On Day Two of our spring break stay-cation, I wanted to give the girls a little bit of history – my history, that is. We live about 45 minutes from the town where I lived as a child, but we seldom have any reason to go there. My family no longer lives there, so there is nothing calling us back. But I wanted the girls to see the places where I spent so much time when I was their age, so we made it our destination.
Our first stop was my old church. It sits on the busiest corner in town, which is rather metaphoric, as it was the center of our lives as well. I am thankful to have been brought to this place of worship every week, sometimes multiple times during the week. I am thankful to have that heritage to pass on to my girls, and I hope that they will feel the same way about our church that I do about this one. It was the starting point to a lifetime of worship, Bible study, and service.
Across the street from our church is this little store that has been in business for who-knows-how-many years. I used to go in when I was a little girl, and it still looks exectly the same now as it did then. It is called the House of Serendipity, and it is indeed full of hidden treasures. It sells an eclectic mix of items, mainly books, but also antique dishes, old paintings, cards, and just about anything else you can imagine. I have always wanted to own a bookstore in a historic building, and I’m sure the House of Serendipity is where that desire was born.
After I spent the morning giving the girls the tour and telling them why these places were so important, they were ready for a little break. We headed over to a local park that has been built since we lived there. It is a beautiful setting, complete with streams, bridges, open green spaces, walking trails, and a humdinger of a new playground. This was their favorite part of the day.
The day turned out to be oh so cold. We opted to eat our picnic in the car. I am thankful that my girls can enjoy a picnic in the car with a happy heart. It does my heart good to know that they can adapt to plan B without complaining – even enjoying it as much as our original plans to eat outside.
A sweet lady at the park noticed that I was taking lots of pictures, and she suggested that we go over to the local college president’s house and take pictures on the lawn. I was relieved to see when we drove up that there was a sign inviting visitors to drive up the driveway and visit on the lawn.
I am thankful to have the opportunity to share my heritage with my children. It was a gift from God, unwrapped on an ordinary Tuesday morning. I pray that they will look back on their childhood as a time of joy, security, and love like I do.
hello! thank you for stopping by this morning!
what a beautiful post this is! i think as parents, we don't share enough of our own history. and really … our kids really seem to enjoy hearing stories from when we were little and where we lived, etc.
thank you for this great reminder! i'm going to take some time out of my day to share with my girls …
My sweet shot of for this Tuesday is the memory of a little girl walking the aisle of this church with her piggybank in her arms…bringing her all.