Remembering My First Home with Tom & Tina

I am looking back at some of the homes we owned over the year and found the first house we bought. It was only 1,400 square feet of living area, plus a basement but it seemed big to us when we first bought it. I think our house payment was $88.00 a month when we bought it in 1972. This picture was taken in January 1973. I could not find a front view in the summer. We spent five wonderful years there, and I remember watching Tina walk to the bus her first day of high school. It was sad, and I shed a tear, to know she was growing up so quickly. Thank you, God, for allowing me to retain my memories. The house was located at 13 Gloria Lane, St. Peters, Missouri. The house was active with our daughter Tina and her friends going and coming. My parents came up to visit every eight to ten weeks. Our friends from St. Charles visited often and I remember our New Years Eve party we gave in 1975! That is a story of its own.

I began researching my family in this house.  I had no idea how important genealogy would become in my life.  It led to my presiding over Scott County Historical and Genealogy Society, writing the Scott County Newsletter for five years, and serving on the MissouriState Genealogical Association in Columbia, Missouri for several years.

My father, Curtis H. Cline, planted a tree in front of the house.  We drove by the house in 2006 while we were in the area, and the tree was as tall as the house.  I wish my  Dad could have seen it before he died in 2002.  Tom and I built the house and the three of use visited it every few days until we signed the papers and moved in.  I enjoyed sharing my life with Tom and Tina in this house.  I hope the owners that followed us enjoyed it too.

The Changing Seasons of Life

I was reflecting on the future today and the changes that are coming soon in my life.  I will complete my three-year term on the Regional Arts Council of Zachary at the end of the year.  I plan on rewriting and expanding the book “History of Zachary United Methodist Church” for the first six months of 2015.  I recently read and was reminded that God stands with us during our changing seasons of life.
  

When I turned 50 and then 60, I felt little different than every other birthday.  I turned 70 this July, and I do sense change in my body, and I can no longer push myself the way I did for years.  Now I realize my time to make positive change is short.  I have a framed needlepoint that my daughter Tina made me many Christmas ago.  The needlepoint verse is one of my favorite poems.  It reads,
  

 “If I should live to a ripe old age,

may I possess some bit of individuality,

charm, and wit, that I may not be discarded

when I am withered, worn and weak,

but sought after and cherished, like a fine antique.”

     

I try to live a Christian life and to think of others.  Time will only tell if I am discarded or cherished.  I know the choices I make today will define my future.
    

2015 offers a needed transition back to my writing.  It is a welcome change and will allow me to paint again too.  One of the students I teach at Zachary High School, asked me, “Are you old enough to retire Mrs. Harmon?”  I responded, "Yes, on a calendar, I am eligible to retire, but hope I never stop working or learning.  Learning, especially, is the seasoning in my life.  That is why I do substitute teaching."
    

As I work on the history book of Zachary United Methodist Church, I will blog on thoughts generated from my research.  I hope you will follow then, and enjoy them.   I wish my family and friends a great 2015.