a favorite because growing up I just loved to eat as much of everything that I could.  My brother and I would actually see who could eat the most.  There were only a few times one of us would actually get sick.  Really though it was us all having fun.

Us kids, anyone under 18 would all play in the yard until the food was ready.  Sometimes it was cold and rainy so we had to stay in.  Most of the time the guys would all play touch football or just catch.  The girls would play too, but mostly wanted to play tag.  I got along well with all of my cousins.  We were all blessed to have such a good family.  Once the meal was ready we would all wash up and go in to eat. 

My mom usually had us all hold hands and lead us in praying the Lord's Prayer.  I am not sure how she got picked when there were others who went to church too?  Hmm, maybe because she was more vocal about her belief.  Once we all fixed our plates to eat we pretty much took over the whole house.  Most of the older adults and very young kids ate in the dining area.  The others just found a spot on the porch or in the living room. 

Football was always on the T.V. at Thanksgiving and we loved watching.  The adults who weren't watching the games were usually playing some.  Most of the time it was Euchre or other various card games.  My parents always played but would yell in to see what the score was and who was winning. 

After about 3 or 4 hours everyone seemed to get really really tired.  That is when the kids would go for a walk.  Were my grandma lived there was a covered bridge.  It was fun to walk down there with my cousins and hear what they were up to and share the same about us.  When we came back from walking we would always eat more dessert!!  Finally it was time to cleanup.  Most of it was already done when the kids started helping but it was better that way.  We didn't want to be in the way you know.

I think my parents were some of the last ones to leave on Thanksgiving.  It was always dark out when we left and we usually went straight to bed once we got home.  I really enjoyed Thanksgiving as a child, but I have different reasons for loving it now.

Christmas:  Do I need to explain?  It was always a fun holiday.  Even if the weren't very many presents, and some years there were very few, it was always a good time.  My brother and I would wake up early and have to go back to bed.  Then wake up again and keep asking each other if it was time.  Then finally it was time.

We would go to the living room where the Christmas tree was and start opening the presents.  We tried to make sure we watched our parents open their presents too, but it was hard to wait.  After opening presents we had breakfast, which my dad was usually the one who made Christmas breakfast.  Sometimes, if it didn't snow or rain, we would take our new toys outside and play until lunch. 

Christmas lunch was usually at home or at my grandma's again.  If we went to her house, it was only a few of us who lived close.  It was still just as nice as Thanksgiving though.

Easter.  Easter was also a very fun holiday.  We would wake up to having a basket full of goodies waiting for us by our bunk beds.  Sometimes they were full of candy and small toys like cars or marbles.  Other times just candy.  After our small celebration of eating candy we would get ready for Church.  This was fun because we always had new outfits at Easter.  I am not sure if it is more common for girls to get dresses for Easter than boys to get suits, but my brother and I always got new suits.  Like I said in an earlier post we both looked good in our new suits.

We usually went to church earlier on Easter than normal Sunday's.  The church always had a "Son rise Service".  Notice the spelling SON not SUN.  It was important to understand the resurrection of Jesus.  If it wasn't for this, I would not be a Christian.  If God didn't have the power to raise Jesus from the dead, then nothing would matter about all the things Jesus ever talked about.  I will write about this later.

After church we would usually be given a brown paper bag full of peanuts and oranges.  Wait, was that done at Christmas too?  Maybe, but definitely at Easter.  It was fun.  Once we got home and had lunch we sometimes hid eggs for an egg hunt. 

Easter has always been important to me.  I think it is more important to me than Christmas now.  I celebrate them both as the same in a way.  Jesus came to us on Christmas, to live a life that would bring freedom.  On Easter He would raise from the death of punishment on a cross for my(and your)sins.  Yes, it is important to celebrate God's gift of Jesus on Christmas, but isn't it even more to celebrate God's gift of LIFE through the gift of salvation.  They are both free to us to receive, but Jesus had to sacrifice something both times.  One, he had to leave heaven and his place in heaven as king to come to Earth as a baby.  Two, he had to take our ugly sin and the wage of it on his perfect sinless body and be punished for our sin having his own Father turn away and then he would die.  I must move on, even though I don't want too.

Other Holidays that were celebrate at our house would include:  New Years Eve, St.Patrick's Day,  Fourth of July and Halloween.  Of all those I probably celebrate St.Patrick's day the most.  My wife and I have made it a tradition to celebrate it all the time we have been married.  Our anniversary is near it in March.  We always try to find a parade, OH Yeah I almost forgot....Thanksgiving Day Parade was always watched too!!  (On Thanksgiving of course.)  The Fourth of July has always meant something to me, being in Boy Scouts probably gave me reasons.  We would always watch fireworks and sometimes go to the carnival.  One year, at the carnival,  my brother got lost and we had to get the police to help us find him.  He was okay and just a little shaken up.  My parents were very worried though.  I enjoyed those summer nights around the 4th so much.  Those were the days I wish I could relive sometimes.  Maybe as my son gets older I will.  Halloween was not a big deal, but we would just dress up in something quick and do some "Trick or Treat"-ing.  I don't even recognize it as a holiday now.  Some people may disagree, but I don't.  My mom always had decorations up for these holidays and on New Years Eve we would stay up all night just to watch the ball drop.  As I got older, high school years, I would go to the church and we would have a worship service and then we had communion and prayed the New Year in. 

I think it is good to celebrate the holidays.  I don't think there is much more to say about the holidays.  My next post about "Growing up" will probably be my last on the subject.  I will probably write about my teenage years up to the time of meeting my wife. 

By the way, tomorrow is the first day of Autumn.  One of my favorite seasons.

Growing up: Part 2.

Well where do I start next.  How about elementary school age years.  I remember all of my teachers from kindergarten through 6th grade.  Something unique about our school was that once I was in 4th grade there were not enough students to have 2 classes like most other schools.  We had the same classmates for 4th grade through 6th grade.  The only things that changed were our teachers and new students.  I think there may have been 1 or 2 who ended moving to another school also.  I really liked my elementary school years.  I had lots of friends and we had lots of fun.  I made a friend in 2nd grade who I continued to be friends with until our high school years.  We still talk when we see each other out and about.  Our last few years of high school we just went two different ways.  Anyway, back to elementary.

I can still remember my first day of kindergarten.  I was so mad at my mom.  We lived close enough to walk to school, so we did.  The only problem was that my mom had me hold hands with the girl next door and took pictures to show all my relatives.  I didn't even play with her, just her brother.  He was a year older than me and she was only about 3.  So you can only imagine a 5 year old boy on the first day of school having to hold hands with a little girl who he thought was just a snotty nosed little brat of a girl.  Yeah, I hated it!  Well life went on and I accepted the fact that my mom and big sister thought it was "cute". 

It was in kindergarten when I first realized that school was actually a good thing.  I was able to spell and count.  I thought I was on top of the world.  I was proud to bring home all S's and a good report.  The only thing negative out of all this is that I grew proud of my grades and then became lazy with my school work in junior high.  Back then kindergarten was a half day long.  My mom was still a stay at home mom at this time so she would often pick me up from school.  My brother was usually with her. 

The next few years I continued to learn and grow, and grow and GROW.  By 6th grade I was already taller than my mom who was around 5'7''.  I think I out grew my dad in 8th grade at 6 foot even.  I remember my 6th grade teacher mentioning to me near the end of the year that she was amazed at how fast I grew in her class.

Okay, my favorite teachers were my 2nd grade teacher, a man we will call Steve.  My fourth grade teacher we will call Mrs. I love all people.  She really did.  She was such an amazing woman and I couldn't wait to be in her class.  She would pray every morning and we would say the pledge to the flag every week.  She was an encourager also.   Finally my 5th grade teacher, Coach.  He was the Jr/Sr high cross country coach.  He was the one who introduced the class to the amazing COMMODORE 64.  The first computer I ever saw at school.  He was strict when it came to homework too.

I remember my first best friends and the guys who I would play football with on recess.  My first time hearing a kid my age cuss.  My first experience with chewing tobacco.  Oh by the way, don't swallow it!!  I didn't try it too many more times, and I never did have a habit of it.  I remember all the great field trips and the different activities we did in class.

I enjoyed the weekends and summer break.  I would ride my bike over to my friends house and we would just have fun doing whatever.  I did somethings I regret because I am sure it didn't look good to my friends who weren't Christians.  Sorry guys.  I never had fights with any of my friends, but some of the older brothers really picked on us.  Meanies!!!

My summer breaks after I was about 8 years old(when my dad had his heart attack), were kind of busy.  My brother and I had to weed the garden for about 2 to 3 hours every other day.  I am glad I learned that discipline because it has helped me now with my own family's garden.  We also had to help him split and stack fire wood.  Once he had his heart attack, he could no longer go back to work.  This was before the laws allowed a person with health issues to work.  That was a lot of work for two little boys.  He was such a hard working man.  I often wondered if he was too hard on us.  Oh well.  I turned out okay and it has paid off. 

We also had to cut, or mow lawns and weed eat for several people.  I can remember waking up about 7 am, eating breakfast that our dad made(always something hot), and either being in the woods cutting up trees or mowing a lawn by 8:30 am!!  This would continue until about 1 pm when we would come home and eat, or stop on our way home and get a treat at a fast food place.  We would then spend until about 4 or 5 pm in the garden or stacking the wood from earlier.  I should note that we usually brought several truckloads home in the morning and then split and stacked them that night.  After dinner, usually 5:30 or 6pm we were free to roam until dark, usually about 8:30 or 9pm.

Of course a lot of the stuff about splitting wood was done by our dad, we just had to get it and stack it.  My dad would often times bring loads of wood with us whenever my brother and I would go camping with the Boy Scouts.  I think I joined in 5th grade.  I enjoyed the scouting.  It taught me a lot about serving others and being a better person.  My brother didn't stay with it as long as I did, but he tried. 

The Boy Scouts of America is really a great organization.  I plan on taking my son to Cub Scouts or even Tiger Cubs when he is old enough.  I made a lot of friends through this area and learned a lot of things I never would have learned at home.  Some of the things that I remember most was weekend camping once a month and a week long summer camp.   My first time camping with no tent was a little scary though.  It was part of an initiation to join a fellowship of campers, aka Order of the Arrow. 

I should probably stop here for now.  My next "Growing up" post will be about the Holidays.  Yeah!

Growing up: Part 1.

Do you remember what life was like as a kid?  How about as a teenager or young adult?  I remember good times and bad times.  I thought I would spend some time talking about my life to this point and maybe it would help you understand  a little more of who I am today.  No, this isn't an autobiography, but if it's good enough maybe it should be.

One of my earliest memories was going to my baby sitter's house next door while my parents went to the hospital to deliver my brother.  We are two years apart.  Other than family pictures to help me remember things I don;t recall much.  I do remember that my sister and her best friend taught me how to walk!!  Thanks sis.

OK. So let's start around preschool age, say three or four.  I was lucky, or unlucky according to some viewpoints, to have gone to daycare for a year and preschool at the same place the next year.  We only lived three blocks away, so my mom would always walk us.  I remember meeting new kids and making friends was easy then.  The teachers/daycare workers who worked there were sisters.  One of them lived across the street from us and my parents were friends with her.  I can remember playing outside in the playground and taking naps.  Also watching cartoons and of course learning.  I believe preschool is when I learned how to tie my shoes.  This age was full of learning and growing, but I also remember other things.

We lived next door to a church.  Actually it was across the alley to the south of us.  My mom would always dress me and my brother up in dress pants, dress shirts and shoes.  Sometimes she would put ties on us.  I wore a bow tie most of the time.  We usually got new outfits for Easter and Christmas.  I grew up in church.  Back then we would go to "Sunday School" before the main church service.

I learned most of the basic bible stories then like:  David and Goliath, Noah's Ark, Daniel in the lion's den, the story of Zacchaeus and of course Jesus' birth.  I think I might do a few posts later about these stories for anyone who is interested.  I will try to keep it simple but relevant to the truth.

I enjoyed dressing up for church.  My brother always dressed up too, but probably only because i did.  I tried to take care where i  walked and not step into anything with my dress shoes.  Not him, mud puddles look out!!  He didn't care about his clothes then, maybe I cared too much.  Anyway we looked good!

Often when we came home from church my dad would have lunch ready for us and be watching some old western with John Wayne in it.  I don't think I will ever forget those days.  He loved westerns and old army movies.  He introduced us to "It's A Wonderful Life" and it is still my favorite Christmas movie of all time.  My wife and I always have watched it together every Christmas Eve since dating.  It is such a good movie.

I remember that my dad loved to cook.  He cooked all the time.  He could make anything out of nothing.  As my brother and I got older we didn't like some of his concoctions though.  I did love his roast.  It had the best potatoes and carrots.  YUMMY!!

I guess I should explain my family setup a little bit before I get too far ahead.  I am from a family of five:  mom, dad, older sister, me and my little brother.  So, I am a middle child.  Well, yes and no.  According to birth order I am a middle child. But, there are nine years(yes I said 9)between my sister and me.  I have first born qualities and middle child alike.  I read somewhere that it only takes six years or so for a second child to have the firstborn characteristics.  I'm sure I have an edge being the first male child born too.  I tend to lean toward the middle child qualities in unique ways and often have first child strengths to back it up.

You my wonder,"Nine years between kids?".  Were my parents nuts?  I won't answer that here, ha ha.  Actually they were married ten years before having my sister and then me nine years later.  Two years after me my little brother shows up.  Imagine being married twenty-one years before having your third child.  Having older parents growing up was a little difficult.  It was good most of the time.

When I was about eight years old I can remember my dad trying to quit smoking cigarettes.  He had smoked them since before he was old enough to drive.  The rumor is that he was driving his dad's log trucks at age five!  I don't know if this is true, but I did feel bad for him.  He struggle so bad at times and often got very upset.  I wanted to help him stop.  So, I decided that I would pray for him. 

I remembered the story of JOB and how he lost everything, but still wouldn't curse God.  The devil, Satan, actually asked God for permission to try to make Job fail and sin against Him.  God had so much faith in Job that he told Satan he could do whatever he wanted to him as long as he didn't kill Job.  Job lost his family, his friends, his animals, he was deathly sick and still didn't curse God. 

One day I remember praying to God.  I prayed that He would do anything he could as long as my dad wouldn't die to get him to stop smoking.  Well, here is where the story gets a little bumpy.  Not long after I had prayed, maybe just a few weeks, my dad had a heart attack!  YIKES!!  He survived the attack and quit smoking "cold turkey".  I was so amazed.  I still think that God answered the prayer of an eight year old.

My dad lived another eight years after that before dying at 54.  He had some serious health issues.  He had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and even was put on oxygen.  Before he died, he had around seven heart attacks.  Three major ones and the rest were minimal.  He was doing a test one time at the hospital when the nurses forced him to stop moving and lay down, claiming he just had another heart attack.  He told them he didn't even feel a thing.  My dad was a big man.  He was obese.  He was six foot tall and easily weighed about 280 pounds.  His temper, stress and stubbornness was surely a big part of his bad health.

I was 16 when my dad died.  He was in the hospital undergoing several tests on his heart to prepare him for a heart transplant.  He never got one....at least not on earth.

Like me, my dad also grew up in church.  But, my dad chose a different life when he got older.  I am not sure when he stopped going to church, but it was before any of us kids were born.  My mom always told us that he used to sing in the choir as a boy and it was only a few years ago that I found out his own dad was a pastor.  I never met my dad's dad.  I heard that what turned my dad off to church was the things he saw at church growing up.  He claims to have seen some of the old men actually drinking(alcohol) in the back while the preacher was preaching.  Strange thought, he ended up drinking when he got older and when he was diagnosed with diabetes he quit cold turkey to that too.

I'm sure a lot of Christians do bad things.  I know I have and do some bad things from time to time.  I just wonder why we justify things for ourselves and criticise and judge others?  I think if I saw someone having a drink at church at first I would be shocked and think they are rude.  But, then I would be glad they had the boldness to go and be in church and hopefully they might hear from God and become free.(I feel a whole other blog post coming on!!)

So to finish off my first installment of "Growing up", I must say that life has its ups and downs for everyone.  We are all the same, but uniquely given different trials to face.  If you look to Jesus you will find light.  If not...then darkness will rule over you.  A few days before my dad died, he asked Jesus to save him, or in other words, he gave his life back to Jesus.  He trusted Jesus enough to call on His name and be rescued from the wage of sin.  In turn, Jesus did give my dad a new heart.  When my father died, he met his maker and was welcomed with the open arms of Jesus.

Romans 6:23 says:
 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NIV

Navigating Through Life

I am North.  I am a Christian man, husband to one, father to one and follower of one.  I desire to communicate the freedom in Jesus through this blog through stories, thoughts, desires and dreams of everyday life.  Join me in trying to bring insight and joy to others as we navigate through life.