30Aug 11
After Grandma had taken us to different places and the homes of various friends, Grandpa’s turn came to share his part of the story. It began with visiting Lone Tree, the town he grew up in till going to college. Before entering Lone Tree, Grandpa warned us to keep our eyes opened. He told us if you blink at the wrong time you might completely miss the wonderful opportunity of observing the old town of Lone Tree. Lone Tree was a very small town in the past and today it’s even smaller. Actually and unfortunately, all that remains of this small town is an old broken down church building. Driving through town doesn’t take more then a few seconds!
This broken down church building was the church Grandpa attended while living in Lone Tree. Being aware of this fact, all of us understood the necessity of stopping at the old place and investigating. Upon arriving at Lone tree, we went to it’s last standing edifice. After finding a means of entrance, we gathered in in the sanctuary. Surprisingly, the sanctuary was still in pretty good shape. While inside, Dad gave the grand idea of singing in the church. It was quite a wonderful moment to sing in a church that had been closed for so many years and which our Grandpa had sung in when he was young.
Grandpa also took us to different places he had lived, each usually being a mile or two from the previous. For most of them, he’d point to a corner where two roads met or a portion of a cornfield and describe the house which was no longer there. One of the places, however, still stands. It’s a beautiful old Farm house owned by one of his relatives.
These are just a few highlights of our tour with Grandpa. We so appreciated his eagerness to share about his past. He told us about the farm machinery he drove, the animals he took care of, and the family God placed him in. It was truly a wonderful gift to receive.
Thank you Grandpa for filling the important role of passing down the Wilkes’ heritage to the generations following in your footsteps.
