"My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest." - Isaiah 32:18

Friday, July 1, 2016

A Home With History

Hello again!

It's so nice to be back!

Thank you for bearing with me during my little blogging break!


I've mentioned this on my blog before, but in case you are new here, I live in a 100-year old farmhouse that we purchased in 2009. We bought it as a fixer-upper and have been renovating it (slowly) ever since. 

I absolutely love living in an old home. I've told Micah many times that I would never want to live in a brand-new home! There's a wonder and a uniqueness about making a historic house your home. For example, an old love note was discovered underneath my dining room wallpaper while I was removing it... My hard-wood floors make those wonderful crackling noises when I walk... I hear voices coming from the attic at night... Ok, I'm totally kidding about that last one! (Don't mind me. I tend to think I'm funny;) But I'm not kidding about how much I love my old farmhouse! 

So today, I'd like to share a little story about what it's like to live here.

You like stories, right?!

~~~~~~~~~~

In June, 2011, Micah received a strange and very special phone call. A man's voice was on the other line, "Hi there. My name is Paul." He said. "I used to live in your house. My grandfather built it." 
He went on to say how he and his extended family were going to be in town on Sunday, and could they stop by to visit the "family homestead". 

When Micah got off the phone, he told me about the conversation and he said, "Don't worry, I told them no because we'll be at church." But as I pondered what Micah had told me, I was bothered. I went to Micah and I said, "Surely we can make this work! Can't we stay home from church just this once?" 

We talked about it and agreed that Micah would call Paul back. We agreed that we could make an exception to miss church. We agreed to host what we figured would be five or six people wanting to revisit childhood memories in our home. When Micah picked up the phone to call Paul back I said, "Find out how many people will be coming and I will have some coffee and cookies ready."

When Micah got off the phone with Paul the second time, he looked stunned. I said, "Well...? How many people will be coming?"

"Fifty."

"Uhh... Are you kidding? You said fifty but you're kidding, right?!" 

"Paul said fifty people will be at our house Sunday morning."

He wasn't kidding.

I was about to get fifty complete strangers entering my home.

So... on a beautiful country morning, on a Sunday in June, my front yard looked like this:




The children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the man who built this house, Mr. Lemke, all gathered together one-hundred years later. And we got to be the ones to witness it! We felt so lucky! This was a special day, and our home was a special place. 

Their arrival was as unique as their visit. They pulled into our driveway in a school bus!


We greeted them at the door and they all filed in. Each one smiled at me while they entered saying things like, "You have a beautiful home!" "Thank you so much for letting all of us come over!" "I have such fond memories of this house!" 

Once they were all inside, I snapped a picture of all of the shoes they piled up on my porch:


They were all so sweet to take off their shoes especially since I never said they had to! And no one asked. They just did it:


I set up our dining room table with pictures, history on the house, a guest book for them to sign, and snacks:


My favorite part of their visit was listening to them recall their memories and experiences of our home. One lady, who was probably 55 or 60, lit up as she approached our staircase saying, "I've got to see my old bedroom..." and she scampered up the stairs. Another lady stood in my kitchen and said, "I remember my aunt kept a fainting couch under this window..." Someone else pointed to a corner in my dining room and remarked, "Grandpa always sat here to watch his little TV." Yet another person chimed in, saying, "I remember coming here every Christmas." She pointed to the pocket doors that separate the dining room from the front room and continued, "Grandma would keep these doors closed until it was time to reveal the Christmas tree." 

On and on they went...

I wanted to talk with each and every person to soak up all the information that I could. I loved listening to them talk about my home's past. It was like watching its history play out in the present. I loved every minute of it. 

We learned some fascinating things about our home that day. Like where the original kitchen was, and that they used to host dances in the attic. But the thing that stood out to me was the sense that after all these years, these people still had heartstrings attached to this home. 

When it was time for them to leave, the table looked like this. The snack tray was empty, and the guest book was full! :) :)






As we walked them out to say good-bye, someone said, "Hey, let me get a picture of your family before we leave!" 

This is the photo they took. Our family from that memorable day:


It's been five years since their visit, and I still sometimes think about them and that special Sunday. I think about what a nice family they were. I think about the stories they told us. I think about how one man building a house for his family all those years ago is so vastly different compared to how houses are built today. 100-years ago, homes were built by ordinary men for their families. Today, homes are built by professionals for sale. Huge difference. 

I also think about all the love and happiness this home has witnessed throughout the years. All the Christmases, family meals around the dinner table, singing and laughter, and bedtime stories... And I think about how the baton has now been passed to us. How will my children remember this house? Will they come back here in fifty years and remember love and happiness? I have made that my goal.

What about you, dear reader? You don't have to live in a historic home to make priceless, happy childhood memories for your children. Have you made that your goal? It is a noble and worthy pursuit. Here are some practical, daily choices we can make to achieve this goal:

Decide with your spouse to never fight in front of the kids.

Do all of your crying alone, behind closed doors.

Give your family a clean, bright, beautiful environment to live in.

Pray over their heads and read scripture over them, out loud, on a regular basis.

Speak uplifting truths to them like, "You are a joy to me." "I'm so glad God gave you to me." "I'm the luckiest mama in the world to have you." "You belong to me." etc...

Don't keep anything negative in the home such as, alcohol, adult books or magazines, etc...

Sing and dance with them.

These are just a few ideas that have the power to create a stable and loving home life. These are the standards Micah and I have aimed to keep. What about you? What ideas can you add to the list? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Leave me a comment below.

Love to you all...

~ Courtney 


No comments:

Post a Comment

I love receiving your kind comments! They make blogging much more fun when I can interact with friends!