Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Uncles/Aunts (04/17/08)
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TITLE: Holiday Reverie | Previous Challenge Entry
By Nancy Quinn
04/19/08 -
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The drive was interminable. My nose pressed against the cold window, I watched as the wall of whiteness suddenly engulfed our car and my dad made the decision to pull off the interstate. We joined the other cars and semis in a parade of frozen travelers as we waited out the storm. Typical for the Des Moines area, I vaguely remembered a similar parking spot on the shoulder of this road before on our way to Mason City for the holidays.
My sister and I were prepared this time; our comic books and a stash of candy would get us through. Our journey through the frozen tundra of Iowa was a tradition we wouldn’t want to miss. The thought of Grandma’s house made us instantly think of Spanish Rice simmering in a pot on the stove, a massive browning turkey in the oven and Grandma’s famous sugar cookies in Tupperware containers on the porch, which served as her back-up refrigerator.
“Mom, will Uncle Larry and Aunt Shirley be there too?” Uncle Larry was the baby in mom’s family growing up, and he and Aunt Shirley’s quiet gentle spirits always added a peacefulness to the rambunctious household.
The swirling wall of white released its grip, and as my dad pulled back onto the road, my mom reassured me all the family would be there. For only seeing these relatives twice a year, our gatherings always seemed to pick up where they left off. Aunt Dixie, famous for her skill at getting the most out of a turkey, was assigned the job of carving. Uncle Chuck, with always a wink and a smile, would sneak into the kitchen and take his job of sampling the turkey seriously when Aunt Dixie wasn’t looking! Aunt Carolyn would sit in the kitchen supervising the festive preparations and regale stories from her job as a nursing home aide, and her joy and laughter were infectious.
The oven buzzer startled me back to the present, and I turned from the winter scene outside the window and checked on the turkey. I shut the oven door and a faint nostalgic sadness filled my heart. I missed those childhood gatherings that filled the house to the rafters with love and laughter. Jobs and new families separated us by greater distances and our own busyness with our families caused those get-togethers to eventually cease.
Glancing at my Bible on the kitchen counter, I said a quick prayer for my family, and added a special prayer for Uncle Dewey. He had taken after my Grandpa and enjoyed sipping his favorite throat burning concoction at every family get-together in the basement where the men did their bonding and cigar smoking. The pull of alcohol had eventually gripped their lives and refused to release them.
I was so proud of my mom’s own strength in her faith as she grew up seeking the Lord on her own and attending church by herself. The disruption of the household never deterred her from the Lord, despite the slurred persecution she constantly received from her father. She was such an example of the miracles the Lord can perform in our lives despite our surroundings.
Searching my heart and learning from each aunt and uncle who has touched my life, I pray my smile and enthusiasm will always honor Aunt Dixie and Uncle Chuck, my joy and laughter will honor Aunt Carolyn, and my compassion and love for Christ will always drive me to pray for Uncle Dewey’s salvation and freedom from his addiction.
As I heard the door open and my home begin to fill with laughter, I made a quick mental note to put a tract in Uncle Dewey’s Christmas card again this year. I know from experience that God performs miracles!
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Your transition at the end to your own home threw me a little. I think the Uncle Dewey piece was the meat of the article and certainly could have been the main subject.
Great descriptions and very heartwarming! Excellent work!