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They are sounds of home.

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After the story was shared by Rev. McCrae MacCallum,

I asked Dad to sing the song for me.

Stories from Home

Travelling by car to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia took a long time. Taking the Princess Helene from Saint John to Digby helped with the journey.

In the dining room, they would have the table and chairs roped to the wall. I was scared sometimes. Some kids would get really sea sick. There was a very tall nurse who was very kind.

After Cedric's first visit to the farm, Dad took him and Otis Hicks to the boat to head back to Bethany. And they just missed it. There was a Bethany crew on the deck laughing and waving at them. 

After Ron and Kay Morehouse were married, some of us came to Moncton with them by car. Ron was a mechanic. We made friends for life.

- Mom

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In 1953, Dad was travelling with the Ambassadors for Bethany Bible College. While singing at s church in Meductic, there was no Stillman when they went to sing the closing song. It was a warm night, and his pants were stuck to the chair. Dad (17) and Stewart started laughing. Rev. Trafton, a kind professor who sang in the quarter with them, blew the pitch pipe and said, "Ok, Boys. Straighten up. Time to sing." They couldn't stop! They never did sing the closing song.

I giggle when I hear Mom or Dad tell the story. I picture Dad and his buddy, Stewart, trying to stand at the pulpit and sing, but bent over with tears in their eyes from laughing so hard.

family music 179 | Be Still My Soul

 

Cedric Landers

201-

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When Annie and I walked into the Mullen Heritage Center at Beulah, Rev. Sheila McCrea MacCallum was looking through Dad's scrapbook.

(The theme for the summer is music and Dad, who was a song evangelist with the Reformed Baptist Church, had shared a number of items for their display. Sheila was one of the evangelists he worked with when he travelled full-time in the 1960's.)

It was wonderful timing and we enjoyed hearing her stories.

She shared one from when they were in revival meetings at Elmwood Church of the Nazarene on Prince Edward Island. It brought tears to my eyes.

Dad was singing the song "Jesus Will Never Say No" as he played the organ.

(She sang the chorus of the song in that moment.)

In the middle of the song, he stopped singing and playing. He put his head down on his hands and in tears, he spoke the words, "Jesus will never say no."

Sheila said she felt led to stand up and have an altar call. People went forward.

Dad's heart is still so tender when he sings and talks about his Jesus.

Stories from Home

What chores did you have growing up?

I split kindling and filled the wood box. 

I tiered the wood up in the barn and basement.

- Dad

I had to go get the cows. I would be scared going through the woods.

I had to fill the wood box. I didn't think I would ever get that done every night.

- Mom

Stories from Home

In A Father's Legacy journal that I gave Dad in 1997,  one page asks for a favorite poem.

Dad wrote the following -

   "Don't worry in vain if an error you make

   If you run you most oft get a fall

   For the mortal who never makes any mistakes

      is the one that does nothing at all."

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When I stopped in for a visit after school, Dad had a piece of paper in his hand and said, "Do you have your hand control handy?" He was curious if my phone would bring up two interesting words that he already knew the meaning of and another that he had just heard in an old movie. 

1. sloven

2. staddle

3. pixilated

It took some searching to find as much as Dad knew about the words, and with Dad, there is always a wonderful story. Did you know a staddle, as Dad uses it, is something connected more with the Maritimes?

@missamykr | Instagram | Project 1,2,3

Stories from Home

Mother and Dad bought their first home in 1912 for $500.

It was a typical story and a half with a sun porch.

It was heated by a wood stove in the kitchen and a base burner coal stove in the next room. 

There were windows in the door of the coal stove and you could see the coal burning. It was beautiful.

There was a floor model radio in the same room. 

It was my favorite room until 1947 when Dad built a new house next to Donald and Muriel.

- Dad

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- the night before Eliza flew to Scotland for the fall semester -

Growing up, Dad would pray with us before we went to school.

Moments like this with our children are so comforting.

Textbook | Introduction

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- Dad -

Textbook | Art

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As we were driving around today, Mom said,

   "I wish my grandfather had known Cedric.

      He would have loved him."

Textbook | History

Stories from Home

The highlight of my day was getting home from school. 

I would lean my bike against the sun porch and smell bread or cookies.

If the boats were in, I'd go to the shore first.

I'd check Dad's lunch pail. There was usually a piece of war cake.

Then I'd throw my bicycle in the back of the truck and go home with him. 

- Dad

Sharing Our Stories | on the porch

 

After I took the picture of Pearl, I was reminded of the stories around her.

Tool Box - When Dad was a little boy, he built the tool box and painted it. It’s almost 80 years old. There was a bus that came to the little schoolhouse in Sandford, NS. It was filled with tools for teaching the students. It was where Dad learned to build. It has faded over the years sitting on our porch, but it is still strong and sweet.

White Crib - Mom says Grammie Lutes had this little crib for dolls. I took the half moon shaped boards that made it rock off the bottom. It held books for Annie and now it sits on the porch as well. It holds pretty weeds I pick and put in jars of water, because I can’t seem to keep flowers in pots alive. Saves money! Wink!

Rocking Chair - It was in our grandparents’ log camp in Nova Scotia. It was built over 100 years ago by a family member who passed away as a young man. It was grey and sat by the stove.

Sharing Our Stories

Sharing Our Stories | teen choir

In the late 70's, when my sister and cousins were teenagers, Dad led a teen choir at the church.

This song, To Be Like Jesus with Dad singing with them, is one of my favorites.

I'm thankful Dad taped so much music over the years.

Sharing Our Stories

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Cottage on a Rainy Day

Textbook | Art

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Three little things to remember about the train ride -

1. Dad fell asleep waiting in the train station.

2. On a train bound for Halifax, Mom was a little worried they wouldn't remember to let them off in Sackville. It was cute. (When I saw the boarded up train station where we were picking them up, I almost wondered myself!)

3. They didn't sit together on the train, both choosing to sit by a window. They were across the aisle from each other. When the attendant asked, Mom and Dad assured him that they still liked each other, and have been in love for 70 years.

@missamykr | Instagram | Project 1,2,3

Counting Blessings

Dad & Mom's Train Ride

Mom and Dad took a train ride

from Moncton to Sackville today. 

Dad enjoys trains and had not been on one

since the 70's so I thought it would be a perfect gift. 

On Instagram, I made a reel of the trip to capture their adventure.

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- 2006 -