By Doris Schroeder
It is a Monday morning and I am beginning a new week of more downsizing of my office…including some writing I need to organize. When I started this job, I dreaded it because I thought it would be monotonous, however, I have found it anything but boring. If the truth be known, I am having the time of my life.
Being a writer, it is fun to remember things that have happened in the last twenty years and as a Christian, it is exciting to see how God always works things out…not always the way we thought best but now we can see how He planned the big picture.
In this last week I have journeyed in my memory back to the gorgeous Hawaiian islands, the Highway 1 in California, the one-room country school named Sunrise, rode the ferry again in Europe, the farm house on the hill between Buhler and Medora, and enjoyed the antics of our five grandsons in their younger days. This as well as our Colorado jaunts to Wanda’s cabin when John and Judy brought our grandsons along as they were growing up.
This afternoon the sky is getting darker, the forecast is for possible snow, and I am bravely continuing the job of going through the files. Hubby’s way of helping is to do the cooking, do the grocery shopping, take the junk out to the trash and deliver boxes of books to the Good Will Store.
In the downsizing I have found the songs we taught the kids in past church Sunday School, DVBS, and camp events, Christmas programs performed by the children, ladies groups I worked with and John’s men’s camp out fishing events he enjoyed so much. Through it all, God’s guidance colored our lives
It is fun to recall all of our almost 65 years of marriage and how we have helped each other in all our different endeavors. When we were young marrieds and decided to go into the carpet business, John did the measuring and told the installers what to do, we both sold the floor covering and I did the books. Of course, in the 70s and 80s, the companies gave us many trips to enjoy so we both made our company’s quota and could travel to Hawaii, Mexico, Spain, Africa, Italy and later other parts of Europe.
In 2001, we enjoyed three weeks in Europe when we visited our oldest grandson, John Edward, at Spangdahlem Air Force Base in Germany. We were allowed to rent a military apartment in Speicer. Our grandson rented a car and we traveled around the German countryside. The three of us could go on bus trips over the three week ends so we went to Holland, London and Paris. We loved seeing the famous tulip gardens in bloom in April, the Louve in Paris, as well as walking up Artist’s Hill where we watched them paint. We took a night ferry to London and even though it rained, saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, London Bridge and Big Ben. Our last night in Germany we stayed at the Air Base and because there were no generals present at that time, were able to rent the general’s quarters for $35 a night. In those days flying was even enjoyable as well as cruises.
Now, as our limbs are slowing down, we don’t mind being “more sedate.” We still enjoy our home we built in 1967. The only really hard thing to do is to actually throw away some of the things that involve our fond memories. Time does move on and this may be the last “going through them” we will get.
It is, however, an enjoyable task to remember how God has been with us these last 65 years of marriage. There were, of course, times when we wondered what was happening to our world. We have found, however, that even though we didn’t always see it right away, God’s way was always the best, and it is visible to us now.
In retrospect, it does seem like John and I have become very much alike, although we still have some differences…he loves to sleep late and I love to get up early. He loves fishing and I love writing…but now we both do a little of both.
God gave us roses in June (which we grew)—and memories so that we can enjoy them in December. The most wonderful thing, however, is that because we have both accepted Jesus into our life, we look forward to the time we will both be with him in heaven. Besides that, we will have a new body and will again walk and run if we want to!
Doris welcomes your comments and can be reached at [email protected]
