If the 4th of July falls on a Thursday we get both Thursday and Friday off work. We forego getting Good Friday as a holiday so the time between New Year's and Memorial Day seems so long but when July 4&5 finally arrive it feels worth it.
We had a good fourth. John's parents and a brother came. John grilled hamburgers. His mother brought German potato salad and we had ice cream bars for dessert. Food City had the ice cream bars on sale - buy one (box of 6) get one (box of 6) free. We bought a selection so we had a good variety to offer.
A few years ago (maybe 5) I received a box in the mail. It contained the book "15 Main Street" which a cousin had put together. 15 Main Street is the street on which our grandparents lived. This cousin had created the book for her mother and aunts (known as the Perry Girls). Our Aunt JoNette had sent her book to me. She had asked a sister what she should do with it and the sister had suggested sending it to me. The notebook was full to overflowing. Some sheets were not in sheet protectors. Some pages in sheet protectors were not secured in the 3 ring binder but just placed in the notebook. Some of those sheets had a sticky note with another aunt's handwriting stating where that page fit in the notebook. For some time I have wanted to compare it with Mother's to see if all were in order. Yesterday I sat down and went through both notebooks two times. I hope to go through them at least one more time - just to make sure.
From going through the 2 books this weekend, I have realized each aunt has personalized their notebook. Aunt JoNette had pictures of my 3rd great-grandparents (pictured below) and letters she received after placing 3rd in a school speech contest. She also included 2 different school projects - one was a speech in which she received 1st place. Mother had Grandmother's obituary which was in our area newspaper. Mother also had Grandma and Grandpa's marriage certificate (a copy) in hers and a few things related to Uncle Martin. I have copied the marriage certificate to place in my "15 Main Street" and plan on looking closely at what she has related to Uncle Martin. I may copy & include those also.
In going through the book this weekend I have been reminded of the Godly heritage we cousins have been given. The aunts shared about growing up - quoting Scripture before eating a meal, trying to stump their father by reading a verse and then he would have to give them the Scripture reference from memory, one sister would start tapping a hymn on the headboard of her bed and the others would have to guess which hymn was being tapped. We cousins also shared the memories we had of visiting 15 Main Street. We each knew we were loved by our grandparents.
Fond memories are not created by how much we spend on others but by the simple acts showing we love them.
Isaac Voorhees VanLiew
August 11, 1811 - April 18, 1887
married January 8, 1834
Catharine Lamoreaux VanLiew
June 14, 1816 - April 16, 1886
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