Formal Family

First I’ll write about being thankful for my nuclear family, and go on from there.

I’m so thankful my parents were married! I had both parents in my home. What a blessing that is. (For the purposes of this post, I’m only gonna talk about the positive aspects of my Dad. And that they stayed married till my sister was in high school.

I’m so thankful we always had food, shelter, clothes, etc. We never had to worry about basic needs. Might not be exactly what we wanted- anybody else have to sew fabric to the bottom of their jeans so they weren’t high waters?? Only if you were tall, and had to shop at yard sales, I guess! lol

Yeah, fun times! Thankfully, my Mama was a seamstress, and always fixed ’em right up for me. When she was little, her Mama, my Granny, was sewing them dresses outta croker sacks, so I was really grateful that it was only short jeans for me!!

Just in case you don’t know, crocker sacks were what flour came in back then, like 25 pound sacks.

Dad took us to church, every time the doors were open, since he was the pastor.

Once when I was 8, I was sitting on the very end of a bench. And the boy I wanted for a boyfriend, was sitting at the other end, 10 feet away. No one was between us. I kept eyeing him, and he’d pretend not to notice. Then, he’d eye me. And occasionally we’d smile at each other, shyly.

Wouldn’t you know it, “Melinda!” Dad’ stern voice echoed thru the church. “Come up here to the front row, and pay attention to the service.” Of, Lord. Talk about the walk of shame!! I had to grab my Bible, with my head hanging low, face all aflame!! and sit on the front pew, where all transgressors are banished to.

The only other time that happened, was when I was passing notes with my aunt Sherry. Same call down, same walk of shame. You’d think I would have learned the first time!! But the 2nd cured me good!! I never made another peep, or note, or glance around EVER again!!! I am a hard head, but I’m also capable of learning!! 😉

We went on family trips: Disney world was a very memorable one. The Haunted House terrified me!! And the Tea Cups made me dizzy sick!! Oh well, the Mickey ice creams sure were tasty!!

Mama taught me how to clean house, and do chores. Too bad that those lessons didn’t make it into my adulthood!! It wasn’t for lack of her trying tho! The house just got dirty again, so why bother?? I’d rake it out, when it got waist high! 😉

Teaching me to sew was something I was interested, so those lessons stuck! Also, sewing on a button came in very handy in college! I made me some money there, from the poor helpless boys!! Also, I did remember the laundry lessons enough to make some money there too. Plus, I got my clothes washed free!! I was quite the entrepreneur in college! Being dirty poor will make you innovate!! I also collected cans to recycle, can’t forget I typed papers!

Back to Dad. He taught us the importance of reading the Bible, and praying every day. Another lesson that slipped away, till I came back to the Lord. Then, in swam up from the depths of my conscious, and was renewed.

The importance of regular church attendance, and fellowship with like minded Christians.

And tithing! Boy, he gave us our dollar allowance in dimes, when we were real young. He made us count them out. 10 dimes, and the first one belong to God as tithe. So, he’ll hold that one. Next one to save, so he’d take that one to hold. Then, you can spend the other 8 dimes on whatever you want. Making sure it was wholesome. Can’t spend it all on candy!! So, on Sunday, he’d give us back the first dime, and watch to make sure we put it in the offering plate. The second one he saved for us. Can’t remember if it it was in a jar or whatever. If you didn’t tithe, you were robbing God!! I kept that commandment, (even tho it’s not a commandment), even when I was sinning. I’d do wrong, but NO WAY was I gonna rob God! I’d go to hell for that! Never mind all the other stuff I was doing.

Malachi 3:8-10
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Emphasis mine.

Anyway, Dad taught us how to handle a gun. And if we killed it, we had to eat it. Hunting wasn’t for pleasure. Gag!! I hated eating that poor robin I shot!! It was an accident- believe you me! Mama baked it, and I managed to choke down enough of it to satisfy Dad. If you see a robin, DON’T Shoot it!!

How to put oil in a car, change a tire, and how to drive a stick shift. I HATED doing all this at the time- but boy, when I was stuck with a flat tire, and no traffic going by, I said lots of Thank you Dads!! And I even thanked him when I got home!

Mama made me learn the house stuff, cooking, cleaning etc. When Bubba was born, I learned lots about tending to a baby. I was almost 3. I picked him up, walked across the room, sat down and rocked him to sleep. Meanwhile Mama is almost stroking out! All’s well that ends well! Also, I thought it was terrific fun to rinse out his cloth diapers in the toilet. Was I brain damaged?? That’s just what ya did in them days. Dump the poop, flush, then dunk up and down, squeezing, till ya got the rest of the residue off. When Sis was born, I learned ALL about tending a baby, cuz she was my living baby doll!! I was 8 1/2 when she was born, so I gave her bottles. I picked her up, and changed her diapers when she cried. It’s really a wonder my parents ever got any time with their own child!! I’m very serious when I say she was my child!

That’s about all, I guess. Except that if ya hear rattling, and buzzing in the palmettos, it’s probably a rattler!! It was 6 ft long! And don’t go near it’s head, cuz it could still bite you!!

Thank you, Dad and Mama for all the lessons ya taught us!! We wouldn’t be functioning members of society with ya!!

I love you both more than I can say. (Well, I did say it to Dad before his death.)