Three Interesting Events at Our House

For many years, we shared our home with from four to six women with developmental disabilities. They were a part of our family and participated in most of what we did at home. 

The biggest and I think most interesting event was my mother's 80th birthday party. We invited lots of people, mostly relatives, however she invited one woman who she'd gone to grammar school with in Bakersfield--and she came! We had 100 plus people here that day, the majority relatives who came from near and far. 

Of course they wouldn't fit in our house. We borrowed tables and chairs from church and set them up under both ot the car ports. The temperature was over 100, but forunately, there was a nice breeze.

Many of the guest brought food, thank goodness, though I had some sort of meat (can't remember what), and made huge bowls of potaoe, macaroni, bean, and fruit salads. All the food was on the counter in the kitchen.

This was during the time we had our ladies and one was in charge of getting the everyone to sign the guest book, and another greeted everyone when they arrived. The other two enjoyed the food and the crowd.

 

It was a wonderful day! So great to see everyone, and my mother was thrilled.

While we still had our women with us, Baptist missionaries came to build the sanctuary part of our chuch and they stayed with various church members. Every evening, a member family held a dinner for the workers and others. We volunteered for one dinner, and moved all the furniture out of the half of our living room where the ladies watched TV usually, and set up long tables and chairs for everyone to sit. What I cooked and served, I don't remember.

After hubby and I retired from caring for the women in our home, misionaires, (builders from Georgia--at one time President Jimmy Carter did a lot of this) came again to build a chapel on the Indian reservation. Five of them stayed with us for the time it took to complete the job--we had all 3 empty bedrooms with twin beds. They were with us for two weeks. There was a father and son, two friends--one was a police detective-- and a sweet older fellow.  Many others had come too, but hubby and I didn't get to know them like these men

I fixed their breakfast every morning. Sometimes people brought sweet rolls, fruit, etc. to add to the bacon I always fixed, along with scrambled eggs. While they were on the reservation working, churches in Porterville brought lunch to them. They ate dinner at various churches and people's homes.

When they came back here, we had a great time hearing about their day of work, the progress on the chapel, and one played the guitar and they sang all the old hymns. They worked on Saturday too, but went to church on Sunday and we didn't see them again until late evening.

We heard from them after they went home, but it's been years since then.

Other things we did in our home--had a big wedding reception, and two after the wedding celebrations and several baby showers. We had lots of fun parties. I taught writing classes over the years. we hosted writer friends overnight and on separate occasions, two of my publishers. We also had regular prayer groups and Bible studies, different people and at different times of our life. 

I'm sure I'm missing something, but that's what I remember today.

It's been a great house for us.

Marilyn