Monday, June 11, 2012

Memories are made of this


Since I had surgery on my  foot April 17th, I've been confined to bed with my foot raised in the air  above my heart for at least  20 hours a day.  I've watched tv and read and just in general fought boredom tooth and nail.  Twice a week, on Monday and Friday my cousin Crystal comes to do the floors (vacuuming and mopping) laundry and housework in general...because that is what families do for each other.  I look forward to her visits so much that I fear I am wishing my life away, looking forward to the next time I see her   We mainly talk about our lives as children of summer.  We spent the summers with our grandparents working in tobacco and all that entailed.  This week VBS (Vacation Bible School) starts for Douglas Mill Baptist Church and many of the other churches in the county.  I remember the wonderful things that we did for our craft work, like making wallets and word burning Bible verses into planks of wood but most particularly the snow globes we made.  My Aunt Margaret (Kneece) collected baby food jars for weeks to form our globe.  In  the lid we put florist clay.  In the clay we placed a small artificial flower limb.  Then we filled the jar with mineral oil and moth ball flakes, carefully placed the lid on the jar and closed it tightly.  Shaking lightly, it snowed on our little flower garden.  I kept mine for years. Isn't it funny how something so easily done by small hands can leave such an impact on our lives.  We made   these little trinkets over 50 years ago and yet I can tell you that the lid was blue and the flowers made of plastic were lily of the valley.  I hope all the children involved in VBS this summer will look back in the year 2062 and remember the people who provided them with this wonderful time in their lives and tell you exactly what they crafted from inexpensive items.  To my Aunt Margaret....thanks for the memories.

13 comments:

Hilary said...

I remember the crafts that I loved doing as a child, also. There were so many and those summers are among my fondest memories. I don't think we ever did snow globes though. :)

I sure hope your foot will make larger strides (pun only partially intended) in repairing before too long. Twenty hours in bed can't be great for the spirit. Maybe you should ask Crystal to bring you an empty jar, moth ball flakes, mineral oil.. etc... :)

Maggie May said...

You must be very fed up. I do hope you can start to get up and about again soon. I would have great difficulty lying on my back.
It is amazing how we can remember things so clearly from our past. Its as though it was only yesterday.
Hoping your foot will be thoroughly restored very soon.
Maggie X

Nuts in May

the fly in the web said...

Hoping you will be up and about as soon as possible...
Great memories..I loved the idea of the snow globe.

Vee said...

Oh how sweet. My VBS memory was making a church out of popsicle sticks. How I loved that project!

Are you able to be up and around now or are you still lying low? How does the foot and ankle feel now? Vastly improved I hope.

There's a wedding coming up soon or am I totally lost?

Jeni said...

I remember my days as a student at VBS and then, in high school, as a teacher's helper there too. I remember doing crafts and learning various Bible verses but don't recall any specific items we made during those classes. The Snow Globe thing though -now that was a cool idea and one that perhaps would be good to try out at our upcoming VBS program!

ancient one said...

Enjoyed your memories which brought back memories of my own. VBS was a big part of summer. I hope your foot heals quickly. So thankful for your cousin helping you!

Sally said...

Awww, such great memories. And, how nice that our cousin is helping out. Yes, that's what families are for, and such blessings in time of need.

Praying you are up and about soon.

((hugs))

Pondside said...

What lovely memories you and your cousin must be enjoying. I know that we all assume that family will step in and help out, but you are truly blessed to have your cousin really do just that!
I hope that you are well on your way to healing.

NitWit1 said...

VBS was the highlight of my young summers. Our church even ran a bus to pick us up. VBS lasted a week, with a family picnic in the City park the last afternoon of VBS.

70 years later, I am now doing what I am able to do with VBS, mainly paying for supplies and bringing COOKIES.

Our church builds a city, this year BABYLON, to go with the theme of study (This year Daniel)

The teachers and children wear costumes. Much more detailed than in my years but I would not trade for the memories.

In the good ole days we had singing classes and Bible Classes, and one night we put on a program for our parents.

cheshire wife said...

I think that the memory of the foot surgery will stay with you for some time.I hope that you will soon be back on both feet.

i beati said...

I'm so glad you are almost there !!

Girls Bedroom said...

Hello here,
Memories are made of this
Neat publish! I feel an obligation to heart fully thank you for your effort throughout the website.

Carver said...

I remember the crafts we made at summer camp. Sorry about your foot surgery. I hope you will recover soon.