Everywhere I turn it seems that someone is talking about how this is the end of not only 2019, but the decade. It seems only fitting, then, that I looked back a bit this Christmas.
Christmas was different this year. It was the first one in our new home and the first one with both kids no longer under our roof. Kari and her sweet hubby had their own new home with their own Christmas tree, their own shopping trips, and their brand new traditions. Keenan was miles away and was only here for one day.
With the new house, I found myself getting a bit nostalgic. I wanted to do something to help commemorate the home which had sheltered us for the past 25 years, so I decided that I would attempt a watercolor.
I started with THIS photo:
I watched a YouTube video and then played around a bit on some scrap paper. Then I chose an afternoon when Glenn was not home and I sat down to work. Here is the final result:
I was pretty pleased with it. Not bad but for my first real watercolor, huh? This painting will hang in a place of honor in our new home to remind us of the many years of living and loving that we did in these walls. Someday it will be passed on to one of the children so they can be reminded of the memories we built there.
I also found myself focusing a bit on my parents. They are both getting older. Mom is 80 now and Dad will be 80 next year. Mom has dementia and every moment I spend with her is a bit melancholy. She smiles her sweet smile and tells me how precious I am, but she does not even realize that I am her daughter. Dad is the “strong” one. He cares for Mom, day in and day out and hates to ask for any type of help at all.
I find myself really appreciative of the raising that they provided for me and for my brothers. They took us to church, taught us about God, and helped us to learn the worth of good, hard work! Dad worked in a steel factory, a coal mine, was a carpenter, AND a farmer. I remember well the blackened coal face when he came home from the mines and the sunburned sweaty brow when he came in from the fields. Even on Christmas day, Dad found himself doing something for someone else. My niece had torn a seam in her sweater vest, so Dad pulled out his old electric sewing machine (dated 1960!) and set to work on a repair job.
It is really difficult to shop for Dad. From his point of view he needs nothing. When I questioned him about socks, underwear, jeans, and shirts his response was always, “I have plenty.” I usually end up getting him something that no one else would think of. This year, when I saw this little red truck at Walmart it reminded me so much of Dad’s old red Ford, that I knew that I had to get it and add my own personal touch.
It was a hit!
As I begin now to think about the next decade, I know that there will be major events in my life. Glenn and I will be working to build a new life in this new home, Mom and Dad face more aging and health issues, and I will need to build new relationships in this new town. At the same time, I can rest assured that I will always be able to look back on the old memories and remember how they shaped me into the person that I am today.
Renewal and Refuge 