I was born into a terrific family. My parents are really good people who are active in their church; both of my grandfathers were dedicated ministers--one decided to go to Bible college and enter the ministry at the age of 50, and the other was the president of Manhattan Christian College; they were both married to great women, and I have many wonderful aunts, uncles, and cousins. I'm the oldest of three girls, and yes, my sisters are awesome!
I wish all kids could have the childhood I had. It wasn't perfect, by any means. We weren't wealthy, by any means. And, I wasn't the model child, by ANY means! But there was a happy simplicity that I think is missing for so many of us 'these days.' Boxes became ovens and refrigerators, and our bunkbed was the cave in our museum. Any movie we watched became a screenplay we'd re-enact for days. I remember my sister and I wanting to start some sort of club, and Mom was our biggest cheerleader, planning a snack and craft activity for our first (and only) "Happy Helpers" meeting! We were in 4-H, went to family reunions, and played a lot of games. We did have arguments, often involving piano lessons, being ready to leave on time, or our one bathroom (which contributed to our tardiness), but it wasn't a house of discord...it was one of harmony. Harmony comes from the blending of a lot of different elements that wouldn't necessarily be attractive standing on their own.
There was a shift, personally, during my teen years. Something caused me to become dissatisfied with my life, which led to my becoming a less-than-pleasant person to live with. My family tree made no difference--individual choices, decisions, actions, and faith matter, and in Christianity there's no such thing as an 'I'm okay because my relatives are okay' pass!
People from our church would probably not have guessed....I knew how to be dressed up and act like everything was fine from 10:30-11:45 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Most kids at school might not have guessed either, as I tried to appear as cheery and cool as one really can in their mid-teens! But at home, I was sullen and bitter, and I did NOT keep that to myself! I argued and insulted from morning 'til night. Unfortunately I didn't apply my Sunday School lessons to my life....I didn't carry the discussions and verses memorized on Sunday into my Mondays. Looking back, that compartmentalizing of spiritual matters kept me from Answers and led me through a lot of bad choices and situations.
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