The Story of Me ~ Parts 4 and 5

Sorry for missing last week ... life got sorta crazy here on vacation and it just didn't happen.  

Second and third grade brought some changes to my little world.

My parents decided to separate the summer before second grade.  So, my daddy took my brothers and me to live with our grandparents in Widefield, CO (a suburb of Colorado Springs).  My Bigdaddy and Bigmama welcomed us into their home where we happily lived with my aunt Linda, who was 14 at the time, and their dog Honey.   I loved my Bigmama's house ... it was on a big lot with lots of room to play.   I made a new best friend, Christina, and we attended school together at Widefield Elementary.  She lived only a few blocks from my grandparents and her family attended the church where my Bigdaddy pastored so we spent lots of time together.

I am sure that was a difficult year for all of the grown ups - and for Linda who had to share her home and space with three little kids - but somehow the struggles and heartache never seemed to be the prevailing theme in the house.   I remember missing my mother terribly and can say with absolute certainty that I was thrilled when my daddy told me he was going to get her and bring her to Colorado to live with us toward the end of the school year.

That summer we moved into Colorado Springs.  For the first time, we lived in an apartment complex complete with playground!  While the yard for our townhouse was quite small, having swings, slides, and teeter-totters right outside the back door made up for it all.   I remember that my room was upstairs and had a big window that faced the Rocky Mountains.  I am not particularly artistic but I spent lots of time every day drawing the mountains with the sun rising or setting behind them.   It was in third grade that I was baptized by my grandfather ... along with Christina, my best friend.

I imagine that for many children experiencing the separation of their parents and being so far away from one parent geographically has been traumatic.  But to my parents and grandparents credit, the only memories I have stored away of those times are a new bicycle, drives through the mountains, and being loved.

All families face life's difficult times ... but it the ones who are bound more tightly together because of them that build the most solid foundation.  I am immeasurably thankful for the rock-solid base my family has laid for me.



P.S. For those keeping track, as of this point in my story, at this point I have lived in at least 7 homes in 4 states and attended 3 different schools.