"Look to the Future, but Remember the Past"
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| Colleen as a child |
2016 has been an unsettling year. What will 2017 bring? Let us take hope from a stanza in Anna L. Waring's 1850 inspirational hymn, "In Heavenly Love Abiding."
"Green pastures are before me, which yet I have not seen.
"Bright skies will soon be o'er me. where darkest clouds have been."
What we learn from the past helps to shape the future. It is said that the past is history, the future, mystery, so we need to make the most of today.
My mother, Pearl Towne Reece, lived to be almost 96. She always made the most of every day. Mom cherished her memories but was always forward-looking. At her memorial service, a friend remarked, "Pearl talked about the past, but she didn't live in it." Perhaps that is why people of all ages loved to both hear Mom's stories of the "olden days" and watch her participate in funny skits on our church's talent nights.
My own memories date back what seems like forever. A time-worn photo shows my brother Randy and me at ages 5 and 10, standing in front of a gigantic Dorothy Perkins rose just outside my bedroom window. I can still recall the fragrance and abundance of blooms. Here is a Dorothy Perkins in full bloom.
Journey to “Storybook House”
My two brothers and I, one five years older, one five years younger, grew up in a former one-room
schoolhouse. We were blessed with a woodsman father, a teacher mother, and adventures
that ranged from rescuing orphaned kittens to solving the Mystery of Mom’s Sandwiches.
Decades later, I felt called into full-time writing. Mom and I moved to a modest, ranch-style home. My nephew
named it “Storybook House” because of the hundreds of books and stories I
wrote and Mom edited—stories based on real people and events with some names
changed for privacy.
The twenty-one stories in Storybook House: Timeless Tales for Fun-loving Families, are designed to delight pre-schoolers through senior adults.
They are especially suited to bedtime reading and family devotions. Biblical
applications encourage readers to appreciate life and Creation. And to look for
the rainbows that God so often sends after rainstorms.
Journey to “Storybook House”
My two brothers and I, one five years older, one five years younger, grew up in a former one-room
schoolhouse. We were blessed with a woodsman father, a teacher mother, and adventures
that ranged from rescuing orphaned kittens to solving the Mystery of Mom’s Sandwiches.
Decades later, I felt called into full-time writing. Mom and I moved to a modest, ranch-style home. My nephew
named it “Storybook House” because of the hundreds of books and stories I
wrote and Mom edited—stories based on real people and events with some names
changed for privacy.
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