Thank you for taking time out from your busy day to take a peek at my blog and see what's happening here in Flint Hills.
We just finished celebrating Valentine's Day over the week-end with Valentine Cards, Chocolates and a Steak Dinner, as I was reminiscing about days gone by.
In grade school or as some would call it elementary school, every year we'd have a Valentine Party where we'd exchange homemade or store bought cards with one another.
At home, I'd write the names on the back of the cards, place the cards in the envelopes and then address them. Then place the sealed cards in each others card holders that we had carefully made the week before during Art. It was always a contest to see who could create the most bee-u-ta-full card holder weither it be a decorated shoe box or a construction paper envelope with a heart shaped papered doily on the front of it. Anxiously waiting for the oohs and awes. Peer pressure and acceptance was different then.
Sweet memories. During the party, we were allowed to open each valentine, play games and have refreshments. At the end of the school day, we'd take all the treasures home. These were the days when Public Schools were into teaching the 3 r's of readin', ritin' and 'rithmetic. We didn't have to worry about guns, knifes and drugs being brought in by students, no gangs and we could walk home for lunch. Pleasant thoughts. Ahhhh the innocence of youth.Now for Santa, the Tooth Fairy and Where Babies Come From.
During my childhood, I would learn that there was no Santa Claus. My oldest brother would tell me it was actually Mom and Dad placing the toys under the Christmas tree that we would discover on Christmas morning. I remember being shocked when I heard this aweful truth! I suspected that it was true when we went to a movie theatre for an afternoon matinee. As we left the show, a petite woman dressed in a santa suit was handing out candy canes to the kids. She almost fooled me until I saw her well groomed painted fingernails. They were lovely to say the least, but when she said, "Ho. Ho. Ho." in a saprano voice through the white beard, it cinched the deal and santa was a fraud. When I first heard that Santa wasn't real, I was concerned that next Christmas there wouldn't be any toys. Man, was I delighted to see that the toys were there the next year. Pleasant thoughts.
The Tooth Fairy was welcomed right along with Santa. The first tooth I lost was when I was five. Pretty neat placing the tooth under my bed pillow and wake up to a coin in its place. When the Tooth Fairy stopped visiting it wasn't quite the shock as Santa not being real.
BUT THE BIGGEST SHOCK OF ALL was when my sister told me how babies were made. She had gotten upset with two of her friends that were sisters that told her the truth about THAT. She defended her stance on this by saying, "Huh uw...my mom told me that when she wanted a baby all she had to do was pray to God and He gave them to her!!!" Then my sister broke the news to me..."Preachers do it, too!!!" I don't know where we got the idea that the actual act was a dirty thing that only bad people did, but none the less when I heard Preachers do this, I was mortified.
I learned all of this out in the front yard beside the car that was parked by the curb. Gutter trash? No, I laugh now at how innocent we were. I forgot to mention the Easter Bunny.
Of course by the fifth grade, we had that famous talk about the female body and what was going to happen to it. My mother attended the movie that explained this biological event. I remember sitting in the front seat of the car as we went home. She asked me if I had any questions. I couldn't think of any at the time. That would come later and that's a whole different story.
There has been other shocking news through the years that greatly out did these childhood stories. Only God has helped me process and deal with the ones that stunned me so badly I couldn't speak or pray. I learned the hard way that He is the one that will comfort when you hurt beyond words. No one else can quite do this.
Though we are fearfully and wonderfully made, so much is still a mystery. Santa, the Tooth Fairy and how babies are made are all pleasant things to me. I was so innocent and that's a good thing. Sweet memories.
Now I know that Santa doesn't answer prayers. The Tooth Fairy disappears after Grade School and the Stork drops babies off in the Cabbage Patch!
Til next time,
May the Good Lord Bless you real good.
Deanna from the Kansas Flint Hills
We just finished celebrating Valentine's Day over the week-end with Valentine Cards, Chocolates and a Steak Dinner, as I was reminiscing about days gone by.
In grade school or as some would call it elementary school, every year we'd have a Valentine Party where we'd exchange homemade or store bought cards with one another.
At home, I'd write the names on the back of the cards, place the cards in the envelopes and then address them. Then place the sealed cards in each others card holders that we had carefully made the week before during Art. It was always a contest to see who could create the most bee-u-ta-full card holder weither it be a decorated shoe box or a construction paper envelope with a heart shaped papered doily on the front of it. Anxiously waiting for the oohs and awes. Peer pressure and acceptance was different then.
Sweet memories. During the party, we were allowed to open each valentine, play games and have refreshments. At the end of the school day, we'd take all the treasures home. These were the days when Public Schools were into teaching the 3 r's of readin', ritin' and 'rithmetic. We didn't have to worry about guns, knifes and drugs being brought in by students, no gangs and we could walk home for lunch. Pleasant thoughts. Ahhhh the innocence of youth.Now for Santa, the Tooth Fairy and Where Babies Come From.
During my childhood, I would learn that there was no Santa Claus. My oldest brother would tell me it was actually Mom and Dad placing the toys under the Christmas tree that we would discover on Christmas morning. I remember being shocked when I heard this aweful truth! I suspected that it was true when we went to a movie theatre for an afternoon matinee. As we left the show, a petite woman dressed in a santa suit was handing out candy canes to the kids. She almost fooled me until I saw her well groomed painted fingernails. They were lovely to say the least, but when she said, "Ho. Ho. Ho." in a saprano voice through the white beard, it cinched the deal and santa was a fraud. When I first heard that Santa wasn't real, I was concerned that next Christmas there wouldn't be any toys. Man, was I delighted to see that the toys were there the next year. Pleasant thoughts.
The Tooth Fairy was welcomed right along with Santa. The first tooth I lost was when I was five. Pretty neat placing the tooth under my bed pillow and wake up to a coin in its place. When the Tooth Fairy stopped visiting it wasn't quite the shock as Santa not being real.
BUT THE BIGGEST SHOCK OF ALL was when my sister told me how babies were made. She had gotten upset with two of her friends that were sisters that told her the truth about THAT. She defended her stance on this by saying, "Huh uw...my mom told me that when she wanted a baby all she had to do was pray to God and He gave them to her!!!" Then my sister broke the news to me..."Preachers do it, too!!!" I don't know where we got the idea that the actual act was a dirty thing that only bad people did, but none the less when I heard Preachers do this, I was mortified.
I learned all of this out in the front yard beside the car that was parked by the curb. Gutter trash? No, I laugh now at how innocent we were. I forgot to mention the Easter Bunny.
Of course by the fifth grade, we had that famous talk about the female body and what was going to happen to it. My mother attended the movie that explained this biological event. I remember sitting in the front seat of the car as we went home. She asked me if I had any questions. I couldn't think of any at the time. That would come later and that's a whole different story.
There has been other shocking news through the years that greatly out did these childhood stories. Only God has helped me process and deal with the ones that stunned me so badly I couldn't speak or pray. I learned the hard way that He is the one that will comfort when you hurt beyond words. No one else can quite do this.
Though we are fearfully and wonderfully made, so much is still a mystery. Santa, the Tooth Fairy and how babies are made are all pleasant things to me. I was so innocent and that's a good thing. Sweet memories.
Now I know that Santa doesn't answer prayers. The Tooth Fairy disappears after Grade School and the Stork drops babies off in the Cabbage Patch!
Til next time,
May the Good Lord Bless you real good.
Deanna from the Kansas Flint Hills
