Care Away Street

                      When I was born unto my young parents who were striving for perfection, they had strong religious rules. Therefore I failed them often by the time I was 5 years, I almost just gave up on trying to please them. Then I found ways to be around people who actually liked me, my extended family. This is why I am very passionate about kids having multiple people in their lives while growing up because It really does take a village to raise a kid, it helps the kid learn how to be around difficult people, to not be stuck on just what their parents think but to learn from so many other views point in life! Looking back I understand much better just how my childhood was made far better for all the people in it!

My father's family was loud, chaotic and passionate in being alive while coming together.

My mother's family was quiet, organized and grounded in being alive while coming together. 
and I observed them all............

      
         Whenever we visited up north, in the small town of St. Maries Idaho where most of my father's family lived. We would all come together in the big house of Papa Rudy and Grandma Eva. For we grand kids would play "Store." or "Restaurant." With fake paper money or poker chips we would come together in our own little world away from all the noisy adults. 
We loved our puppet shows, nature walks and just hanging out in Papa's shop with those piles of sawdust. That smell of pine trees and clover can still take me back to being 5 years old again. 
Every Sunday that Nazarene church on the hill against the morning sun light greeted us all dressed up and ready for a big social day! I loved it of course, I was born desperate for socializing and desperate for friends! (Being home schooled fed that desire all through my life ironically) 

Church was one of the best places to meet new people, to sing songs all together and to teach myself how to meditate, to calm my soul in prayers. I was completely against going to hell of course, so it made me a very zealous christian that by the age of 10, if you didn't know the Lord then I would gladly tell ya all about him! I was so sure of what I had been taught, so clear on keeping my thoughts good for if God already knows my true nature then I better be the best that I can be! For I understood at a very young age that we can't hide anything from him!

       

My Grandparents church was basically the same small town coming together for worship, crowded and full of activities I was in awe and in pure delight of it all. I looked forward to going there every time we came to visit, During the service as the adults all held open their bibles the pastor would dismiss the kids, I was so happy to leave the long winded sermon to find a chair in the basement looking out at all the bright colors of the stage set. It was a magical scene! The doors opened and closed on to main street where the windows popped out with hand puppets, to the familiar style of the famous TV show "Sesame street." I truly loved it there! 
This was Care Away Street! The music was fun, the bible verses were inspiring and most importantly for me it was watching my Aunt Vee jump out in her excitement to share with us a great story from the bible! 
Oh how I felt like she was on Broadway! 
I would lean into the other kids so excited to say loudly "Hey, guess what!?! That's my Aunt! I know her!" I would try to stand up so that my Aunt Veta would see me in the crowd, especailly that very first time I saw her on Care Away Street I went crazy! "Aunt Vee, Aunt Vee it's me! It's me! I see you! hey guys, I know her!"  
It took her daughters who sat behind me in their older grade classes to calm me down. I was in pure awe of it all!
Aunt Veta was staying in character of course while chuckling to herself as I just couldn't believe my eyes, for she was truly famous to me!
When I look back at all the good times while growing up, it was how Care Away gave me such wonder in the world of acting, in the world of imagination! 
I could recite any bible verse and sing any song at the top of my lungs because I had an Aunt out there on stage, who I wanted to be with singing and dancing along side all those puppets!
I loved those Sundays in St. Maries, where everyone came over to Grandma and Papa's house for lunch after church. 
Where I would sing the new song I had just learned in Care Away Street, where my Aunt Veta would call me by my nick name "Little Dee." and I felt so special, so loved and so happy that she was a wonderful part of my family! Because her honesty, her strength, her story telling ways live on in me always! 

I sat on Aunt Veta's lap at the long stretched out picnic table on the patio of my Grandparents home. That afternoon sun was shinning on the lilac bushes while we were all under the shade, simply enjoying that fun family Sunday, Aunt Vee asked me "What do you like about Care Away Street?" I replied back quickly "The candy store window, I just wish it was real though." She burst out laughing and I knew that she didn't mind my honest self.        She liked me just as I was, just as I am.