Today is going to be around 50 degrees...but the rest of the week (and weekend) is going to be in the 70's. Perfect weather. And just in time for our first soccer game on Saturday.
Easter egg production was fun again yesterday. The red-haired spit fire wasn't there...so we didn't cut up quite as much. The woman mostly talked about my nanny...and how much they loved her...and miss her(she was called to heaven five years ago). She was most of these ladies close friend and hearing them reminisce about their good times with her was nice. A few cried as they spoke...and this really got to me. It was special to be a witness to their memories. I say witness because even though I was sitting right there with them.....as they spoke....they were somewhere else. Looking right past me. Eyes sparkling....slight smile....head tilted....30, 40, 50, even 60 yrs younger. Remembering times with friends and children who were naughty. And there was no spare to rod with these ladies. No time out chair 50 yrs ago. It was switches off the tree for them. Or daddy's belt...or momma's wooden cookin' spoon. Yikes! And there was no tv, nintendo and playstation. It was a ball (and usually made of something that didn't bounce....it just rolled)..or a doll that had been your momma's and her momma's. A doll you kept pristine and perfect. That you saved and gave to your grandchild. Only to have her trash it after one week. Kids just don't appreciate things anymore...they would say.
One of my favorite stories of the day was about this woman and her sister. They were 5 & 6 yrs old. Brought up in church and taught to fear God (they rarely spoke of God's love and caring back then...just how you were going to go to hell if you sinned). Anyway, her and her sister stole a piece of bubblegum from the store across the street. One piece. They took it home, unwrapped it and the one sister put it in her mouth and chewed it a couple of times (their plan was to alternate chewing the gum) and then passed it to her sister because she was sick to her stomach. The other sister wouldn't touch it. She felt sick already. She said they stood there staring at the half chewed gum...and burst into tears. The guilt was too much for them. They cried all afternoon. At dark they rewrapped the gum...snuck outside...dug a whole and buried it. Then they went into bed and lay there holding each other crying for fear of the Lord coming and snatching them apart and sending them to hell. Their mother heard the crying and came in and asked what was wrong. Of course they confessed the entire thing. Their mother prayed with them and in the morning took them to the store and had them apologize and pay the man a penny (with was alot to them). She said that day felt so bad....that she never in her entire life stole anything again.
I'm taking today off (my sister begged me to come over) but I will return tomorrow for more fun. 
1 comment:
Guilt can be a terrible thing.
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