Today I was talking to my neighbor , she was telling me about her bus trip from Florida to here in Alabama. Memories came flooding back about 48 years ago when Windy was about 2 years old and I was just pregnant with Vann. We had left Nashville Tn about 6 months before to go to Monroeville Al to pastor. The salary was $50 a week with $35 coming from the Alabama District. The church was only able to come up with $15 a week. We lived in the SS rooms of the church with a kitchen and L R added. Our bedrooms were the SS classes. So on Sundays we had to make sure there were no dirty underwear around and it was presentable for the 5 people who came to SS. With the 3 of us it made 8 in attendance. Sometimes we hit the 10-15 people... yeah.. big Sunday!!!! When the district decided not to help with the salary... Honey had to get a job grading cucumbers to supplement our income. It made enough for us to survive. But the day came when the cucumber season was over and we had to find something to do. The Panama City Church of the Nazarene was building a new church and with honeys father the pastor, honey went down to help out and make us some needed income. It was a sad time in our life, honey so wanted to preach and he was good at it but everything seemed to go against us. We moved out of the parsonage and into the home of his parents. I decided to go to Miami and see my family. I was so distressed, no money, pregnant and with one child already.
Mother sent me some money to purchase a bus ticket and bring Windy with me to see them. So we got on a Greyhound Scenic Bus...those were the kind that had a double deck on top with all around windows..Windy had a ball, she laughed, played around the seats, read her books and watched the scenery. She absolutely was a wonderful passenger. Other people around us just laughed and played with her. What an experience! We got the scenic cruiser coming back which was as nice as going down. Still had a great time with her, she was a great traveler.
Soon after that we moved to Shiloh Alabama where we had some run ins with the gophers/rats....some people who gave us fits, where honey as a young 23 year old pastor had to intervene between and older couple who were fighting and the man hit his wife..what problems we had to endure..We grew up so fast . Had someone watch us at night through our windows as we had blinds but not always as good as they should have been. Had two wonderful sons born to our family to make it complete. Honey and I had to relearn alot about people and how to live with them...and we did.
After that we moved to Ky where we endured some of the same stuff as in Alabama but only on a different level. It was good for awhile then they decided we weren't as good as they wanted for $50 a week..lol lol. My uncle Alan and his wife Aunt Patty with their 3 children, Mike, Billy and Lynne came to visit us. We took them to the Kentucky Dam Lake area where we had the most wonderful time with our family. Uncle Alan took some pictures and filmed us that day. I found out today that his daughter had that film plus the film of our wedding!!! I have been so excited to know it has been found. I have asked and asked about that for many years.!!! I am so happy! My children do not know and they don't read these blogs so they won't now until I send them a copy. Such a surprise for them...Windy used to ask us "where was I when you got married" we replied " in Gods mind" to which she would reply " I wish I had been there" .. of course she was little and didn't realize what she was saying...I am glad she wasn't there!!!! LOL LOL...
As time goes on we moved again and again finding the same problems but in a different location. Why we didn't learn and stop this I don't know. I suppose every place was a learning experience that we needed. God was with us in every situation.
Thank you grandpa for listening... I love you J
4 comments:
Oh,my, sounds like some of the places we lived in! I will never understand "people". I don't know if we perservered because we didn't know any better, or what???!!! Your bus trip with Windy reminded me of one I took when Kevin was about 8-9 mos. old. The two of us had ridden with Mom and Dad to NC for my grandpa's funeral; then they came back to Albany to Kayes and were going to spend a few days there, so I had to ride a bus from Albany to Ft. Lauderdale. It was an all-night ride; and I started my period that day. I always had a hard time with that and had cramps all the way. It was a nightmare-but Kevin was very good traveling too and people on the bus helped me out. Had to change in Jax with a layover. Not good there! I think that was the last time I ever rode a bus. LOL What a great surprise with the DVD for your kids!
Isn't it so ironic that we endured some of the same things!!! I remember those cramps! thanks for commenting!!!!
Well all i can say is --- your kids dont know what they are missing by not reading your posts. They could learn alot from the history that you are providing them with. Maybe they do but just dont know what to say.
Oh but I do read your blogs! How exciting!!
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