A Lot of News

Happy July 1st!  It seems like it's feast or famine on my blog lately.  There's either nothing to write about for several days, or everything happens all at once.

As you know, I've been scanning and editing lots of old photos while being homebound during the COVID-19 pandemic.  I've done over 1,000 photos to date.  I was finally able to submit my first Shutterfly album for printing this morning.  It's 107 pages containing 249 photos from my birth up to Kindergarten [1947-1952].  I titled the book, "It's a Girl" and below is a picture of the cover.  It will arrive between July 11 and the 15th.  I can hardly wait!  I'm working on the second album now - Kindergarten thru 6th grade.

After working on all the old photos from my birth and early childhood, I decided to take a short road trip across town [23 miles] to Dearborn, MI yesterday where a lot of the photos were taken.  Shortly after I was born and my Dad had settled into civilian life following his Marine WWII assignment in the South Pacific, my parents bought their first new home in Dearborn in the Spring of 1948.   Below are a couple of exterior photos of the house, a small brick bungalow - two bedrooms on the first floor and one large bedroom upstairs.  

There were no large trees surrounding the house since it was a new subdivision.   Below is the same house 72 years later!   The brown wooden peak has now been replaced by white aluminum siding with an updated storm door, windows and shutters.  And look at all those trees [which could use some trimming in front of the house ;-)]!  After all these years, the neighborhood is still well cared for.

In the above photo my Dad is holding me and sitting next to us is my brother [five years older] and sister [three years older].  I don't remember Janet because she died of Bulbar Polio three months before her 6th Birthday when I was just two years old.  She is in a lot of the pictures in the Shutterfly album being printed now.  Below is the last picture we have of her taken in front of our house with me in March 1949.  She passed away on June 7th.

We each got a doll buggy for Christmas three months earlier [photo below].

Seeing all her pictures made me want to visit her grave again.  The cemetery is only five miles west of the house, so we were able to include it on this trip.  I haven't been there in many years, and I was afraid her marker would be covered over with grass and we wouldn't be able to find her grave, but amazingly it was still visible for me to find.

We were well on our journey to Dearborn when it occurred to me that we should have taken gardening tools to manicure the area, but Jerry had some things in his car that we made do with. Below he's clearing away the overgrown grass.

It's a bronze marker but exposure to the weather after so many years has turned it green.  I want to find out how to clean it and bring it back to it's bronze color.

I have often wondered what she'd be like if she had lived, but I have the assurance of seeing her again someday in Heaven.  As I knelt at her grave, I thought someday her little body is going to burst out of that grave to be reunited with her soul in Heaven when Jesus returns to rapture His Church.   It was quite a nostalgic day for me, and I can't begin to imagine the depth of grief and loss my parents experienced.

And speaking of church... My son, Steve, posted these pictures of our new church structure going up yesterday.  The sun shining down on the project yesterday morning was so symbolic for me.  It's as if 'The SON' was shining down on our new building.  It's so exciting!

We are going to have our service on the grounds [at the building site] this Saturday at 11:00 a.m., with a cook-out afterwards.  Then we're going to go inside with magic markers in hand to write our favorite Scripture verse or prayer request on the cement floor, which will later be covered over.  How do you choose one favorite Bible verse - it's like asking who your favorite child is.  With a Bible full of wonderful promises, is the floor big enough?  I'll be sure to post pictures.

And last but not least... The Whitney posted the Tea for Two To-Go promotion yesterday on their Facebook page and website.  My boss e-mailed this morning and said six baskets sold the first day.  He said, "We're off and running!"  I'll be ordering a new round of supplies.  I think I'm going to be busy a busy tea lady making tea baskets!

Until next post, be safe and stay well!