Immigrant Daughter 50

Hooray for new learning tools and for the blessing that I am able to still learn new things. The new tool is a new computer so I can do my blog and not  having to go through all the process I had to with my MAC. Blogging turned out to be a too many steps with the MAC. With this HP with windows  I can just type post on live writer and just insert picture making it more fun for me.

My DIL wrote down the steps for me and is making me do the work so I will learn faster. I can remember when my best half had a computer and would always foul it up because he couldn’t remember how to undo some of his goofs. I people who came in to fix it would say to me you should learn computer and I said no sir re. They of course did not know the whole story about C’s illness and I stayed as far away as I could from computers. In fact when C passed on I gave the computer to family members.

Now here I am learning computer things I never dreamed I would ever use. I am learning how to open and go to live writer and start typing. May I tell you I am proud of myself that at eighty I can and want to learn new things.  My Lord is good to me. 

I went and had a new will drawn up because each stat is a little different on how things are handled. I drew up what I wanted it to say and the attorney put it in the proper legal setting. Now I know when the Lord takes me home my wishes will be dispersed.

When our living continues we see it in a new light as we get older. I remember when I needed something I put it on a list or if it was needed sooner I would just jump in the car and take off, but now I have to consider the time of day because at certain times the traffic is busier and it does not need older people on the road. I admit there seems to be a bit more traffic on the road these days.

I want to mention that I am now on my 50th post and think this would be a good place to add the occasion of our 50th wedding anniversary. We always celebrated alone because our kids were far from us and they knew that we celebrated by going out to eat at a fine restaurant and had a nice bottle of wine well we had this and more.

We were attending a small non denominational church in the country called Agape Ministries. The Pastor was a special individual who was a great preacher and friend. His wife was top notch. It seems that my girls contacted the Pastor without our knowledge  and arranged a party at the church with a beautiful cake and punch.

But that’s not all they arranged for a fabulous dinner at Foxfire Restaurant and arranged for the whole family kids and all to come for the celebration.

   Foxfire was owned by the cartoonist  that created Garfield the Cat. At the time he lived in Muncie and supported Ball State University that was located in the area where we lived. We had a super time, as you can see from the pictures it couldn’t be better.

I see I am at a good stopping place so I will say until next time I  am Immigrant Daughter.

Immigrant Daughter 49

My girls asked me when I was going to mention some of the funny incidences that happened with some of the pets we had that weren’t so funny at the time.

One story when the kids were in school the girls had to start supper for me when we were having Carl’s boss over for supper. Carl was a salesman and had a territory that covered so many doctors and his boss came at least once a month to check up on his progress.

The girls would see what we were having and start it for me. This particular time I left chicken in the sink  to thaw so they could begin to roast it. They came home all set to start their chore and couldn’t find the chicken. They ran to our friends across the street to tell her and ask her to take them to buy more chicken. She did this and then they started to look for the chicken that I had put out to thaw.

We had a roll away dishwasher that was positioned next to the sink and when they checked back there they found the remains of the chicken. It seems the cat as fat as she was jumped up to the counter without the help of a chair and tore into the chicken wrap. I can just picture the cat trying to tear into the outer wrap dragging it all over with the dog helping. They had a feast. The kids said they were not as playful as they usually were. I guess not. Like I said not wasn’t funny then, but we have laughed about it  many times since  then.

I worked for the Church in the Diocesan Office as a secretary and believe me I wasn’t a secretary, but as I mentioned before I learn quickly. I have to admit with  all the new jobs I had to learn in my lifetime I still like cooking in the luncheonette the best and most rewarding. Being around people whose life crosses mine I some time can see why the Lord let them cross my path.

My husband was a smoker and he worked around others that smoked also. From early childhood he started by picking up butts that men threw in the streets. I never smoked and we sold cigarettes in Dad’s restaurant and our Luncheonette . Oh I tried it and couldn’t understand why people spent their hard earned money only to burn it.

Getting back to Carl and his boss who also was a chain smoker and when he came for supper he filled  many ashtrays that I always waited until the next day to empty. I never complained about the mess and then  one day while he was helping me clean up he was emptying the ashtrays he made up his mind to quit “cold turkey”. He bought a new carton of Mallboro and put them in the house where he usually kept them. When he finished the pack he had opened he never smoked another cigarette again. We ended up giving them to his boss one pack at a time.

Carl moved up the corporate ladder and was so glad he had quit smoking because when their day was over they ending up relaxing with smoking and spirits. It was easy for Carl to say goodnight because they would honor his wishes by saying goodnight. His boss died a very young man.

One day our dog that was in his pen in our fenced yard. We had this dog as a puppy that was part Doberman and part who knows. Our neighbor claims we let this happen when we were dog sitting their dog that was a pedigree Doberman  so we had to take one of the litter and we kept her in the outside pen and called her Sukie.

This pen lined the fence on the side of a couple with no children. The other side had five kids that were mean to animals. They couldn’t reach Sukie  and that was good. As time passed I noticed Sukie was growing tall but fat and I couldn’t imagine why because we only fed our dogs once a day. Then one day I saw the sweet neighbor lady throwing white bread over the fence for the dog. She was doing this with regularity, no wonder poor Suki was getting fat. We didn’t have any trouble of the kids trying to get in the yard because Sukie could clear the fence in nothing flat.

M any times we left her fence opened into the yard but she just stayed in her pen. One night our son was sneaking in after he was told he go out. We had a wood  box that filled up from the outside and we could get wood for the fireplace without going out. He painstakingly emptied the wood box so he could come in without waking us up only to find Sukie came up behind him and stuck her nose in his back and growled not letting him finish getting in. We heard Dad, Mom, help! He never did that again. Aren’t pets wonderful. I know ours were and I see I wrote a long time so Until Next Time, I am IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER. 

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 48

There was a show on both the radio and TV that was very entertaining called Name That Tune and the band just played a few notes and the contestants were supposed to name the tune. It was a show the whole family could participate. Every once in awhile I wonder what in the world will the kids of today have to remember that is fun participation. My mind is blank on that subject. People just don’t play games much. It seems that our values have changed and I must admit not for the better.

We never did know what the future held but we were sure there was a future that we would be allowed to make t choice for our selves, good or bad because we know our God won’t forsake us. God has been taken out of the lives of many which has left this nation and the world falling into the pit. This business of being afraid to offend someone because of our belief in God has gone too far. This business that there are many gods is b….. There is only one God and people better start speaking up because whether you like it or not, believe it or not, there is a heaven and a hell and when you die, and you will, you will spend eternity in one place or the other. People that believe when you die and you will be buried and it’s over is hogwash. Not for me, and my loved ones. I know where my loved ones are and I know when I die where I am going. My God is a gracious and loving and He said we all, will be judged when we die. We all will stand before Him at the Throne for judgment not because of our works but because that is what He said will happen when we die.

As you can see I am bothered by what our government is promoting by implying we are not now or ever have been a Godly Nation. We are being fed this Islam garbage both in the media and in our teaching institutions because we have a man trying to make this another Islam. If parents that are believers in God don’t speak up they will lose their family making it difficult to live. Where ever you turn we are being intimidated with the government knows what is best for us and they intend to take over and make our decisions for us. Christians wake up!

I am sorry I got away from fun writing about my life but I Ill get back on track and tell you more things that happened in my family. First I will say I am glad my immigrant father is not living to see what is happening to his beloved America. Back then people that were lazy and did not work did not eat. Although anyone that was down on their last few bits could always get soup and bread in dad’s restaurant. In fact active hobos’ had a route they followed through the year. In the winter they went south and the summer they were back passing through.

There was one in particular that I remember who rode a three-wheel bicycle that he made himself out of several old pieces that were thrown away. His route extended from Maine to Florida selling pencils and trinkets. We would see him every year and after the first handout he would buy his own soup and sandwich. These people never forgot a kindness. My dad had a kind heart because he remembered all the people that helped getting him here.

My sister told me of stories about our dad and is family that he continued to help when they got to America. My dads’ brother Charles was a rascal. He and dad looked very much alike but not in temperament. Charlie would not stay put he always was on the go. I told you about the Mexican border skirmish over prohibition and now that I am older I can picture in my mind just how uncle Charlie took the stand that he did. Here is a picture of Dad, Electra and uncle Charlie. Both like their cigars and smoked until they died, but not from smoking.
She also told me that after mom died Dad had women chasing him. This was all new to Dad. The world was changing and women came out of their shell of being seen but never heard. They attended church meetings and were elected to serve on vestries and were quiet no longer quiet. Well one of the women that was chasing Dad was a widow who attended our littlechurch who was not poor and she would invite my Dad over to watch TV with her. She always had coffee and Teacakes that they nibbled on watching while television. She did not mind his cigar because she smoked using a long filter. Our town was small and walking anywhere was no problem. They became friendly and went many places because she had a car and drove until for some reason couldn’t. This is where my sister came into the picture because Mrs. L would ask my sister E to takethem places driving Mrs. L’s car.

My sister E said the first time she saw and heard Mrs. L giggle and say oh Tom and pat his knee, she said to herself this is my father. You have to realize that growing up with a strict father and then seeing him in a different light was quite a shock. In a sense we never saw our father act young and hu.man. One day she asked Dad, “Why didn’t you act this way when we were growing up?” and he said because I had four girls I was responsible for. I know now why we grew up okay and blessed to know my father’s pressure of loosing his spouse, my mother and having to raise his family alone. His belief in God carried him Like I said I know where my family is and I too shall see them again.

Until next time, I am a proud IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER.

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 47

I have to tell you I fell into a slump of not wanting to write or do anything or go anywhere. It seems as though my mind went completely blank. So rather than push myself I just stopped even trying. Well several of weeks have passed and my mind has kicked in and I have a story to tell you.

I was so eager to get up and get started that I spilled a full glass of orange juice that ran down the cabinet and splashed all over the floor in my small kitchen. I still do not have complete mobility of bending and walking without a walker or cane so clean up for me was quite an ordeal. I must have used a whole roll of paper towel and then had to wipe down the cabinet between the stove and the sidewall. Thank goodness for the use of a yardstick. After wiping the front of the cabinets I then used the yardstick with a dishcloth dipped in soapy water to get between the stove and cabinet. I then had to mop the floor. That itself was a chore for me, just picture the Tin Man trying to mop a floor and you will get a good laugh. If I could have taken a film of my self I would have because I know I laughed at my movements at that time. It took me several hours because I had to mop it twice because it was so sticky to walk on when it was dry. I usually have someone come in to clean the bathrooms and kitchen floor for me every two weeks and the phone rang at that moment saying she couldn’t come in that week. Oh well!

This is a new day and I called my doctor to find out if there was some kind of therapy I can get to help me walk and do my housework better than what I am doing. They happen to have had a cancellation that morning and offered it to me and I yelled yes I will, be there. The visit took a lot out of me and that only proves I do need help. It seems my right leg is a half - inch shorter than the left. That is the leg with the hip replacement. They gave me a few exercises to do at home until Medicare okay’s the program they issued for me. I will keep you posted on my progress. I feel better knowing there is something wrong with the progress of my healing and it not just me.

Another day passed and here I am again. I let both dogs in today feeling sorry for them because of the heat. We have a record heat wave going on. All week has been in the 100-degree range and more. Well I gave them fresh water which they gulped and food to help with all the water. And as I was sitting at the table watching they them plop on the floor after they ate I noticed a lot of dirt on the floor that they tracked in. Their paws usually are dirty but this was unusually dirty, it looked like poppy seeds all over the floor. I got up to get the broom and noticed that those I stepped on seemed to pop and then I got concerned. I never saw so many bugs come to life that quick in all my life. As I started to sweep them up I used my dustpan, which is white to pick them up and all of a sudden all the black seeds started to walk. As I said they looked like poppy seeds and would roll. Poor Scout and Chili got thrown out so fast that the poor dogs didn’t know what hit them.


I had to close the blind on the window that faces the porch because the dogs can see inside and if they see me they scratch the screen wanting to get in. I felt bad but not as bad as I would if I let more of all those little critters in.

I did not think they were ticks because usually you can’t pop ticks by just stepping on them. Does anyone have any idea what these critters are? I sprayed the whole carpet because they had to walk on it to get to the kitchen. My kitchen floor looks like a war zone with blood spots all over it. My DIL came in and wondered why I had a sign on the door saying don’t let the dogs in. I told her my tale of woe with what I went through with the dogs and she said without even seeing them; ”Oh they are seed ticks”, so now I know. I did not know that seed ticks were soft and would roll.

I am not a squeamish individual but I am glad to know what I am up against. I saw an article in a magazine about hotels being infested with bedbugs and without realizing it people are carrying them home and it left me feeling yucky thinking of all the motels we were in recently.

Each new day has its’ own surprises and I will keep you posted on this and other surprises that occur in my life, until then I am Immigrant Daughter

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 46

This is a family picture taken 1931. I believe this might have been my first picture taken in N.J. in house we lived in for a short while until dad got established with the bank. Remember we were the only Greeks in the town of all Italians. This was a rental house.

Later Dad bought a house on Pleasant Street. I have no idea how dad was able move us a few streets over and buy the big grey house we lived in growing up.

It had three floors and three bedrooms and a bath on the second floor. There was a small dormer over the entrance hall that we always referred to as the “icebox”. We all took our turns claiming it as a bedroom just to have our own room. It was big enough for a single bed and a very small chest of drawers. The only heat upstairs was one large register in the hallway from a coal furnace in the basement. In the downstairs there were registers in every room and that kept it nice and warm. I can remember standing on the register to get warm before jumping off to get dressed.
My dad and my uncle George made two rooms up in the attic using cardboard boxes that bicycles came in for sidewalls. Then they wallpapered over it. One thing good about it the rooms stayed warm and none of us minded the additional steps to go to bed. That old house holds many stories of our family and at times I will reveal some of the more humorous ones.

My sisters’ recent trip came to an end last week, and I am having, to make the adjustment of being alone again. I now realize what an adjustment she had to make just to come visit. I feel like I must tell you something about changes in life that happen that we have no control over. Age does take its toil.

I remember when as a child I was wishing to be older before time and after I was it turned out not to be at all like I imagined it would be. When we are younger we think we are invincible and can do anything. I am going to tell you my thoughts about coming to this age.

I better understand what a feat my sister accomplished coming out for a visit. I know it won’t sound so profound to you but to me it was. Getting older has its’ stages that have many milestones we have to pass through that we don’t even think about until we actually do. Having just reached and starting to pass through the eighties I can only use me, and my sisters about what I am talking about.

We do not have any control over our physical bodies. Oh we think we do and to a point I will agree but we alone control our own actions and choices to what goes into our mouth and what we say. But just stop and look back at, your own family and you will see what I am trying to say. At this age I find myself looking back to when I was able to do more than what I can do now.

We were a family of six growing up and each one of our personalities that are so different that it makes you wonder how could this be. Each one has a mind that develops differently under the same set of rules. One child is smart and eager to learn and another not as smart and could care less, and still another wondering why do I have to learn all of this. We realize sometimes too late that it was for our own good.

When we were younger we all wished we were older at different ages. At eight I can remember wishing I were 12. Little did I know that at 12, I would have to finish growing up without my mothers’ love. When I became, as they say, sweet sixteen, I found out there is nothing sweet about growing older. It meant you had to live up to more responsibility. The one thing about being the youngest you had many bosses ahead of you and you found out that the only thing you could boss around were the pets. I know that my personality today is one you would classify as being a very bossy person. It is not intentional it is just that if I see an easier way to do the job I will speak up. In doing so I have been put down many times but that’s okay I chalk it up to a learning experience. God is always teaching me and sometimes I try to get ahead and have to be held back.

My sister and I had many conversations about my childhood. All I can tell you I must have given my sisters fits. It is no wonder I was an outdoorsy person I was always shooed out to go play. On the outside then I had my two brothers boss me and but I always like to follow them and got in trouble many times for doing what they did because I always got caught. Isn’t it fun to remember family happenings of years back? My sister and I laughed so much remembering people and incidents that we hadn’t thought of in years.

Here is a picture when I was 18 and she was 25 years old.
We talked about our working in the restaurant together and how we dressed alike and confused people because they couldn’t tell us apart. Some of the customers that didn’t know us to well use to remark boy you sure put in long hours, thinking my dad was an old ogre. After a while dad sort of joined it because we had morning, noon and night covered while the restaurant was open and he was there all the time.

We both agreed that the years we were married were the best and most memorable for us. Even with the repeating and repeating of stories it didn’t deaden our memories.

When we played pinochle my sister had so much trouble keeping her cards in order and many times in the midst of the same hand she would change trump on me depending what high cards she had in her hand. I made her laugh by kidding her. Short-term memory was a problem for her.

One of the problems of living along is not having any one to talk or discuss things with. I encouraged her to listen to the radio more because if she puts the TV on she will sit down to watch. I put Rush Limbaugh on the radio to learn what is going on in the world. He talks fast and she had problems understanding what he said. I tried to tell her not to keep herself so sheltered from what is going on around her. I believe she is doing quite well for 87. Stickhorse Cowgirl in a blog back called “Pampered to Death” did a great job to mentioning somewhat of how we get in this stage that my sister is in.

Here we are recently celebrating our birthdays!
I guess by now you can imagine getting old is a stage we must go through like it or not. But there again we have a choice to either, count our blessings and thank God or just become a grumpy old lady never to enjoy the sunshine He brings in my life. Until next time I am, Immigrant Daughter

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 45

My visit with my sister is winding down to just 3 days left. We had a lot of catching up to do. Our lives are so different but the same if that makes any sense and I will try to tell you why.

First there is seven years difference in our age. I have always been an energetic out door individual. She on the other hand is an inside person who likes to sit and do crossword puzzles out of the newspaper and definitely does not like to do the New York Times puzzle. She married late in life and did not have the opportunity to have any children. I married at 19 and had three children right away. You would say I grew up with my children so I shared my children with her and her husband who was ten years older than she was. They enjoyed doing things for and with my kids. My kids loved the attention being with them because they did and show them many places they would not have seen.

One year they took the two girls to New York shopping. The style of long skirts with loose knit sweaters and boots were in and the girls came back looking like they stepped out of a Vogue Magazine. One had a complete gaucho outfit with boots and one had a long down to the ankles wool skirt with a long sleeve blouse with a long black sweater vest and wore funky shoes. The girls loved it because they knew mom and dad could not spend that kind of money for clothes that we didn’t think practical . I’m afraid we had to be a bit more frugal on our military pay.

My two sisters that are living are 7 & 8 years older but when we were younger it didn’t make a difference. At that age the sevenyears between us didn’t make much difference and it was easy to do thing together but at this stage in later life I find she runs out of steam quickly and sleeps a lot even when sitting up. Living on EST she stays up late watching movies and goes to bed late. Come ten o’clock and I am ready for bed because I still get up early because of having to keep a rigid schedule of having to eat three meals and maybe a snack daily. Taking insulin daily two times a day keeps me living without complications. I am so blessed.

sister reminded me of some family stories growing up in the restaurant. We learned to handle knives and keep them sharp and when my sister married her husband was a stay home worker when he retired from the T-Men and opened an office as an accountant. He was always keeping people out of trouble with the IRS knowing the ins and outs of how the IRS worked and what they were looking for from cheaters. So being home he took over all the household chores. My sister only had weekends when she did the planning and cooking.

One day when we were invited over for a meal and when I saw that her husband would not let her handle any knives because she might cut herself. I laughed myself silly because here is a gal that grew up handling knives in the restaurant all her life and he worried she might cut herself. He spoiled her rotten to the point that now that she is older and being by herself it is a bit difficult for her to do anything because he is not there help her and she has difficulty remembering. I have to remind her of things to do to help around the house because I can’t do it all being a bit handicapped and kidded her that she is not company. We laugh at all our shortcomings at this age. We still can get along without hurt feelings and that’s good. I love my sister.

When she was born she had weak ankles and didn’t walk until she was four years old.
I use to have picture that shows how they had to prop her up to stand. She couldn’t run out to play like the other two sisters. With being under foot all the time after hearing some of the stories I guess dad was harder on her and when she did something wrong and had to do penance by getting on her knees and bowing (which is called “Metanyas,”) to my dad as the Arabs do to Mecca and saying under her breath, “I am not an Arab.”

One day a regular customer came in the restaurant and saw her doing this he asked her, “What she was doing down on her knees scrubbing the floor?” Before she could answer my father answered the man and told him to leave her alone, “She is doing penance.” And this customer made such an issue over this that he kidded my father and didn’t give him any rest. Dad never made her do this ever again. Like I said, my father was very strict and proud and we never questioned him, others could but not us kids.

sister got to know dad very well because she and her husband looked after him and took him many places he had never been to or knew existed. For instance they took him to see the stage play “Around The World In 80 Days” and he just couldn’t believe it. They took him to many different restaurants and the one he like the best was the Hawaiian Cottage. On the way out one evening he met one well-to-do man from town who knew him and as the man said, “Hello, Tom how did you like it.” Dad said “I can recommend it to you”. Now here is a man that probably eaten there, so many time before but was kind enough to my dad by never to implying that and that he had and just said thanks Tom.

The people knew my dad never had time for such enjoyment raising six kids without the help of his wife and to enjoy the luxury of pleasurable things in life. I can see how my sister got a glimpse of the father none of us had ever seen because by this time the rest of us were married and gone. She and her husband did many things for him. I tell you all this because I want my family to know just how much she affected my growing up which was good for me.
We are playing a lot of cards, two-hand pinochle that we both enjoy. She messes up a lot by not remembering what is trump but we are having fun and I will miss her when she leaves on Wednesday. It has been a good seven weeks and I am nearing the end so until next time, I am Immigrant Daughter

IMMIGRANT DAUGHTER 44

I can remember when cameras were a luxury. Pictures were something you were proud to show your friends and anyone who would sit through your long drawn out stories about them. As a child I can remember dads’ camera that was long and flat that had the flat side drop down so the you could slide the pleated bellows out to be able to look down in the lens to see what you wanted to take a picture of.

This picture is my older brother and I taking a picture with the bellows camera while someone took a picture of us.

Cameras kept improving and taking pictures was a way of keeping memories. The Kodak Company kept improving their cameras and producing color film. We were even given a choice of pictures or slides. Slides were the rage especially for scenery. You can take a multitude of slides and producing a story to show on a
screen. They took up less room than albums but I have to tell you I like picture albums best. There is nothing better than looking at old pictures of family by taking an album off the shelf and not having to put up a projector to show pictures on the wall or screen.

Here is a picture of my family as I was growing up as the youngest in the family. My father loved taking pictures. As you can see we made a graduating line from the smallest to the oldest being able to tell years later who was who.

and I carried on the tradition of taking pictures of our kids at different ages and putting pictures in albums. One year for Carl’s birthday I gave him an Argus C3 that took 35millimeter film. He became quite adept at taking pictures. I mentioned as he traveled all Arkansas he took pictures of barns old and new. I was never very good about advancing the film and I took many double exposures and I have one that I just didn’t have the heart to throw away because it is the only picture I have of that little couch that opened up to be our bed in the little 28 foot trailer we called home in Rhode Island. I tried years later to buy one of these that were armless couches so small that openedto make a bed and was told they just don’t make them that small any more.

While living in this little trailer we had purchased a set of Guardian Service that was waterless aluminum cookware. Our trailer was so small we could only sit four to eat. So we invited one couple as guests for the people selling the pots. They did all the cooking and cleaning up stressing how easy it was to use even in close quarters. This set of pots and pans with glass lids were heavy. I barely could fit them in the cupboard. We had this set a long, long time. When I finally sold them because stainless steel pots became available that was easier to clean and were as not heavy. I had the complete set intact with all the glass lids. This cookware even cooked a pineapple upside down cake on top of the stove that looked delicious.

We had such fun taking pictures that the older child had a Brownie Box camera. When we came to Arkansas the first time we made a day of going to dig for diamonds. There is a diamond mine in Murfreesboro called the Crater of Diamonds. It’s the only Diamond Mine in the U. S. and they allowed you to dig for diamonds. You had to pay to get in and you walked anywhere in the field to dig. It is a great place for family fun. The kids got dirty and had fun digging. It was the blackest dirt I had ever seen. It wasn’t too long go that some one found a good size diamond.

Getting back to my story about cameras, my son left his camera in the car when we went to the Diamond Mine and after all day in the field we went back to the car and he went to get his camera to take a picture and started to cry. We couldn’t imagine what happened until we saw the camera. The sun was so hot it melted the camera to a grotesque shape that we all started to laugh and the harder we laughed the louder he cried. I don’t think I will ever forget that day. We bought him a new camera and all was forgotten that he even laughed when he saw his camera again. One thing for sure he never put his camera or anything plastic up on the back seat ledge again. Here is a picture of his sister with her camera.
I do not have many of our pictures anymore because of the warehouse fire where we stored our furniture to go to Germany for the birth of our second grandchild. I think one of the saddest things about that ordeal was being paid five cent on the dollar for our household goods of antiques we collected. The only clothes we had left were the clothes we traveled with. That brought home what the Lord said, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven when neither moth or rust destroy…” Mt 6:20.

What that did for me was realize what we collect are, just things the Lord gives us to use to enjoy in this life and things can always be replaced but what’s in our heart is secure in the Lord. And things can’t replace Him. Until next time I am Immigrant Daughter