Personal Nostalgia

I ran across some nostalgic history depicted in this old photograph from 1952...65 years ago! where have all the years gone? 

I was still in my twenties and newly returned to the U.S. from living and in mission ministry with my husband Ted in Hong Kong and Singapore. Communist political upheaval in China prevented our going into the Mainland in mission work at that time.

Of course it was the first glimpse of the U.S. for our 3 little guys who had British birth certificates since they were born in Hong Kong which was then still a British Crown Colony. However the children traveled on my American passport.

Daddy Ted unfortunately had to stay in Singapore for another year to finish his teaching contract at the Seminary there.  My Dad had recently suddenly died at age 59 and my Mom in Iowa was in poor health so, as an only child, I felt the need to return from overseas to help her. 

The children and I made the trek back to Cedar Rapids on a Dutch ship from Asia through the Suez Canal to England and then by the old QE II ocean liner to New York and by train to Iowa. It took 30 days in all!

Imagined captions and comments from the four of us in the photo as we arrived back in the U.S.
        Rick (at right) "This is all a big joke, right?!"
        Cliff (at left) "I want my Daddy!"
        Gary (on lap) "                    "  I'm not talking yet.
    Mom Leona (No comment. My expression tells it all! I felt like a zombie)

Our oldest was only three years old and the youngest was five months. Those were the days "before Pampers." Two of our little boys were in diapers and required bottle feeding. (After baby Gary was born, Cliffie decided he wanted a bottle again and reverted to diapers!) Neither ship had laundry service or a nursery or any assistance so I had to manage alone 24/7 -- including washing cloth diapers in the tiny ship's cabin basin and hanging them all over our windowless cabin on a lower deck to hopefully dry. 

Honestly, I don't remember exactly how I managed!? Be thankful for all the conveniences and comforts and labor saving devices and luxuries available to raise babies and kids today! I compare their ages with the ages of my great-grand-kiddos now and ask their parents to imagine themselves in my shoes in the mid-twentieth century. 

Duh! I remember almost nothing about the entire ocean voyage. We left from a tropical climate and arrived to a blustery winter snowstorm at the end of November in New York. The kids went from sun suits to snowsuits, and as a result colds and coughs and pediatric appointments the entire first year. Let's be thankful for all the conveniences and comforts and labor saving devices and luxuries available to raise babies and kids today!

Moral of the story? God will help you through anything! No exceptions! Trust me, I know. When you are young, you think nothing is impossible and you can do everything. Thankfully, as you grow in maturity you find out how much you need to lean on God in every season of life and through all the ups and downs that inevitably come with raising families--and in just living. Time does erase the hardships and even negative memories.

The bright side: Eventually the babies grow up and have babies of their own and then the babies have babies and give you the great honor of becoming a great-grandma!  I have become a happy camper, rejoicing in God's generous gift of longevity, thanking God for all the rich decades of life I've lived through and the incredible opportunities God has given me to serve Him. I count my blessings by the ton!
 

* Read more stories in Leona's autobiography Czeching My Roots. Order by email:  leonachoy@gmail.com.