Jeremiah 6:16

It was a little house at the bottom of the hill, but there seemed to be just a step between it and Heaven. The boards on the floor of the porch were unpainted and worn by time. The lace curtains on the door window had a welcoming attraction.

On winter nights the stove burned hot, and the old wallpaper seemed to glow with warmth and love. The pictures on the wall were in unmatched frames. They were not for decorations, but the history of the family hung there. Visitors looked at them as conversations were born, and folks really were interested in one another.

There were no blinking lights from phones and chargers, no foul language on the TV; in fact, there was not a television at all. Sometimes the entertainment was a good “haint” story; other times it was the ghostly static of nighttime radio. Children went to bed loved, clean and prayed for.

No one slept in fear; and you awakened beneath the weight of quilts and covers to the sound of the stove grate being shaken. Soon the fire would be popping and crackling; and breakfast would be on the table.

If you remember a place like that, you are a very wealthy person. There is much talk about life being progressive, but nothing is progressive if it outruns our soul.

l know that change is inevitable, but can’t we cling to what is good and decent as we walk ahead? It is different times, but we can never forget that we were created for fellowship with God and each other. I think about the children, and I am glad for all the new things that they will know; it is the things that they may not know that saddens me. Our Christian heritage is the greatest treasure that we can give them.

“Happy the home where Jesus’ name
Is sweet to every ear;
Where children early speak His fame,
And parents hold Him dear.

Happy the home where prayer is heard,
And praise is wont to rise;
Where parents love the sacred Word
And all its wisdom prize.”