July 30, 2009...Why Do I Wait So Long....?

July 30th, 2009



I truly do not understand why I wait so long to post to my blog? Today is my sister's, Sarah Catherine Lichtenwalter Mann, birthday. Yesterday was mother's (Goldie Pauline Kaufman Westerman Lichtenwalter) birthday and the day after Mother's birthday was my eldest sister's (Vivian Jean Westerman Miller) birthday. Tomorrow will be my dad's (Ralph C Lichtenwalter) birthday. You can see, we were always quite busy in the month of July, with birthday parties, cards and gifts. I would that it was still that busy, however, Sarah is the only one of these four still living.



Reviewing these birthdays, brings the mind to my childhood, to my mother and my sisters. So many things flooding through my head. Mother was always singing while she worked. She was like a lovely song bird. It mattered not that times were difficult or that her heart was grieving over disappointment, she was always singing. I remember that when we children were very young and our father was never around, Mother would sing to us. We didn't have electricity in the house and she ironed with old flat irons, which were heated on a coal stove and the kerosene lamps near by. The songs she sang were story songs, most of them very sad. We would listen and cry and then beg her to sing another one. I still love reviewing those old songs and, if I listen closely enough, I hear Mother's voice.



Mother was widowed at the age of 28 with five children. The youngest child (Jeannie) was just months to a year old. We children did not know how difficult all of this was for Mother. She was so beautiful in her faith in God ,even though she didn't have any money, and her belief that He would keep us all together. He did just that and a few years later she married a wonderful man, Ralph Lichtenalter, who was like a father to us. God's faithfulness is sure and He is greatly to be praised.



Ok, back to the present. So much has taken place this year. I will not be able to recall it all, but I do have it documented in scrapbooks. Max and I were privileged to spend a week on the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Sarah and Gary, Laurelle and Jerry, and Max and I were in a lovely beach house just 300 ft from the ocean. It was truly a blessing, great fun, and marvelous fellowship....Oh, lots of good food too. We enjoyed every moment; beach, shells, walks, hot tub, swimming pool, puzzles and shopping.



We went to South Carolina, to visit Yvonne and Jonathan and the boys. It was really a great time. We were able to see the home they were going to be moving into. Yvonne and I went shopping and was able to purchase some rugs and etc. It was so much fun. We are looking forward to going back now that they are moved in.



When we left the Wagner's, we drove directly to Texas for Christine's High School Graduation. It was delightful spending time with them. Chris has quite a menagerie of animals. Six goats, a donkey, a pot-bellied pig, 3 dogs, 4 cats and a horse. She loves animals and she has named each one. These animals are all family and really a lot of entertainment.



The graduation was wonderful and Chris was truly to be commended. She worked so very hard and she made it. Nancy and Jim are such good parents and they are all very close. We loved being with them.

I am going to close for now, but will continue this post at a later time. May the Lord bless you until we meet again.