The deed to my father and mother’s home was dated July 30, 1955. I was not even born when my parents began their dream to build their own house. And, over the years of us growing up, countless times they took the three of their children on Sunday-after-church drives to look at new homes. I remember time and time again their conversations about what they liked and disliked about various homes and neighborhoods. I knew at a very young age that my parents had dreams and big dreams.
Looking at our family home place today, it is really a humble abode. It is a simple 3 bedroom house with a living room, den and double car garage. But when I was growing up, it was a mansion. It was built with the hands of my father. It was nurtured with the decorations of my mother. As a young girl, there was bragging going both ways from my mother to my father and my father to my mother about the building and completion of that house so all I knew is that in our home, we were “something of a miracle family”.
It was special in that it was built from the brick taken from the Jacksonville, Florida Railroad terminal walkways. My father bought thousands of brick when they were made available. Those brick went everywhere from the driveway to our olympic sized pool siding.
I’ll bet many a famous person walked on those brick- probably even governors, presidents and inventors. President Grover Cleveland, Governor Napoleon Bonaparte Broward of the Broward Bridge fame, author Stephen Crane and Harriet Beecher Stove, Pastor Calvin Stowe and airplane inventor Frank Lloyd Wright, all could have all walked on the red brick lining the train walkways of Jacksonville, Florida.
What I know about life that I’ve taken from my childhood experience is that my parents never worried about “being somebody” of wealth and fame. Instead, they were about my mother staying home to raise 3 children. They were about my father using his wits to build his own home. It was important for him to figure out how to fix his own car and care for his family such that all would have a college education and have faith in God.
And, all of those were goals reached by my Mom and Dad confirming we were indeed somewhat of a “miracle family”.
Josie
