At sixteen, I lived with my family of eleven in the
old Standard Oil gas station on the corner of Main and N. Putnam. We actually
lived in the garage.
Daddy built three sets of bunk beds for us eight
kids. The four youngest shared. Daddy and Mary, my stepmother, slept on a
rollaway bed. My one-month-old niece slept in a bassinet.
We had an electric stove, a refrigerator and a large
storage cabinet. We placed a 4' by 8' sheet of plywood over the hydraulic lift
to use as a table.
Mary opened a gift shop in the office. Everything we
sold was handmade by us. I learned how to create beautiful flowers, baskets and
candles. I enjoyed crocheting afghans, hats and scarves.
Some days I forgot about the smell of engine oil and
grease as I created beautiful objects that people would enjoy.
That winter we heated the garage with a potbelly,
wood burning stove. When the temperature dropped below freezing outdoors, Daddy
moved our milk cow into the garage with us.
My sisters and I shoveled manure into buckets and
dumped it in the back yard. The foul odor became another normal part of our
life.
The oddity of our lifestyle separated us from our
peers. The matriarchal power abused by Mary to isolate our family trained us to
follow her instructions to the letter. If not obeyed her punishment was severe.
For eighteen months, because of Mary’s control, I
spoke to no one outside my family.
Why? Control. Plain and simple.
We all have a desire to be in charge of our own
lives and our environments. Some, like Mary, cross the line.
In the Old Testament, the Jewish leaders added many
laws after they received the Ten Commandments from God. The people focused on
obedience to the rules and many lost intimacy with God.
Jesus did not come to set rules or force us to obey His
commandments. He offers freedom not control. Abundant living is ours to receive
and share. Love one another. Pray for each other in times of lack and times of
plenty.
“So in everything, do to others what you would have
them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12 NIV).
In Christ,
Berta
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