Holy Cow! How does half a century blow by in such a seemingly short time? If you haven’t guessed, I turned 50 today. I can remember thinking that 50 was so old when I was a teenager. As I’ve gotten closer to it, 50 had seemed younger and younger. My earliest memories are from when we lived in Sayre, PA, while my dad did his medical residency. We lived in a complex with other families of medical residents. I can remember my sister doing little hand puppet shows from the top bunk of our bed. I also remember my mom pouring boiling water down a rat hole in our backyard. My earliest birthday memory was at the farm in Borie, where my grandparents and many aunts, uncles, and cousins lived. My cousins and siblings made me the peanut queen and hauled me around in a wagon full of peanuts. I remember crying a lot. We moved to Coudersport and lived at the farm for a time the year I turned 7, so we celebrated my birthday there again. Aunt Judy, who lived across the yard, gathered my siblings and cousins for a project at her house. She must have left someone for me to play with, because I don’t remember feeling left out. After a while, my cousin Sandra came to Grandma’s house, and told me I should come and see the strange bug they had caught. When I got to Aunt Judy’s house, there was a surprise party, complete with a bug cake they had all decorated for me. We soon moved from the farm to a house my parents bought on West Hill Street, and I started school at Coudersport Elementary during the second grade. Many of my current friends, I met all the way back there in second grade. About this time, we started attending the CMA church. I became very close to the Thomas family (Jim, Marlene, Jimbo, Traci, and, later, Candice). The following summer, we had a special speaker for Vacation Bible School. One evening he presented the Plan of Salvation, and he asked if anyone wanted to come forward to ask Jesus to be their savior. Traci took me by the hand and asked me if I wanted to go, so we went together. I don’t think I probably understood it all, but I knew something in me had changed. I have some funny remembrances from the rest of Elementary School, like accidentally spelling D-A-M with four letters (if you know what I mean) in fourth grade. In fifth grade, Traci and I couldn’t stop laughing when Ms. Castano read a story about “Jimbo the Elephant” or when Mike Russell pulled his tooth during a spelling test and yelled “I got it!” In sixth grade, my teacher was Mrs. Brown (later Mrs. Baker). I can remember her wearing woven, squeaky clogs and using pink baby lotion on her hands. What I remember most is that she always read “Where the Red Fern Grows” to her sixth grade class, which probably started a little spark for my love of literature. Sometimes, her daughter Beth would have off school in Port Allegany and would visit her mom’s classroom. One time, she and I accidentally knocked over a display of pantyhose in Hamelins 5 and 10 cent store, because we were laughing at the huge bras hanging on the wall. I don’t remember too much that’s remarkable about Junior High. We were still attending the CMA church. Many of my friends and I were active in youth group. I didn’t always follow God the way I should have, but I always still knew that I was His. There are several funny things that I remember from Senior High. One time, several of us were playing cards in study hall. Mr. Jolly told us we weren’t allowed. The next time, we were pretending to play with invisible cards, and he threatened to give us detention. Then there was the time that my favorite teacher, Mr. Fleckenstein, made me write a 1,000 word essay on the dangers of shooting rubber bands. My friend Emily had shot me. When I tried to retaliate, she moved, and the rubber band hit the blackboard where Mr. Fleckenstein and Mr. Gagat were talking. When 12th grade was winding down, our youth group was planning to attend a National CMA Youth Conference. I hadn’t planned to go, but I had participated in all of the fundraisers. One day in church, I felt God speak to me, telling me to go to the conference. My response was, “If that’s You, God, please have someone tell me I can go, even though it’s past the deadline.” As soon as I walked out of the sanctuary, Jim Thomas told me I could still go. I guess I couldn’t argue with that. At the Youth Conference, I rededicated my life to the Lord. I decided to go to a Christian college instead of the State University I had planned to attend. I grew much in my faith in my two years at Nyack, and I’ve never turned back, though I am still far from perfect. In 1992, I married Sean, my high school sweetheart. We had baby Meredith in 1993, baby Tanner in 1995, baby Ethan in 1997, baby Troy in 1998, and baby Evan in 2003. I began homeschooling two months before Troy was born. I enjoyed homeschooling, even though it was never easy. Meredith and Tanner graduated at home, Ethan, Troy, and Evan have done a mixture of homeschooling and attending CHS. Meredith was married in 2014, and we now have a beautiful granddaughter. We’ve had many ups and downs, especially in the last 6 years, since my cancer diagnosis, but we know that God is good, and we can trust him in all circumstances. It’s fun to reflect, and I can share many more stories, but the most important thing for me is to recognize that God has always been faithful.
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 118:1
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