Childhood Home Burned Down

Before: The house in 1988 (first photo I could get my hands on).











Today.

We're trying to sleuth out exactly when it happened, but sometime shortly after my mom's death last year, my childhood home burned down. Mom had moved to Minnesota in 1995. She sold the house then so it's been out of the family for some time. Still, when I'm in the area or my siblings are in Southern California, we enjoy driving by and remembering SO MANY good times (Dale and Karla discovered this bad news on one such trip). It was a good-sized house with a good-sized yard and, best of all, a good-sized pool. It was an extension of the church, because so many events and youth parties were held there. This loss has hit me hard. Much of what I remember of my childhood happened there. Mom embodied the "hostess with the mostess." She fed anyone who was hungry and parented anyone who she thought needed it. She took in many who needed a place to stay and she allowed me to throw very loud and late parties. I don't even remember her complaining about the noise as long as I cleaned up afterward. I really felt like I BELONGED there. I count myself lucky to have been raised in such a loving Christian home and this building is....well, WAS a good symbol of just that. I often miss that home. Now it's gone. I'm sad.