Things I've Forgotten

This weekend there was a women's retreat in Northwest Arkansas put on by the women of our church. So Thursday I brought Josh to Mom and Dad's house in southwest Missouri so they could watch him while I went to the retreat and so Michael could have a peaceful and productive weekend. Sometimes I'm struck how much I've forgotten about being at my parents' house. Here are some of them:

1. It's a small house. You hear everything. I remember growing up being able to determine who was coming in the door just by the way their footsteps sound and how they shut the door.

2. They like to open the shades every day to let the light in. We have a pretty light house in Arkansas and I often forget to open the shades. It's a nice thing - to let the light in and enjoy the day.

3. My mom works so hard. When I was growing up I NEVER appreciated how much physical labor it took for her to work full time, cook, clean, take care of kids, do laundry, etc. She is such a hard worker, and never complains about all she has to do.

4. I dislike clutter. The older mom and dad get the more they collect. If you look at older pictures of our house there was not much clutter. But somehow it's grown over the years (especially after retirement), and with a small house it's a constant struggle to find somewhere to put something. Although my house may look more bare, I like it that way.

5. My parent's take Josh more in stride than I do. They have always welcomed him into their home and life. Rather than stop everything they are doing they incorporate him into what they do (when possible). Josh is a HUGE fan of my dad and loves to be around him all the time.

6. Mom and dad keep a well-stocked pantry. While it does make more food to store it's nice not to have to go to the store to make a meal. They can always find something to fix.

7. While this is the only house I ever knew growing up, it's no longer home to me. I don't know when that happened. Maybe in college? Maybe when I got married? At some point it became strange to spend long periods of time here. Not because I didn't feel welcome, but because I was used to being on my own and had my own place. Now, with a family I am really settled into our home and so thankful for it.

8. I liked growning up in a small town. The majority of the people I graduated with in my class of 33 were people I started kindergarten with. It was a good experience, and I wouldn't trade it. But I certainly wouldn't choose to live in a small town now without a decent-sized town close by. The closest mall from here is an hour away. At least there was Walmart 15 minutes away when I grew up, but not much else.