Happy Little Trees

As a child, I feared moving with a great passion. We had many, many opportunities to move because of my dad's job, but somehow, after we moved to Dundee, we always stayed planted in the same house--which was our home.

When I came into the family, there wasn't enough room in my parents tiny house located in the big metropolis of Owensboro to fit three children (as you can see there was barely enough room for me on the couch). When I was a year old, the family decided it was time to move.

My parents purchased a home for less than you'd now purchase a used car, and got to work on fixing it up with the help of Uncle Buster and his savvy carpentry skills. It was a huge task, but the results created a home that served as a faithful haven to our family for a very long time.

My childhood memories are in this home. My main childhood memory is the one pictured below. I love this picture of my mom. It's completely her. She could do laundry, put make-up on in the bathroom, cook dinner, and iron, while on the phone stretching that cord for dear life.

I'm going home tomorrow to help my mom move. We're all going to miss our home terribly. It's the only home I remember. And if you've ever been there, you'd understand. It feels like home. Even the yard is great. Pictured below is the tree that at the age of 10, I met my best friend Amy under. She said in a West Texas drawl, "Your name's Beth, riiiite?" And I replied, "Riiiite." And then immediately felt guiltly for imitating her. It's a beautiful tree and in the fall it turns a beautiful yellow color. It also has really soft moss that's the best thing in the world to walk on.

This week I also realized I'm also grieving over the fact that the family will no longer have a connection with the town of Dundee. Dundee is a tiny town, but still in the country. I literally used to walk over the river and through the woods, and come to one of my favorite spots--the old creek road. I was never bold enough to swim in the creek like the people pictured for fear of copperheads and snapping turtles, but I did walk down there quite often with Midnight, my dog, and throw a lot of rocks. And sit and think.

Please pray for me, my brother, and my sister, and especially my mom, as she transitions to a new place after faithfully caring for our home and loving it for 31 years. It's too big and too much now for just her, so it's time to pass it on to another family.

Somebody get me a tissue. Aw, geez.