Friday, September 1, 2017

Sweet Memories



After doing the post on my Grandparents last Friday, I began thinking of all kinds of childhood memories.  Since that post was such a "hit", I thought you might enjoy my sharing more of my memories.
Me at 3 months old

I was born in Newport News, Virginia  while my Daddy was serving in the US Navy.  When I was 3 months old and my Dad had been discharged from the Navy, we moved to Ft. Smith,,Ark.  Ft. Smith was home to my Dad and we settled there for the next 8 years of my life.

When I was 8 years old my Dad surrendered to full time ministry and began his ministerial career at a little small country church in Alma, Ark. I always felt special because my Dad was a minister, I was never ashamed or disliked the title of "preacher's kid."

Times were tough financially for our family until I was in high school.  I can remember my Dad praying and asking for God's provisions for our food and God always provided exactly what we needed when we needed it.  My Mom had a way of making a dollar stretch a long way.  I remember many Christmases that would not have been had it not been for kind hearted individuals providing for us.  But, I also never recall feeling less than blessed because of what I might not have had.

Our family did not own a TV until I was 9 years old and I well remember being beside myself with excitement the day we got one.  In the years prior to our having a TV I spent a lot of happy hours listening to story telling on the radio.

Outside play was a huge part of my young life.  We always had a rope swing and a we used our imagination to have fun  in ways that kids today have no idea.
Me, at 2- 3 years old, with my Momma

Ever so often we would get to go to the Dairy Queen and get an ice cream cone and it was a very big deal and I would get so excited anticipating our going.

My precious Momma pretty much made every stitch of clothing I wore until I was married.  I loved every piece she sewed and let me assure you, I wore them until I either outgrew them or they were almost threadbare.  I did not have but a few clothes and they were worn and worn and worn!

Our family when I was 10 years old
I did a lot of babysitting once I was about 13 years old and I remember babysitting for 2 couples many Sat. nights.  Each couple had 2 children and I would keep all 4 of the children at one of the couples houses for a mere 50 cents an hour.  Yep, that's right!  That was 50 cents total per hour, not per couple.  And, I would usually keep them around 5 hours for a total of $2.50.  I was thrilled too death with that amount of money.

My Mom had my youngest brother when I was 13 years old.  At that time I took on a lot of responsibility in our home.  Mom was so busy caring for him that I took over the ironing for our family.  That was a a pretty big job in that my Daddy wore a dress white shirt and tie every day. ~ Ministers really use to dress that way ~ And, every piece of ironing was sprinkled, rolled and put in the refrigerator until it was ironed.  Now, you talk about a crisp look!  As a result of those years, I can still iron a "mean" shirt!


I hated to post this picture but it is the first family photo that we had taken after my youngest brother was born.  We are quite a pitiful looking group for sure.

When I was in high school dancing was "the thing!"  Well, my Dad felt it would be best if I did not participate in dancing since I was the preacher's daughter.  ~I mean, what might some of the church members think and say~  But, I never really gave it a thought and was content to find other ways to spend my time.  I did not ever attend a prom and guess you could say that I am living proof that you can live through it. ~chuckle~

I look back on my childhood and teenage years with much fondness.  I never knew that there were times that my parents did not know where the next meal was coming from.  I felt extremely loved and cared for and was just a happy girl.  I grew up learning that the Lord will always provide, not our wants but our needs and trusting Him as my Savior was the most important decision I would ever make in my life.  I certainly did not grow up wealthy by the world's standards but I had something money could not buy, a loving Christian home.  And, that's really all that matters!


Blessings abundant to you my dear readers!

Lea @ CiCis Corner
Lea @ CiCis Corner

Hi there! My name is Lea. I've been wife to the best Hubby for 44 years....Mom to a son and daughter....CiCi to 4 precious Grans....lover of family and friends....enjoy laughter and a good time....shopper....picture taking maniac....maker of delicious fudge....organizational enthusiast....memory maker....Southern Belle...and most importantly.....a Child of the King! Welcome to my little corner!

8 comments:

  1. Oh Lea, you were beautiful as a child too and I bet your heart fills with pride thinking about your upbringing!! What a blessing to have such a loving family who put the Lord first. I love the simpler times of growing up where I lived for outdoor play. I made our boys play outside and always be creative and now they thank me for not letting them live behind a screen. Beautiful post!! Have a precious weekend!!

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  2. What beautiful memories. We were living in Oklahoma and my Father felt the call to the ministry and we returned to California where his family was and he started taking classes. But my Mom was not very supportive and with 3 children to provide for it didn't happen. For my Dad it was like a piece of his life was always missing.

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  3. It was good to share again these early experiences of your growing up. We were both so blessed. By the way, there is a picture of our whole family that will never ever be shared.

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  4. Aww, those are some cute childhood pictures and stories.

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  5. Your personal story is both interesting and inspiring. Again, there are some similarities in our stories as young girls. (not dancing and therefore not going to prom being some of them).

    Your mother did a wonderful job sewing your clothes. The dress you wore for the family photo (of the 5 of you) is especially nice.

    Now for my dumb question: why was it necessary to put sprinkled clothing into the refrigerator before ironing them? I have heard of this, and I saw it as a youngster, but I don't know the "why" of the refrigerator part.

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  6. Well now this is another beautiful post!! My hubby is a pastor and I always worried that my kids would grow up and hate church/ministry. That hasn't been the case. Isn't it amazing how God provides for his servants? I hope my kids have sweet memories like yours. I did sew most of their clothes and we too learned to eat quite creatively! To this day one of their favorite meals. . . are you ready for this?? Hot dogs, cut up and cooked in a pan with 2 cans of diced tomatoes and served over homemade mashed potatoes with green beans on the side. HAHAHAHA! I made it the other night for my husband and you would have thought I had served him filet!

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  7. I loved hearing about your childhood. Loving parents are the most important thing in life and the values they instill in their children.
    Learning at an early age that God does provide for His children and how to trust Him is a huge life lesson. You are so right money can not buy a loving Christian home.

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  8. Oh, those precious childhood photos are all so sweet! Such an enjoyable read as you share those memories!

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So glad you stopped by and hope you enjoyed your visit. I love your comments and read each and every one of them and I always try to reply to them. Blessings to you this day!