I remember when I was a small preschool child, we lived in a Brookfield, IL. This was before the Deep Tunnel Project was introduced and flooding was a problem in the SW Suburbs. We had a really bad rainstorm; our streets flooded to a level where people were using boats. Salt Creek turtles and snakes came into our yards.
Our basement had a foundation made of old limestone blocks. Muddy water seeped between the old blocks and ran down the walls. Dirty back up from the street sewers bubbled up and was smelly. My dad ended up replacing the rotting wooden beams with iron ones following that season.
Our Wringer Washing Machine wouldn’t work; the engines burnt out on the that and the furnace. The old laundry tubs were dirty and needed bleaching. We lost lots of Christmas Decorations that year including an old desk and my favorite colored chalk. I never told my parents how sad that made me feel; no doubt they were more anxious and upset about the expenses and losses. When I see wasted chalk pieces on peoples driveways or at garage sales, I think how things that are precious to one child are taken for granted by another.
The house which once had a coal room had been removed and an oil furnace was installed. The basement had to be whitewashed and the basement doors were often left open to help dry it out after that. My mom would use them to go outside to hang laundry; we didn’t have a dryer for a long time.
The house was over a 100 years old. It was a farmhouse that had been moved to the suburb many years before. It was a house of good memories along with these oddities. But the story goes further.
My grandma lived in Cicero. Her house was older too and it flooded during this same time. She was already retired and needed help. We went there and moved things out of her basement flat. Including my grandma who had to reside with us and my aunt during this time.
Grandma who was a retired seamstress had barrels of fabric. I was helping to unfold the material so it could dry out. We couldn’t even wash clothes because of the water issues. In the process I found a small satin bag and being an inquisitive kid, I opened it. Oh no, it wasn’t lovely jewelry or buttons!
Inside were false teeth. I got scared and quickly closed the bag. I had never seen false teeth; apparently grandma’s old pair! I quickly threw them back in the bag and tucked the bag between fabric. Later my mother had to go through stacks of material to find what had terrified me!
I laugh at this now, but think how easily frightened small children can get. We really need to keep them open to talking and sharing with us. Their precious little minds see things so differently in the formative years. We need to stay connected with one another and help each other through fears and frustrations. I am here for you at linda@lindagullo.com Just email me.
May your “Mini Miracles”come in the form of sharing today. Many blessings and “Delight in Living!”