Dianne

Buying our first house…

After the birth of our first child in 1968, we bought our first house. It was small…maybe a total of 1,000 square feet. It had a living room, dining room, small kitchen, three bedrooms, one bathroom, a detached one-car garage and a fenced backyard.

There was a redbud tree in the front yard which had beautiful pink blossoms each Spring. Although Bill had never laid brick in his life, he decided that he would build a small circular brick wall around the base of the redbud tree. What we didn’t realize was that the ground around the tree wasn’t at all level, so our circular wall appeared to be waving…up and down. We laughed about it and filled it with flowers. I believe that was Bill’s last attempt at laying brick!

This was the beginning of many years of progressively successful “remodeling” experiences. We painted every room, changed the carpet, painted the kitchen cabinets, installed a new kitchen countertop and new bathroom tile. Bill constructed a narrow laundry closet in the bedroom adjacent to the living room since the kitchen was too small for it. We used scalloped window shades in each window and I made window treatments. We also painted the exterior of the house a light olive green with dark green shutters. All in all, it wasn’t bad at all for two total novices.

Little did we know when we bought that first small house in 1968 that we would eventually own nine homes over a period of thirty-something years. Through the process of trial and error, we would learn a lot. We mastered painting, special textures on the wall, wallpapering, hanging drywall, refinishing cabinets and installing wood floors. There was even electrical and plumbing involved with hanging new light fixtures, ceiling fans and changing out fixtures in the bathroom.

We made our share of mistakes, but over the years our confidence grew and we were pleased with the results. We enjoyed the warm colors, rich woods and the look of colonial America. Home was comfortable and a welcome refuge for our family…

It seems like yesterday…

Family, My Southern Heart, Reflections

Memories are strange and funny things. Try to remember what you had for dinner three nights ago, and there’s only a vague recollection; but the memories from forty years ago are fresh and clear. I hope you enjoy a brief look at the first few years of our firstborn’s life. It really does seem like yesterday…

First, scroll to the bottom of the blog page and pause the playlist music…(just click the two vertical bars in a circle)…and then return and play the video.

Happy Easter…Jesus is alive!

Reflections

I can only imagine what the disciples and Jesus’ other followers must have felt that Friday after the crucifixion. They had watched as Jesus had been condemned by Pilate. They had watched as Jesus had been forced to carry the rough, heavy cross along the Via Dolorosa and had fallen three times under the weight of it. The pain of seeing him beaten and ridiculed was great, but the pain of watching the huge spikes being driven through his hands and feet was unbearable. To hear him call out to his Heavenly Father must have wrenched their hearts and souls indeed.

Jesus was dead. They had seen him die with their own eyes. They had never known such deep despair. The skies were dark as the Roman soldiers had secured Jesus’ body in a tomb and set an enormous boulder in front of it. Guards had been placed in front of the tomb to protect it even further…perhaps in their minds to insure that the disciples would not take Jesus’ body.

Knowing what we know now, you and I want so badly to remind the disciples that Jesus had told them he would return…that he would rise again. Even though they had been in the upper room and had heard the words for themselves, they didn’t remember…or didn’t believe it. Would we have been any different? Had we seen with our own eyes the Saviour die, would we have been waiting by the tomb on the morning of the third day? Just in case we’re too hard on the wavering disciples, remember the promise that He has given to us. He’s coming AGAIN for us…are we waiting expectantly?

The simple truth is that Jesus CONQUERED death and rose to live again on the third day just as He promised. He BECAME my sacrifice…and yours…in order that, through repentance of our sins and belief in Him, we might have eternal life.

I love the stories of Jesus’ appearing to his disciples and followers after his resurrection. One of my favorite stories, is when he appeared to Peter. Remember, Peter had done just what Jesus had told him that he would do: he had denied Jesus three times. Ashamed and brokenhearted, Peter had return to his fishing…his old way of life. There, at the Sea of Galilee, Jesus spoke to Peter and asked him three times if Peter loved Him more than these (his old life). It broke Peter’s heart that Jesus questioned three times…when Peter had answered him, “yes, Lord, you know that I love You”. After the third answer, Jesus said to Peter, “Tend My sheep”. Imagine the weight that was lifted from Peter’s shoulders at that moment…the forgiveness that he felt…the determination. I wonder if Peter had an inkling then of the role he would play in the development of the early church.

So, on this Easter morning, I’m reminded that it’s no longer Friday, the tomb is empty and Jesus is ALIVE! Praise God!

Welcome to the world, baby boy…

Family, My Southern Heart

It was August of 1968…and time for two important milestones in our life…Bill’s graduation and the birth of our first child.

It had been fun preparing the nursery. I made soft yellow window curtains in a sweet nursery print, and we bought a maple rocking chair that would be with us for years to come. As I recall, the baby chest we used had been Bill’s as a baby. We had given it new life with a coat of yellow paint…and nursery decals. (Years later, our firstborn would paint that same chest and take it with him to Vanderbilt University!)

On August 24, our firstborn made his debut. He weighed 8 lbs. 5 ounces, was 21 inches long and 4 weeks late. I had begun answering the telephone with “yes, I’m still here”, when he finally arrived.

Welcome to the world, baby boy! How much joy can one heart feel!

Spring snowfall…

Family, My Southern Heart

It was March 22, 1968. Sixteen inches of snow had fallen, and the city was covered in an amazing blanket of white…a rare sight for Memphis.

After Bill’s brief resident engineer appointment in Arkansas, we had returned home to Memphis and rented a 2 bedroom, 1 bath, upstairs apartment. We would need the second bedroom for a nursery, since we were now expecting our first child.

So, on that snowy day, while everyone else was sledding down the hills near the art museum, I was watching and laughing as everyone tumbled down those snowy banks….