Pig learns about the Good Old Days

Good Morning,

It's funny but Pig and I like the good old days. Kinda like the song from the Judds about Grandpa. The song starts with Grandpa, tell me about the good old days.

The song shares about what is inside the heart of many with the questions of life today. Was a promise really something people kept? Not just something they would say? Did families really bow their heads to pray? Did Daddies really never go away?

The song continued saying Grandpa, tell me about the good old days. That brings tears when this song is heard because, we look back to things that made us feel happy and secure. With true values of honor and love and respect. That never goes out of style. It's always stays the same.

Pig interrupts, and says, "Just like Pancakes, Prayer and Praise and then add the butter, the syrup and the milk ."

Pig, you are so funny but your words so true. Pig and I look to the past, to guide our future. Just because it's shiny and faster doesn't mean it's better or healthier or good.

It was fun to do things differently in the good old days, like hanging the clothes on the clothes line with my Mother. It was a time to talk and tell stories from her childhood and shared the hopes for the future. It was fun to hear.

It’s quite a process to hang clothes out depending what time era. Was it with a ringer wash machine you had to push the clothes through with a built in roller? I remember Mother using the ringer washer. The kind of washer to dump the dirty soap water out and then you had to add the hose to wash.

This is why in the good old days they had a wash day. Because it took you all day to do it. Along with your other chores. They had an entire ironing day too. And a Baking day for the bread for the week .

My goodness pig said, those really were the good old days ?

Ok Pig, I said some modern conveniences yes, I am grateful for, like running water and hot water on demand and maybe, a big washing machine with a big loader. But Pig, we do miss that in the good old days.

As a little girl in the good old days I learned wisdom from my mother. My mother always said, to share with VERY FEW how you feel about your hopes and dreams. Mother also said, to use your words carefully because you can't take it back. Forever words spoken are available like on the internet. Wisdom to remember this.

My Mother and my Granny would tell us what it was like in the good old days and would share stories of perseverance to me. It was a hard life. What does that mean? It is Kind of like the Postman through the rain or heat or snow your letters always get in your your mail box. Pig said, I understand. You do what you have to do and not stop no matter what. Mother would remember her hopes and dreams when she was little sometimes, it was just to have food enough for the day.

Her brother and her would collect pop bottles and do chores for neighbors and shell pecans and sell for pennies and put into jars and sell to the neighbors or passers by as they walked for miles to buy bread and bologna and milk and eggs and sometime flour and sugar sometimes to make pancakes. We all love pancakes. They would sing songs and make pictures in the dirt and make mud pies and pretend. Children always have the way to find the Joy and the fun no matter what when your belly is full its easier. Pig said, Amen to that.

In those days, You had ration cards for food and they would let you have very few luxuries because it was for the soldiers in war fighting to keep peace here at home protecting us. Mother was 8 or 9 years old and her dream was to have a dance studio and play the piano and teach dancing to children and to write books and draw and paint the illustration herself in her books. Granny was given some books from her sister Alpha and her some old toys and books were given to Mother and I still have the children's books that inspired her. She gave me that dream to me later.

Mother had 5 children and would share her dreams into each of us as she encouraged us to find our dreams too. Mother, read stories to us and would make up stories with us, to help use our imagination. She taught us to paint and draw. Mother and Granny would make dolls with left over fabric and stuffed them with whatever they had. It was so fun that you could dance with them. Granny added a an elastic part for your feet as you hold the arms and then you could dance. I remember that I was 3 or 4 years old. We had a wind up record player with no electricity needed. You would put records on them and a small needle connected to a handle would play the sound from what was recorded on it. The record player and records are coming back now. How funny, Pig said. What was old times now back to new times.

Mother, loved to play with us. She taught us to stand on our head, to roller skate and to ride our bikes and tumble and roll down grassy areas in parks. The parks back then were amazing, with slides both big and small and merry go rounds, that you hung onto to. We would take turns to push each other to go faster and faster. We had jungle gyms and rings that you would swing on to get across and then just swings you set in to go higher and higher. You had bike paths and plastic painted animals with a big spring we could sit on and go back and forth on, as well as a teeter totter. What is that? pig asked. It was a long board with a handle to hold onto on each end and in the middle a bar between them. You each had to get on and off at the same time or you had a very hard landing. We jumped rope, played hop scotch and played jacks the boys played too but preferred marbles. We all played base ball and ate cracker jacks and popcorn and drank kool-aide.

Mother and Granny both played the piano and when they sang they felt beautiful and they taught us all to sing at every holiday and every gathering and to give thanks for what we had.

Granny played cards with us, taught us math and vocabulary with flash cards that they would make up and taught us memory card games, dominos and any game we could find or draw. That Pig describes the good Old days as a child. I know Mother, wanted us all to have the Cinderella story, to be happy and have our dreams come true.

Dreams that are very fragile to share. Mother would said you don't want to invite discouragement in. What's been given to you is given to you. No one else. So, until it takes root in reality and even then when you do see it and have it, you still have to be strong enough inside, to take the criticism and discouragement of others that you share with, or to what you can only see. So then, you stand strong, as you continue moving forward.

Pig interrupted and said, is that like having me by your side to write and tell stories with?

Yes, pig. GOD opened the door to share you with others. Starting with my family. They really like you now.

My dream Pig, is to have your picture on a pancake mix box and recipe ready as I do now and then also, have it up and ready to go on store shelves. I see it coming in my mind with short Bible stories to be able to share while the Grandpas and Grandmothers as they cook your pancakes up for their grandbabies or for their children.

GOD is ready to guide us all that includes you and me. GOD creator of the universe and who made you ALWAYS wants the best for you (Jeremiah 29:11). GOD has a plan and a dream for each of us. A destiny. We need to keep praying and searching and GOD will show each of us the way.

Look up to GOD for direction and hope. And then as Pig said, when tough times comes on when you have a small budget, a simple inexpensive food like Pancakes and then Prayer and Praise and then Hope comes and brings it all together. It sounds like fun to me.

Pig said. You funny Pig, you just want to eat pancakes all the time.

Pig said, I can't help it, I know what's good.

To Stop and Drop and Pray and to eat Pancakes and to Pray and Praise everyday.

Funny Pig, you are so right.

GOD SAYS we need to be wise as serpents and gentle  as doves and in that there is the wisdom of GOD. So, be still and wait on GOD to share your ideas and be ready and be equipped before you move forward.

Pig said boldly, GOD will give us the direction of HOPE and LOVE and FAITH, GOD WILL DIRECT OUR WAYS. GOD will also provide to us all what we need to succeed. HE will help us. Yes, Pig HE will, I said.

Always, if we ask HIM too. That's so good pig to say just as it says in Psalm 23:

1.The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

This is the prayer to say YES and AMEN too.

I BELIEVE and I RECEIVE IT and as you do it is a step of FAITH

in JESUS NAME AMEN!

Our story from Pig and me