THIS OLD HOUSE

THIS OLD HOUSE

It is a beautiful sunny day with a slight breeze on
my shoulder. I see the house, yes, there it is, with
an old wood look, sitting ever so quietly in the field.
The days are gone for the old house, and new homes
have replaced it, made of finer materials, and in
brighter and prettier colors. The old house just sits
there, in the field, looking so alone, so old, so torn
from the wind, rain, cold and heat. I notice it is two
stories, with a large square opening where the chimney
once stood. It has 'olden times' wooden roof shingles,
mixed with the newer ones, but all are battered and
torn. The windows are only bare openings, with
splintered wood around the frame area.

It just stands. So silent.
So quiet is the field around it.

~~~ BUT ~~~~
What was it like in the house's day? My mind begins to
wander--
I can envision a man in the field behind it; he is using
an old plow, with three prongs, to loosen the hard dirt.
He is tired looking, sweating, but not stopping, -- he
must finish so he can get crops in the ground to grow.
He briefly stops, wipes the sweat from his brow with an
old handkerchief from his pocket, and continues. The
children are in the front of the house, gathered by a
tree with an old rope tied to a branch above. They are
swinging from it, and the laughter is music in the breeze.
There are some boys gathered in one area of dirt in the
yard, with marbles. They are squatted down and aiming at
the other marbles, with a neat round circle drawn in the
dirt around the marbles.

A woman comes to the screen door, and calls to all that
it is time to have dinner.

All the children rush to the door, but first stop to wash
their hands and comb their unruly hair, then meet at the
table. The man in the field stops, walks slowly and
almost cautiously toward the door, then inside he goes.
After washing his hands, combing his hair, he joins the
family, who await his sitting down. The man leads the
family in prayer, as they all are holding each other’s
hands. He prays for the forgiveness of sins, crops to
grow, family to be healthy, and a peaceful existence.
Then they begin their meal all around the large wooden
table, knowing that soon they will have work outside to
be done. They finish their meal, and the woman, with
the girls' help, clear the table and do their given jobs.
The boys will now accompany their father to the field, to
plant the seed and say a silent prayer for a good crop
this year. In the evening, the family will all meet in
the living room to hear passages from the Bible. Then,
after some resting time, it is bath time, and time for
bed, because the sun will be up and work awaits them the
next morning.

Now, I stir and realize I am still looking at this same
old house, -- but it is in the field, all alone, barren,
with no walk, no anything!
And it looks so very lonely and deserted. Where did the
people go? The loving and sharing I saw, what happened
to it?
Where are the children, and the tree with the rope?

Then, as I drift back into reality, I realize it was a
daydream, but such a lovely one, one that I will remember
for a long time. One of a family, devoted to each other,
and working as a team for survival in this world. No one
had their 'own' thing to do, no one had to go away for
the day with friends, or leave their secure home-- they
were a family, drawn by love and caring, together, so
close nothing could separate their feelings.
It was a true 'family unit' with God as their leader,
and Father as the man of the house, Mother as the lady,
and their children respected and loved them. Each had
a place in this family unit, each did their own job to
keep the unit together.

What a blessing..

© Kentucky_Lady4