Trip Down Memory Lane

Grandpa could ALWAYS make me laugh!

Showing off my pride & joy!

This picture brings tears to my eyes many times because I think of all the people that her precious hands have caressed, loved & cared for and seeing her wrap her arms of love around my little one is a priceless treasure. No one loves children like grandma does!

Kenneth & Jewel Bolinger

Isn't She Lovely??!!

He's got style!

My precious "Jewel"

One of my faves

Well, today I've had a lot of time to think and reminisce. Dale & Gentry left last night going to Mississippi for the week. I miss them like crazy and it's SO quiet in the house. It's amazing how much noise one 3 year old can make! So, it's been "loudly" silent except for the crowing of the roosters & the gobbling of the turkeys running around outside.

I've always kind of been a loner at heart, so solitude doesn't bother me. I miss my guys, but am thankful that I'm comfortable enough in my own skin to be able to enjoy my times of solitude as well.

With solitude comes A LOT of thinking...for me anyway...and today I've been thinking about my grandparents. I'm so blessed to still have all four of my grandparents still alive. My dad's parents are in their mid-70's and my mom's parents are both 90!!! And still living in their own home! I can't imagine what it will be like to have to say good-bye one day to them, but I know that time is inevitable.

My thoughts especially turned to my maternal grandparents today. From meeting for the first time around the age of 13 or 14 until they got married in 1937...to still being madly in love some 70+ years later, well, it's just the thing that fairy-tales are made of.

Grandpa & Grandma Bolinger had 12 children together...my mom being #10. Grandpa fought in World War II for 1 1/2 years if I remember correctly. Grandpa was the first one in his family to attend a old "brush arbor" church meeting and was saved when he was 13. He felt a call to preach at a young age, and eventually moved to Lansing, Michigan to start a church. He pastored there until 1986 and resigned to enjoy retirement. However, God had other plans for him and he ended up pastoring my home church for five years...after his "retirement". Seems that God wasn't through with him.

When they came to Belleville to pastor I was around 14 years old. I wasn't really close to them growing up because we lived so far away from them with dad being in the military and us living in several different places. But, when they moved back to Illinois and became our pastor, I got REALLY close with them. They lived in the church parsonage for a time and I used to go over there on Sunday mornings and have coffee and breakfast with them. I would sit and listen to all of their stories and tried to soak up every bit of history from them that I could. Since I was home-schooled during my high school years, on many occasions I would go home with them on Sunday nights and spend two or three days with them at their home in Salem. I felt SO blessed to be able to get to know these extraordinary people.

Of all the things I could write about them, I think the one thing that sticks out the most to me is their unshakable faith in God. They have certainly had more than their share of heartache in their life, but their faith and trust in God has been inspiring and rock solid. They have passed a legacy and heritage down to future generations that beckons us to march forward with faith & trust in a God who never changes.

Dale & I were so grateful to be able to have him pray a blessing over Gentry at his baby dedication. I have posted some pictures on here of "The Early Years" and also some of Gentry's dedication. My prayer is that the road of truth Grandpa & Grandma Bolinger paved for their family can be a road that I can continue to walk down and teach my son the importance of enjoying the journey as well.

Well, I hope this doesn't come out as fragmented as it seems in my head at the moment. There is just SO much I could say about them, but don't want to take up too much "cyber-space" to say it. Enjoy the pictures and thanks for strolling down memory lane with me today!

Blessings - Melanie