Values

Finally, FINALLY, the sun appeared with those white, cotton-ball clouds

and I was stuck inside looking at this for 12 hours today...
But it was worth it. Mapping the geneology of a family is like walking through a framed house, and filling in the details with your own imagination. There were brothers who moved from Switzerland together; sisters from Europe who married those brothers and raised the first "Americans" for that branch of the family; fathers who tilled new soil and planted dreams for the next generations; mothers who lost not one, not two, but sometimes three or four children; grandparents who were faithful; children who are still faithful today.
Depite all that I began to form a fast addiction to these...

Therefore, in order to avoid such an addiction (although they are supposedly one of the "healthier" candies), I grabbed my camera and headed out for an hour of decompression by wandering around the few blocks that make up Walnut Creek, OH.

Most common form of transportation

Forgotten homes that still stand dignified and beautiful

I wonder how many fires have filled this chimney with smoke. The building that houses this chimney now also houses boxes and boxes of tax files for a couple of the local businesses. Wo to any auditor who may enter therein...

The one and only General Store: Schlabach's

My most favorite place in Walnut Creek.

It's a giant, messy, happy place full of good finds and old stories

"YOU ARE the light of the world..."

"Vanity, vanity; all is vanity sayeth the preacher..."

That aside, there are some lovely hats and cute purses just waiting to be shown off again.

Her tools

This wall reminds me of my mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers who have taught me what being a good cook, and most important, what being a godly woman really means

His tools

And this wall reminds me of all the men in my life who are quite adept at patiently fixing what I insist on "fixing" myself, and not saying a word...

and at this point of the day this was all I wanted

...a big trunk to load some stuff in and head home to be with my family...

But I stayed, and went back to the office to round out my family trees, get ready for another home visit, and set up for a board meeting.

So far this week has been filled with the rest of the intial home visits, sending samples to London to be analyzed, organizing files, geneologies, and the endless paperwork of consent forms and learning how Windows of Hope Genetics Information Center operates. I am impressed, and humbled by their willingness to allow me in for a little while and help where I can. There has been an instant trust which I respect and am very grateful for. WHGIC is an organization that is run by an Amish board, for the Anabaptist people, to provide services for families with genetic disease. It is a nonprofit organization set up to further research and treatment for such genetic diseases.

Their goals and values are clear.

Love the Lord our God

Love one another.