Humboldt Iowa…We spent the day meeting more Nelsons and Johnsons and visiting different places that I remembered from my last visit in 1983…(way too long ago). We went to the cemetery where my dad is buried and I surprised my own self by getting emotional. I don’t know why it hit me that way. It’s been almost 40 years and I know its only his body buried there, but just seeing and tracing his name on the headstone made me wonder again, “what if?” We left there and went to see some property that my cousin had purchased to build a new home on. It will be so nice for them, plenty of trees and lots of space…no fences between houses allowing neighbors to be neighborly. One cousin, Susie and her family lived in Humboldt until 2 weeks before we arrived, when all 14 of them moved to Texas. But, we got to see the house and hear the stories of where their home schooling was done and the music was rehearsed and many cars have been worked on. A home rich in memories, tell-tale charts still on the wall detailing meals etc… My cousin Rick and his wife Connie share our empty nest woes, but recently purchased a house and had it MOVED to the property where my grandparents farmed and raised their boys. “How on earth do you move a house across town?” “On a truck”…well ok then. I have seen modular homes moved in sections, but a regular ol’ house? Micah loved the daughter’s racecar in the garage and thought it was pretty cool that the house had theme rooms. Aunt Bev stole Micah’s heart and devotion with an extra special piece of apple pie with plenty of vanilla ice cream. She stocked us up on GORP for the road and we had a great dinner with the whole gang followed by a trip to the park to see the train Uncle Howard built. Chambry, Chase and Micah could have stayed and played all night, but we ended the evening with sparklers at the park and said goodbye to Steve. Saturday, we left the hotel and spent a little more time at Uncle Howards before heading out on the 10 hour drive to Oklahoma. Humboldt represents the only place I know where my Dad is somebody. Somebody with a history, with a childhood, with people that really knew him and remember him as a person, not just a position in a family. God knows what he is doing and he always has. I do wonder how life would have been different had he lived a long life, but I do not doubt that God can bring beauty from ashes and replace mourning with gladness, Isaiah 61:1-4 It is His way. I love what He has brought to my life and for the family in Iowa who honor my dad.
We arrived in Shawnee Ok about 2am and Dot scooped a sleeping Deeds up from his carseat without a peep…until he say Uncle Ryan when he opened the door. Remember when our babies stretched their arms out to be picked up or handed over to someone else? That was the Deeds…without a word, just a sleepy smile, he stretched from Dot’s arms to Uncle Ryan and melted against him. I don’t know who looked more content…Uncle Ryan or the Deeds…or me, but the middle of the night has never felt so good.
Quote of the day –running into the restaurant… ”I can’t wait to order what they have!”
Sunday morning came early for Dot and me…the deeds woke up pretty early and his mom pulled a trick out of her bag by sending him into Uncle Ryan’s room to negotiate a breakfast date at the donut shop. Sarah came over and we headed to Ok City to the fireman’s museum…advertised as open on Sunday, but alas, not this Sunday. Thankfully the zoo was right next door and we saw all the best the zoo had to offer including an ape that found Micah so intriguing, he nodded to him, then sauntered over to be nose to nose with him at the window of the exhibit! Micah thought it was probably that the ape thought he was also an Ape… ”since he didn’t have his shirt on”. We had a great day, got some laundry done and are settling in for a movie tonight.
Quote of the day “Mom, when I grow up will I grow hair all over my face?” answer “Yes”… “ok then I’m going to shave in the afternoon and the nighttime cause I don’t think I want to grow that.”
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