Thursday Thankfulness: Something to "Write Home About"

Happy Thursday! I hope your week is going well so far!  It's been fairly quiet here this week, with no special events going on, "nothing to write home about".    Do you ever wonder where such sayings come from? This one just struck me as I wrote it, and so I consulted my new friend "AI", and here's what he (or is it a she?) said:

"The phrase "nothing to write home about" emerged in the late 1800s among travelers and deployed soldiers. It comes from the idea that when away from family, you would only fill your letters with truly exciting or noteworthy news; therefore, an unremarkable event or mediocre place is "nothing to write home about". [1, 2, 3, 4]

The idiom became widely popularized during World War I, as troops stationed overseas routinely used the phrase to describe mundane or disappointing experiences in letters to their loved ones. The earliest known written record of the phrase dates back to North America in 1905, though the concept of being "worth writing home about" was used in advertising and literature as early as 1860. [1, 2, 3, 4]"

I kind of figured it had something to do with soldiers, but just didn't know how far back it went. Now we know! Do you ever use that phrase?  I feel like when I am writing a blog post it is a lot like writing a letter to home...and you are my family.  Sometimes I have exciting and interesting news to share, and sometimes I have to search for something noteworthy.  Today seems to be one of those days. Although I did do something interesting and special this morning, but I've promised not to share it until after the person for whom it is intended has been properly notified and surprised, so you will have to wait a week for that. Now I've got you wondering. LOL. Just stay tuned until next week.  

Thinking about having "something to write home about"...back in the days many years ago when we lived far away from home while serving in the ministry, I wrote a lot of letters to my parents, and I asked them to try and save some of them so that I would have them to look back upon and maybe use them to write a book someday. Well, my mother was diligent to save a lot of them in this little box, but I still haven't written that book:

There is a smattering of letters and cards  and pictures from many years ago, when our boys were very young (and so were we)...and these are a treasure trove of memories...

Here's one card/letter that I sent...that would be typical of me and the kinds of pictures that I liked on cards...

Anyway, back then I usually had something "to write home about" because we were young and our kids were little and doing something different all the time, and I wanted our parents to know what was going on since they were so far away.  Gosh, I just started reading some of these letters, and decided I'd better stop or I'd never get this post written! In one of them I even told my mother that I'd just felt my 1st baby move for the first time!  That was definitely something to write home about!  

So meanwhile, let's get back to this July Photo a Day Challenge.  I'm still trying to get caught up. 

I never did do the "shadow" picture for the 13th. We had such cloudy days and I just couldn't find anything really "shadowy" to capture in a photo.  Then finally when we took a walk yesterday morning I noticed the sun was shining behind us, so I called hubby over to me and said, "Stand still a minute and let me take a picture of our shadows!".  Thankfully he was a willing companion.   If his head looks kind of like he has long hair, it's because he's wearing one of those hats with a bug screen over his face. My hubby is so sweet that the bugs just seem to flock to him when we go outside, so this bugscreen hat is really a life saver for him.  The bugs don't bother me as much. Not sure why. Perhaps I'm just not sweet enough? LOL. Probably so.

This next picture was taken when we took a ride last evening. Although you can't really tell they are shadows, we were driving through the combined shadows of those trees over the road, also known as "shade", but you can see the sunshine in the distance where the trees have disappeared.

So I already did the picture for the 14th on my last post, but I haven't done the one for the 15th and 16th yet. So this morning I went around and took some pictures of some signs inside our house, and therefore they should suffice for both prompts...signs, and indoors.

Our son Benton used to make all kinds of signs and sell them. He doesn't do so many signs now, but I happen to have quite a few of them in our house. Here's a sampling of a few. 

This one is in my bathroom, above the bathtub:

Yikes, don't look too closely, or you will see our unmade bed reflected in the mirror. I did these when I first got up this morning before I got around to making the bed, so please forgive the untidiness of this picture. LOL.

Sadly I don't ever use this bathtub. It's too big of a risk for me getting in and out and it uses too much water that we have to pay for! But if you are a guest and wish to take a bath in the tub, I will only charge you 25 cents...however if you want soap and a towel, we'll have to discuss that! LOL.

This was the original sign at our entry table at the front door, where you are supposed to sign the guest book when you come to visit (if I remember to remind you, which I seem to always forget anymore!)

But then last year Benton and Rose made this sign for me for Christmas,  "Come in and Cozy Up", because I had seen one like it at a store and wanted one like it. So now it sits on that table.

OH, this sign hangs over the door to our laundry room:

And this one, that they both made for me, sits inside my "Room With a View", where I can see it when I am writing to you. It's a good reminder for me to remember why I write this blog...even if I don't have "anything to write home about", there's always the Good News of the Gospel to share with you, and to remind you that Jesus Loves You.

And with that I think I will close this post for today.  I am thankful for my home and family, and for my parents, who have been gone to heaven for many years now, but I love that they saved my letters and cards so that I could go back and remember some really special times in our lives. Oh, and I have a lot of their letters and cards that they wrote to us as well.  I really don't like to throw things like that away.

I am thankful for you, and I hope that you are having a memorable day in some way as well.  I hope that you have "something to write home about" that you can share with us!

One more sign, which is hanging above our bedroom door:

And here's the verse that goes with that:

Yes, the "greatest of these is love."  Amen.  

Have a blessed and wonderful rest of your day my friends....

 

Box Full of Memories -- Updated 9-25-2016

Today is my birthday, and it has been a weekend full of blessings and joy and celebration with family and friends. I am always amazed at how God brings sweet surprises out of the woodwork on my special day...and this year was no exception.  I may write more about that later.

In scrolling back through things that I wrote on previous birthdays, I came across this one that always brings back special memories.  That "box full of memories" is close by to peruse and enjoy whenever the mood hits me. It is always a joy-giver and tear-jerker to go through...but the memories are all pleasant and bittersweet.  I am so thankful for the precious heritage God has given me. Read on and enjoy.

Original Post 9-23-13:

My birthday isn't for a couple more days, but we celebrated over the weekend so we could have family and friends together to share in the fun. As you can see, I was blessed with two apple pies and one Cinderella Princess cake...and a lot of candles to blow out.

I closed my eyes and listened as my family sang the familiar strain of 

"Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear (Pam), (Mom) (Aunt Pam),

Happy Birthday to you!"

I was actually enjoying the moment so much, and directing the choir as they sang,

It sounded like the angels were singing.

And then I had to blow out the candles...all of them, if I wanted my wish to come true!

I started at the pies and went all the way down to the cake...and I almost made it...but not quite. 

I guess my wish won't come true...but that's okay.  God is working on it. He knows exactly

what I need and want...and He'll take care of it. He always has and always will.

So, after the singing and the blowing and cheers I opened gifts and had a marvelous time.

We were at my sister's home. I was sitting in front of my grandmother's antique china cabinet,

that was passed down to my mother, and then to my sister 

after both my parents joined each other in heaven.

My sister's house is the only place left here in our home state where we have actual

memories of having our parents with us in that place. My parents' home has been sold to strangers, and it wouldn't be the same anyway without them and all the familiar things that we enjoyed in their home.

So being in my sister's home, with my mother's china cabinet behind me, I felt somewhat at home.

I kept waiting to hear my parents' voices join in the singing...that was one of their favorite times...birthdays.

Never a birthday went by that they didn't call us up and sing to us over the phone if we couldn't be

together in person. It was a family tradition...one of the best kinds.

I missed them...but I could hear them singing in my heart.

Well, after the gifts were all opened my niece placed a plastic container in my lap and said,

"Aunt Pam, here is a box from Grandma and Grandpa's house that has your name on it."

Well, I kind of knew what it was, but I wasn't prepared for the flood of memories that

I was about to have hit me.

My parents were great "savers".  They saved cards, letters, pictures...and much much more.

Actually, I had told my mother many times over the years when we lived far away from

them to be sure and save my letters that I wrote them, because someday I would

need them to write a book!

My mother did just that.

She saved them all.

I only wish I'd written more!

Be sure to click on pictures to enlarge for viewing.

But the ones she saved were all very special...letters written to them when I found out I was pregnant with our first child, and I was one state away from home, and very sick.  I spent the first three months not holding down anything...and missing my mama so much. But I sounded brave in my letters. I even told them how it felt the first time I felt the baby move...and how big I was getting and how I was making maternity dresses.
I never realized I had written so many details...what a thrill to find these letters again. I read them to my now 42 year old son...the one I was carrying when I was so pukey sick that I wound up in the hospital for a week on IV's....He said he was sorry.  I'm not sorry. He was worth it.

Then there were letters from when we went away to prepare for the ministry...and I shared a little of the hardships we endured while in Bible College...but I also shared the joy of opening our home for a ladies' Bible study with unsaved women in our apartment complex...something I said I had never done before and I said how wonderful it felt to share Christ with my neighbors. I'm so glad she saved that letter. I'd forgotten how special that time was...

Then there were many pictures...pictures of our babies, newborn and sweet, growing and cute, pictures from all over the country, wherever our journeys took us as we served the Lord in the ministry. There were even little hand written letters to Grandma and Grandpa from our boys...so sweet and scribbly, and priceless.

Yes, this was the best birthday present ever.  A gift to me from my wonderful Mom and Dad, who held these letters as something to be treasured...the letters to home from their baby daughter.

I know why they saved them.

Not just because I asked them to.

They would've done it anyway.

Because they loved me and cherished me 

and my little family. 

They brought me into this world,

and they loved me until they left this world.

Just like Jesus loves me and cherishes me

and my little family.

I'll bet He saves all my letters (my prayers to Him)

in His heart

and He answers them one by one.

(I noticed my mother often put a little note on the envelopes of my letters

with a date showing when she replied to my letter)

Why? Because He loves me.

He truly brought me into this world

and then

He gave His life for me.

He made it possible for me

to join Him someday in heaven

and be with Him for eternity.

My parents are there too...

they'll be waiting for me at the gate I am certain.

The box full of memories is something to treasure.

But even better than that is the knowledge that this is not all there is to life.

My "treasure is in Heaven ~ 

where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do 

not break in and steal."

Matthew 6:20

Even so, 

this was a pretty special birthday present 

from my Mom and Dad.

Don't you agree?

Thanks Mom and Dad.

I love you.