Lloyd's Siblings c. 1923

Another amazing photograph of my dad and his siblings. These are the children of Victor and Lydia Nelson, before Lois and Elaine were born: Dorothy, Esther, Ruth, Merlin, Lloyd, and Donald. (My dad tells me that Dorothy's middle name was Mary. Esther's middle name was May. The boys used to tease them, singing, 'Dorothy Marry and Esther Might.' There's nothing new under the sun. :-) Lloyd, my dad, is the one looking forlorn, toward the ground. I don't know what his problem is. Maybe his eyes were light-sensitive. So that's where I get it!

I don't know that my grandparents thought of themselves as poor, for they were in the same boat as everyone else. Unlike some of the struggling souls who raised families during the Great Depression, they were able to provide food for their family because they lived on a farm.

Take a look at the house in the first photo. Then think of all we have today...and how often we still feel deprived. Somehow, my grandparents did a great job raising their kids and did it without TV, computers, cellphones, continual entertainment, and the latest fashions. They trusted God, went to church regularly, loved their children, worked hard, milked the cows, tilled the soil, baked their own bread, raised a huge garden, taught their children how to do all those things, and grew together as a family.

My father was a year old when the great Influenza Epidemic of 1918 ravaged the nation. Perhaps living in a rural community may have been the reason that the influenza didn't reach my dad's family.

How quickly we turn away from the values of our forefathers, and exchange faith in God for faith in the government. We demand that our neighbors supply our needs, rather than working hard and asking God's blessing on our efforts. We've forgotten how, or maybe never learned, the simple arts and crafts that were common to survival, that no one felt 'special' for having learned. It was just part of life.

I'm thankful for my God-fearing grandma and grandpa who passed along their love for God and their values and attitudes to their children. I'm looking forward to the day when I will have the opportunity to tell them so.

Do you have a special photo of someone in your family? Not necessarily an old photo, just one that means a lot to you. What makes it special?

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