Stone and mortar

House: a building for human habitation; especially one meant for a family or small group of people.

 

This weekend I went to DeFuniak and gathered some belongings out of my Granny's house that I had left when I moved to Demopolis.  We (our family) refers to it as Granny B's house even though Granny moved to Geneva several years ago.  Now Granny has decided it's time to sell it.  So, the family is honoring that and getting things ready.  Of course, the person that I am, as I was walking through the house and looking back at old pictures, my mind overflowed with memories...

You see, I did a LOT of growing up in that house!  Since we lived in the same town, my family would eat many dinners with PawPaw and Granny B.  I remember spending holidays with my mom's family there.  I don't know when we started doing it, but the tradition was to spend New Years' Day at PawPaw and Granny's house eating black-eyed peas.  I still see PawPaw "sopping" up the juice with his cornbread or biscuit.

 

When I started school, the bus would drop me off at Granny's house and mom or dad would pick us up when they got off work.  Granny would always let us eat a snack, usually cake, and those of you who've had Granny's 7-layer chocolate cake, know what a treat that was!  But, if we wanted anything else, Granny would do the best she could to get it for us!  PawPaw was usually at the courthouse (he liked to just sit and watch cases) or going to get an ice cream cone from McDonald's or working in the garden.

 

I learned numerous lessons!  Not to run under the scuponon(sp?) vine, because that was barbed wire and it would scratch your back all up!  That when there's only one piece of cake left and you and your sister wanted it, the fair way to split it was for one to cut and the other chooses which piece they get! I also can tell you which "branch" of the bush hurts less when Granny tells you to "go pick a switch." 

 

PawPaw singing hymns....sleepovers....hide and seek....shelling peas and shucking corn....eating collard greens and fried cornbread...PawPaw feeding me hogs head cheese on crackers...seeing PawPaw in the hospital bed by the window...etc, etc, etc.

 

But, you see, the story of that house for me doesn't end with Granny and PawPaw living there.  After college, I moved back home.  I lived with my mom and dad for a few months, but then Granny B remarried and moved.  She graciously allowed me to make it my first "home."  I did a lot of growing up those almost five years as well.  I learned what it took to manage a home.  Started my teaching career. I grew as an adult, making adult choices (good or bad).  For a long time, I imagined buying the house and property and turning it into my family home....getting married, bringing home babies there, etc.  However, God had other plans for my life and for the house.

 

I may never walk into that house again.  That could be sad, but instead I am grateful. Grateful for the memories and the foundation for our family that my grandparents laid.  You see, they were and are deeply rooted in the Word of God and raised a family knowng that this world is not our home.  As the song says, we are just apassin' through and our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.  So, losing the house or anything inside is not a sad occassion. 

 

For me, the house is not made up of stone and mortar anymore, it is made of memories and lessons I will take with me forever.