Home

Robert Frost wrote, "Home is where, when you go there,
they have to take you in." It is that, but to me it is some-
thing so much more personal and wonderful.

As long as my parents were alive, I had two homes--the
physical abode where my husband, my children and I
lived and , of course, where our parents lived.
For as long as one of them was alive, that was where
we went for Christmas, during the summer and many
other times. We went as often as we could so that
our two children would know and have an intimate
relationship with all four of their grandparents.

When my mother died, I knew she was in a better,
pain-free place and that she would not want to leave
it if she could. She had suffered so much and had
asked us to pray for her to go; it was very difficult
to let go, but I soon made peace with myself and
did move on.

When my sisters and I lost our dad, we felt as though
we were orphans, loose, without an anchor. I know now
that my parents were indeed anchors and that we were
cast adrift in the world trying to cope with the loss and
stay on track for our own children.

For the past week and a half we were in Mississippi
visiting our son and his family. My grand daughter
Chelsea really stole my heart as she does every
time I go, and part of me wanted to stay and part of
me could hardly wait until I was back "home" in my
own abode and doing the daily chores that make my
place here a home.

It is so important to go and visit; it is also very
comforting to know that there is a place that
is entirely yours (meaning my husband and I)
and that it is a place where your children look
forward to returning, too. We are their
roots.

Kids Say the Cutest Things

This could go on all night. There are so many wonderful,
funny things. When my daughter was 3 years old, way
before seat belts, she was somewhere with my mother.
My mom only used two taboo words, "shit" and "bastard."
Being the lady that she was, she very seldom said these
words in anyone else's hearing.

On this day they were driving, Vicki standing on the
seat beside her so close that Mother could catch her
with her elbow if she had to stop quickly. Someone
pulled right out in front of her, and she used her "B"
word. My little one just listened.

A few days later something else occurred where Mother
had to stop suddenly. They drove on a little while and
Vicki said to her grandmother, "He was a bastard,
wasn't he?"

That little remark cured my mother insofar as the "B"
word was concerned. My daughter never heard her
grandmother utter that word again. When she was
a teenager, however, she did hear the "S" word from
my Mom . Until that time her Mama Connie was very
careful of what she said before her young grandchildren.

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When my son was three,, he was always saying funny
things. I wish I had written them all down. Now that
I am old, I have a difficult time remembering.

One afternoon I was in a rush and made him two hamburger
patties, some fries, some fruit and some milk.. I put his
dinner on a tray and called him to come and eat. When he
walked in the room, he took one look at the food and said,
and said, "Oh Boy, Naked meat. I just love naked meat."

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Children are the joys of our lives. It's sad that we are so
busy trying to "raise them right," to clothe and feed them,
to work and to keep a clean house that we do not have
that wonderful one on one time that grandparents (if the
children live close by) have. We do not take or have
the time to really enjoy them. I have, however, certainly
indulged myself and my grandchildren since I retired in 1966.

Nineteen sixty-six was a red letter day. I was free! I
would never work at night again. All my chores would
be done in the day time. I would never set my alarm
clock again. Ha! Of course, none of the above
occurred. I seemed busier than ever and loved every
minute of it.

More later.

Monday Mornings

I meet every Monday morning at 8:45 with a group of women,
some of whom have been coming to the church and meeting
together for the past 18 years. I'm sort of a newcomer to the
group. I've been coming for about six or seven years to this
Monday Morning Prayer Group. These few ladies have had
a great impact on my life and have helped me through some
hard times.

We have Prayer Request cards in the sanctuary where people
can fill them out with their requests. We also bring any
other requests that we may have to add to that list.
The meeting opens with a prayer, then we write all the
requests in a notebook. After that, there is a devotional
and then we pray for each individual.

This group of ladies has had a profound influence on
my life. Their devotion to the Lord and to each other
is evident in everything we do. If I miss a meeting,
they say, "We prayed for you, anyway."

If I had the time to spend with each one, they would
have such wonderful stories of their lives to
share. I am blessed to know them and will
treasure them the rest of my life.

Retirement

From the time I was in grade school, I always wanted to be a teacher. I
graduated from high school at 16 and began college the following Sep-
tember. There were thirteen years between my sophomore and junior
years. During those years I worked as a stenographer and secretary at
several places. I was even the secretary to the president of the college
where my husband taught. We moved to Florida in 1958 and I con-
tinued my secretarial duties until my husband moved us to Orlando
where he was a part of the founding faculty and administration of a
new university. I was in the first graduating class. I spent my entire
teaching career in three Seminole County schools.

When I retired in 1996, I swore I would never work at night again.
I had graded papers--that's what English teachers do--almost every
night during that time. I had dreams of all the wonderful things I
would accomplish when I retired: I would plant rose bushes, I would
take piano lessons, I would become active in the women's
activities in the church, and I would play bridge.

I did a little bit of all of that except taking piano lessons. I never
found the time for that. I did get involved in the church and do
play bridge. In fact, I got myself so involved I often wonder how
I ever had time to work.

The most wonderful thing I have done since I retired is taking
care of a new grandson, Jesse (1996), and a new grand daughter,
Marla (2002). That has been one of the greatest pleasures of
my life. Marla and I also have a mutual admiration society. She
actually saved my life -- more about that at a later date.

I also have an almost two year old grand daughter who lives in
Jackson, Ms. Periodically I have to make a trip up there to sit
with her when they need me. Of course, I am also very much in
love with her. When I am there, I am completely happy. Chelsea
and I have a wonderful time together. We, too have that mutual
admiration society. I have been truly blessed. I wish I were
nearer to her so that I could keep her while her parents work.

Mother

I could never write the many wonderful things my mother was and did,
but I will try to introduce you to one of the most loving, intelli-
gent and just plain beautiful people I have ever met. My mother,
Connie Lum Houston, came as close to perfection as one can.

She was a super grandmother. All but two of her grandchildren
lived in Florida, California and Texas. She lived in Mississippi.
When the out of state grandchildren came for a visit, she always
had his or her favorite foods. When my 8 year old came home after
visiting on his spring break, he would say, "You know, Mom, I am
Mama Connie's favorite."
I answered, "Why would you say that?"
He replied, "Because she always makes my favorite foods."
I said, "That's interesting because she does exactly the
same for all of her grandchildren." And that is what she
did. I read in her journal that she loved to cook for her
family, especially the grandchildren. That was the way she
was. She loved all of us fiercely. Of course, I knew this
without reading her journal.

Another thing that was so terrific about my mom was that she
loved unconditonally. No matter what my sisters did, she was
always there to pick them up, dust them off and send them on
their way back to their lives. Once the crisis was over,
she did not nag or remind them of their indiscretions.
She just waited until the next crisis and helped them out
again.

I am the oldest, and I rarely got myself into any sticky
situations. In fact, my three sisters called me "Miss Perfect"
behind my back. I did not know this until recently. I don't
remember which one told me, but it did sort of bother me.
I felt just a little left out.

Mother never stopped learning. She was just 16 when she
married my dad; he was 23. (My grandmother Houston, my
dad's mom, took mother under her wing and taught her
everything she needed to be a good wife and mother.
My parents lived with her until I was 5 or 6 years old;
after that she lived with us.) She read every book we
brought home from school and the library. When I was a
teenager, she joined a book club, and we all read those.

One of my favorite memories is the time I sent her
a complete set of J. R. R. Tolkien's books. One night
my dad was just a little jealous of her time and wanted
her to come to bed. She replied, "I can't. My hobbit is
in trouble and I have to get him out." This was
a 69 year old lady who loved reading anything that was
well written and she showed it

The point I'm trying to make about Mother is that she
could do anything, whether it was fixing the toaster,
repairing the washing machine, referring a dispute be
-tween her children, or making sure her girls were emo-
tionally okay.

I can remember playing with her gold watch and some-
thing would happen to it. I would leave it where I found
it, and the next time I found it repaired. When I
played with it and broke it again, she would fix
it once more. She never mentioned these incidents. I
was always so relieved that she would fix what I broke,
put it back in the proper place and never say a word to
me. I never thought to thank her.

For as long as I can remember, she has been my ideal.
She was my mother, my teacher, and most of all my friend.
I could tell her anything and she would lovingly guide me.

What’s really Important?

Writing for publication—for others to read is a great deal more difficult than just writing to vent or keeping a private journal. Every time I write a line, I think about how it will be received or how I will be perceived.

Having said that, I will just write whatever comes to mind and think about how it is received at a later date. This comment reminds me that I used to say to my students. “Just write your thoughts about the subject without worrying about punctuation, spelling, or anything else. Then go back and edit and correct on the second draft.”

I would ponder the gift of children and family. My daughter Vicki and my son Houston, known as “Tex” to everybody except immediate family, have made us so proud. They are both successful professionals in the music and education worlds. They love and serve the Lord and are known and loved by many. I also love their spouses. If I had been choosing mates for each of them, I could not have chosen better.

Many years ago when I held my first grandchild in my arms and felt that velvety soft body close next to my heart, I had a revelation: “Now I know why women were put on this earth—to love and nurture children.” Every time I held or hold one of my babies in my arms, I still think the same thing. Nothing else is so soft or brings such a wonderful rush of love and wonder.

Each time I had a child, my father-in-law would say he was a “rich” man.
He was rich in the love of family, and he knew it. It still hurts my heart that
he did not live to see his great grandchildren. Sometimes my husband Dan and
I reminisce about him and wonder how rich he would have been to have had five great grandchildren. It would have made his heart sing to have experienced
that.

Introductions

This is Marla. my delightful five year old granddaughter.




This is my wonderful granddaughter Chelsea. She will be two in December.




I need to get some current pictures of my grown grandsons to put here. Getting these will be much more difficult
to obtain as they are less cooperative about pictures. I am equally as proud of them as I am of the two mentioned
here, but new photos are rare.