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| Serving Dinner at home, 1942, Massachusetts. (LOC) |
Every other year, when I was a child, my parents packed us all up and drove on a long journey to visit our relatives. This always happened during the summer, when everyone was on vacation from school and work. Mom and Dad would wake us up in the middle of the night and settle us in the car for the start of the trip. In this way, they knew we would sleep for much of the ride. To save money, Mom brought along food and drinks from her kitchen. Once we arrived at the residence of our extended relatives, we were welcomed and made to feel at home.
Our Aunt and Uncle took excellent care of us, made sure we were comfortable, and saw that we got plenty of rest. My Aunt set a bountiful table at each meal. Everything was homemade, some of which was gleaned from her garden. Yet it was plain, simple, old-fashioned home-cooking. She served us the normal food that she always made for her own family on a daily basis. Because of this, there was little extra cost to her grocery bill. It was comforting to be in their humble home. They were a working-class family, living on a few acres of land out in the country. Grandmother lived on the property with them. We loved seeing her and visiting our cousins.
During our visits, we attended church with the family. I loved hearing the sermons, listening to prayers, and singing the hymns.
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| Husband and wife, leading singing in Sunday School. (LOC) |
Visiting our relatives and going to church was a precious way of life for our family. This was old time living. It helped create a bond of togetherness and moral character.
These days, I am trying to recapture the nostalgia of those journeys. Most of the older generation, in our family, has gone home to Heaven. There are few left who are able to welcome us for such old-fashioned visits. We have become the older generation. We have enjoyed welcoming our own grown children and grandchildren in our humble old house.
Sometimes, we also want to travel back to the old hometown in Massachusetts where some of our extended family still resides. We are planning a trip that is coming up very soon. I am trying to remember how Mother and Dad managed to travel with little money. They made it work. I am sure they saved and planned. I am sure they packed their own food to save money. I also know they did not drive around more than necessary in order to prevent the waste of gas.
In our current culture it seems strange not to spend money on souvenirs. It seems strange not to dine in restaurants. It is more common to go on vacation than it is to simply visit relatives. If we are not careful, somehow, the two can become mixed up, making us think we must have a great deal of money available just to visit our extended family.
Some of what I hope to do, for this trip, is to find a way to bring as much of our own food as I can. I believe food tends to be one of the biggest expenses for long journeys. I am trying to think of what can be safely packed and prepared to last a few days. I realize I will still have to visit the local supermarket when we arrive, to get some fresh things as well. But I need to keep costs as low as possible.
For recreation, I hope to take pictures of the ocean, enjoy walking along the shore, and just find peace in things that do not cost any money. Visiting our relatives, who we haven't seen in a few years, will be such a blessing.
Family has always been the most important thing in this life. We want to keep those relationships strong. Old-fashioned visits, like the ones Mother and Dad provided, ought to be more common in this world of materialism, glamour, and high spending. The old ways hold great appeal for me. I want to keep walking that old path, the one that Mother and Dad led us along . . . by their precious example.
Blessings
Mrs. White
From the Archives -
Ration Books from 1942 and helpful advice - Adapting to the High Cost of Living.
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10 comments:
My family had roots in Massachusetts, and I was born in Northampton, but my father's job at Emory as a biology professor brought us south. My fondest memories are of our pilgrimages in summer to the north to be with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In those days, before interstates were built in the southern states, the trip took three long days. My mother always packed snacks and lunches for us to enjoy along the way. Eating out was a splurge, but one in which we never indulged while staying at home. Blessings, my friend!
How lovely to be planning a family trip. I remember the joy of having Aunts and Uncles who came to visit us as children, maybe only once a year, but so looked foraward to.
This all sounds so nice. I can remember taking trips like this and staying with family in another state. I wish things were still like this and that more people still had this mindset. Thank you for a trip down memory lane.
We too have become the older generation. It is such a blessing to warmly welcome and create memories for our grown children, grandchildren, and the older generation too. Thus says the Lord: “ Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it;Then you will find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16. Enjoy your ‘old time’ travels Mrs. White!
Beautifully written! (As usual). We just arrived home from a trip. We only travel to visit our children/grandchildren and that is a vacation enough for me! Plus, wonderful to stay at their homes and not a hotel. We have been treating at restaurants when we visit but we are deciding that they are too expensive, the food is not worth it, and the tipping is out of hand for the service you get. It would be better to buy prepared meals at a good grocery store if we want to treat with convenience. andrea
What a beautiful post! In addition to photos, it’s inexpensive and meaningful to keep a journal (can be a spiral bound notebook) and document the simple details of the days. In addition, one can add small “interviews” of each family member. Questions might include “what are some happy events since we last visited? What is a problem you’ve had and how do you cope with it? What are your favorite Bible passages? Even - what is your very favorite meal?
How I miss this kind of visiting! As a kid, my grandmother would come by us for two weeks each summer, then we would drive her up to my aunts home and stay a week. Such an adventure! I’ve always loved having food made up in the car and stopping for picnics at rest areas. In recent years when we’ve done this, we’ve encountered unfortunate, desperate people who have frightened me by approaching our picnic table. The Lord always guides us to be charitable, but honestly, now we are eating in the car, which is not as nice as getting some air and stretching one’s legs. Sometimes, it feels better to just stay home, which makes me sad:(.
What a lovely post. Mrs White, you bring to mind so many memories of time gone by, that our modern generation doesn't have a clue how wonderful those trips to see relatives and friends were. Growing up we spent every Suday after church at one of my Aunts. We all lived close, so one Sunday it would be at our house, next week at Aunt Cassie, or Aunt Carrie, or Aunt Martha. What fun us cousins would have playing together. No phones, no TV's just family and fun! Thanks for the memories.
I remember visiting my grandparents in Arizona as a child (we lived in California). It was quite a long trip down there but my grandparents took good care of us when we arrived. I loved the guest room, so pretty, and the big walk-in closet with the full length mirror. I was about 9 years old. They entertained us with laughs and stories, and also photos from their trip to the Holy Land the year before. My grandfather's laugh could be heard a mile away, he was so jolly and funny. Grandma would have a gin and tonic before bed each night, and she would spend time with just me in the evenings, which I loved. I was her only granddaughter. It was a hot trip- 100 degrees F at 8 in the morning! Their lovely air conditioned home was a retreat from the heat. I loved doing basic errands with the grandparents. Just being a part of their daily life was a blessing. I miss them.
Mrs. White, this post reminds me of my childhood. My stepmother was a pro at preparing for a trip. She would pack an entire cooler full of sandwich fixings, drinks, chips and cookies, and we would stop along the way and have a picnic lunch. She always had a houseful of people and, as you said, would just fix her normal meals to feed everyone. Life was just different back then and spending money was a thing you did only if you had to. As I get older, I think back to those more frugal ways and can really appreciate them.
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