Sometimes we forget past blessings – The Toy Box

Last week, I came across a written note that my Dad sent to me. Written were the words—sometimes, we forget our past blessings. And I connected in my mind those words with the toy box Dad built for David.

When I was growing up on the farm we had an old granary. This granary was not like most. It was built out of wood, was rectangular in shape, and had a slanted half roof. The wood was painted red. The same color as the barn. I never thought of it as a granary. It wasn't round, it wasn't made out of tin or metal, it wasn't a silo: it was instead a red wooden, rectangular granary built on limestone rock foundation with open space below. My drawing from memory of it below:

I always thought it was a weird looking granary. Certainly nothing to tell any of the other boys at school about. It was more to me like an embarrassment. A wooden, rectangular shed used as a granary. It certainly didn't have much capacity. Because to enter it, there was a regular size door with a piece of wood about 2 feet tall to hold the grain back.

I recall that we had a small tubular auger, yellowish in color. I remember scooping grain that was poured on the ground into the auger feeding tube as the auger transported grains of wheat or of milo into a port, a window-type hole, which was created for this type of thing. After completing the auger task, the port would be sealed shut with a solid wood gate latched back into place.

I discovered while researching the Web that wood granaries were set on some sort of foundation that raised the building off the ground and provided ventilation underneath. Until the 1930s, farm granaries were of wood-frame construction.  I never knew when I was a young that granaries had been constructed of wood and not always out of metal. Here is a picture of wood granary that looks very similar to the one on the farm:

In the early 90s, Dad had the granary torn down and replaced by a large Quonset hut. He salvaged some of that granary wood and made a toy box – David’s toy box. Now, many decades later, I have a new found love of the old granary. It is the only piece of the farm that is in my house. Below are some pictures of it. The granary still remains a part of our family through the toy box: a past blessing not forgotten.

What a Wonderful Christmas 2016

Three months ago, it was December 25, 2016. Christmas Day. There were three gifts - touching, very thoughful gifts. It's time to share those gifts and to remember.

Our dryer went kaput. I had become quite adept with indoor clothes line hanging and drying methods. But it was a slow process.  David and Dani bought their mother and I a gift. They bought a dryer.

So - we were a normal laundry household again. Well, until the washing machine went kaput two months later. But that was replaced and we are good to go for house laundry!

The next two gifts made me well up some tears.

David sent a picture that Dani took to a photo lab.  The picture was transformed into a large canvas picture. The picture is of David, Dad, Mom, and me. The canvas picture is a beauty and hangs below the picture of the Lord's Supper in our dining room. The large canvas is so special to me after Dad died last May; it is a reminder of a joyful moment to look at each morning.

Dani asked for something that Dad signed - his signature. I thought she wanted to have a signature to copy to keep as a memento. And she did!  She had a sunflower tattoo placed on her arm with Dad's signature above it.  Wow - what a loving testament to Dad and his love for all!

Christmas 2016 was a beautiful, shining light remembering Dad and helping our household. My wife and I are very blessed with two wonderful, passionate children.