Recently a friend found an old picture of our family and posted it on Facebook, a picture from an era of exceedingly large glasses and hair parted straight down the middle. In the comments my sister mentioned that better haircuts and cuter clothes might have helped, but what can you say, we were secure and happy children. I have been thinking about that and decided to do something I have wanted to do ever since Shari put a link to this template on her blog. I am posting this today in honor of my mom’s birthday! Many happy returns of the day, Mom!
I Am From
I am from a wide, extended table, whistling tea kettle, and chocolate chip cookies.
I am from the teeny yellow cottage by the creek and the square farmhouse in Dutch Corner.
I am from restoring a log cabin on the hill overlooking the sunset.
I am from the ancient apple tree whose brittle limbs threatened to drop us on the ground every time we picked its bounty.
I am from a crackling fireplace and praying every night before bed.
From three siblings and many “adopted” little ones.
I’m from coffee with creamer and dunking donuts and from “hols hocka” which is fried batter in hot salted milk.
I’m from you may not ever pout, we don’t work on Sunday, and it’ll heal before the cat lays an egg.
I’m from Saturday night games of chase and give-away chess.
I’m from Indiana and Ohio blended in Kentucky, from ancestors ages ago in Switzerland,
From homemade scrapple and creamy mac n cheese.
I am from Aunt Ruth’s cherry delight made with lime jello and Uncle Tim eating his noodles.
From The Ten Commandments hung on the living room wall, carven camels from the Holy Land marching in a row, wobbly stacks of books on every nightstand.
I’m from relentless teasing, laughter, and inside jokes.
I am from a secure and happy place.
wocket in my pocket 
Thank- You ….. so precious !!!! ” Blessed indeed… love, mama
Just yesterday as I was telling Cookie stories from my childhood, I was pondering that in spite of all the imperfections in my parents and our training back in the day, we lived a very secure and happy life.
My sisters were safe with my dad and us boys. We loved being together. Playing together. Working together. Butchering together! 😉 We prayed & read the bible together daily.
I am increasingly thankful for what I had as I become ever more aware of how truly rare our secure, safe home was.
And happy birthday to “Paul Linda”!
Motz, I have thought about it a lot. I think it boils down to the fact that we were not in the way, but welcome in their lives. Looking back, it seems like it was an idyllic, innocent age to grow up, but I rather doubt our parents felt that way. 🙂 (Keep telling Cookie stories! You are on the right track.)
This makes me chuckle: “I’m from you may not ever pout, we don’t work on Sunday, and it’ll heal before the cat lays an egg.”
When I was growing up we had a hand-carved Nativity scene from the Holy Lands, with camels. I wonder if they are the same kind as yours.
A warm, rich post. You’ve been blessed!
Thank you! Ours were just a row of camels with little hooks to dangle water pots. My grandpa brought them back for us and later an uncle visited Jerusalem and brought identical camels. 🙂
I loved this. So similar to where I am from, yet so different. I cherish my safe happy childhood more then words can express, now that I have so many friends who came from the other side of the track where anger, molestation, and fear was commonplace.
Ah, so glad you did this…. I saved the template for future opportunities, either for myself or for my creative teenagers. (Ha ha.) When I reflect on that “idyllic” childhood of ours, I always wonder what my children will remember and what stories they will be telling some day…
Oh, and I could say a lot about how our moms spent their time and energies, pre-computer age, Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, and all that. Maybe you have some things to say on the subject? (In case anyone thinks their lives were small, they delivered babies and took lingerie sewing classes and put new linoleum on our kitchen floor, which is a whole lot more than I could boast of to date!) 😀
I forgot about that lingerie class they took, but your mention brought back memories of fingering the pretty (un-Amish) fabrics. 🙂 Yes, they did a lot of stuff and had time for more, it seems. Shall we kick internet?…