These pages will take some back to a time held in their memories. For others it will be a learning experience with the added benefit of chuckles, as they find out how many families lived in the past. The down-to-earth writing is informative and educational as well as enjoyable.
Few will forget this family as they compare with today's lifestyle. There might be more conveniences, but for family values, there was a deeper training and teaching of children that is often missing today. A family was a unit, kept together by love for each other and respect for the parents.
Lura Spears Zerick grew up believing all families were like hers and was shocked to learn that very few were. Going from the woods to the bright lights of the city, to the glitzy nightclubs where she sang and danced for ten years, she has had to draw on the basic teachings of her early life. She stays busy, but finds time to enjoy reading, walking, cooking and listening to music. Lura is the mother of five adults, grandmother of twelve and great-grandmother of two. She spends as much time as possible with her family.
Sixty-five years ago, there were no TOYS-R-US. The thought of walking through such a store back then brings a chuckle; we would have been shocked speechless! We had fun in a variety of ways, but most of the time we had to do something that is unheard of today...we entertained ourselves.
There were at least three areas of our lives that kept us busy. The WORK-related explains those chores we were expected to do as part of the family. Sometimes we thought these were difficult but at other times the effort meant another kind of pleasure for us. The FUN-related included the simple games or activities in our day-to-day living. The FOOD-related were those times when we could look forward to gorging ourselves on foods we seldom had.
Growing up in a large family meant that everyone had a job. Living on a farm was an interesting and priceless experience, giving a foundation for the best in life. Of course, I didn't realize this at that time. How I longed to live in town! I was certain that the kids who lived there had a life of never-ending fun. They had dolls and bicycles! They probably had lightbread and cold drinks everyday! Wow! What an unbelievable way to live!
As a family with eight kids, each of us understood that the small or large jobs that we had were required of us. What we did not realize was that we were learning about teamwork. We knew that sooner or later the fun and/or food times would be coming up.
There wasn't much sense of time ---a week or month was a long time; a year was forever. The time between birthdays could be compared to five years now. As time passed by, this concept has changed considerably.
We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw the wall-to-wall food at family occasions. For kids who usually had the same fresh vegetables for lunch, day after day, (though we called the noon meal dinner), those tables of food were a dream come true!
All these events happened in the 30's and 40's in Holmes County, located in North Florida, three miles from a spot called Leonia. Two vehicles went by our house: the mail carrier and the school bus.
Travel with me now as I go back to a time that holds precious memories. Perhaps some of these are also your memories. Let's share, enjoy and laugh together as we remember a time that can only be repeated in our minds. Ready? Let's go!
