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TheTime COIN
Camille Anding
When my parents built their child-raising
home, ranch styles were the trend-setters.
Knowing our family of six would need growing room, the ranch style fit perfectly with
their plans.
One end of the house was the carport, breezeway, kitchen and dining room, living room
and den. The three bedrooms were in the opposite end of the house with its single, family size
bathroom. Each bedroom led into the hardwood floor hallway, rug-less and concrete-cold
in the winter.
Heating bills could do havoc to Daddy’s paycheck, so during the coldest parts of the
winter, the hall door stayed closed and so did the kitchen door at the other end of the house.
Heat lived behind those two doors, but it was arctic temps between the two.
When my siblings and I were dressed for school, and we heard the call to breakfast, we
sprinted from the hall door, through the living room, past the frosted picture window, past the
mahogany table for ten, and burst through the kitchen door.
Warmth met us! Glorious warmth – the kind that every child should have the
privilege to know was routine for us. The warm smiles and pats from our parents
were a daily welcome. A table with six chairs, real plates and forks were set for us.
The oven door was warm to the touch because homemade biscuits were
browning inside. Bacon, sausage, or ham was saturating the room with aromas we
smelled most mornings.
We sat down to spread Mother’s muscadine jelly or a neighbor’s fresh sorghum
molasses on our biscuits. Every delicious bite warmed our stomachs and strengthened
our young frames for the icy weather just beyond the kitchen door.
The Bible doesn’t give nearly the information about heaven that I would like.
We just accept it as that most perfect place. I guess that’s why I often compare it to home.
Our warm bedrooms are where we’re born and nurtured. At the right time we begin our
sprint through life – and life has its share of cold, harsh experiences.
BUT finally, we reach the destination. We arrive and the door is already open. It’s bright with
the glory of God and warm with His love. We are welcomed by our loved ones, and we join
Jesus at the banquet table. There’ll be no more sprints! Eternity will have begun, and time and
winter will be no more.
90 • MARCH 2023