Tweet Heritage

Thankful for the many wonderful memories at the family home over the years.65 years of marriage...for better or for worse in richer or for poorer...in sickness and in heath....till death do us part.. These are trying days for my dear, Grandma.  She is ailing and Grandpa has Alzheimer's.  She still wants to care for him on her own.  She still has her mid-western woman strength and tenacity. They shared with me their love of gardening and growing pretty things. My memory of their dining table always included fresh flowers brought in and arranged by Grandma.  The other very special memory of that dining table was playing Skip-bo or Phase 10 and sipping hot tea with honey.  In her kitchen, Grandma always had a stash of chocolate chips...she claimed the lecithin in the chocolate kept her sane.  My favorite recipes from Grandma would have to be her oatmeal cookies and her oriental salad.  It always amazed me how she could put out a spread of food from so little and the meal would be so satisfying.  She is not a Southern cook...just the simplicity of Western fare....salmon, chicken, a good roast and lots of fresh vegetables.  My love of canned plums is due to Grandpa's enormous plum tree that he guarded from the Starlings....and Grandma would do her part to can them.  Grandpa always had such a bountiful garden...I remember apples from his garden that must have been the size of a softball or larger....the sweetest and most crisp thing I ever tasted!1 daughter, 6 sons, 20 grandchildren, and 23 (and counting) great-grandchildren...certainly a quiver-full!I pray that these 3 sons the Lord has given us will look back someday and know something of the commitment of those sacred vows.  Of course 65 years seems like a long way off since we are just approaching 15 years, but regardless of the number of years may the strength of our love ever be evident and our fervor to serve the Lord above all else be paramount.