46 ~ Is This All There Is?

By Kay Heitsch

I had experienced a lot in my life. I knew for a fact that most of the things I had gone through were not going to fill this void I felt in my life. Many of the things numbed my emptiness, or were fun for a moment, but that's all they did.

But now here I was in a new situation where most people would feel like this was it!. Beautiful home, great neighborhood with fun neighbors, even living two doors from a celebrity, now having two vehicles when we had only one for years. Healthy kids and even a dog.

Yet, I would think, "Is this all there is?" I felt empty inside.

One day, for some reason, I decided to go to the library and see if I could find some books that might help me figure out why I had this void. I look down the psychology sections and a few others. I selected several books.

Even though I wasn't much into reading, I started to read. I could tell right away most were not what I was looking for.

However, a man by the name of Dr. Norman V. Peale seemed to be onto something. I had no idea who he was, but figured he must be a psychologist. Little did I know that he was a Doctor of Theology.

What's funny now is that Aunt Carmeleta had a subscription to Guideposts sent to me. I didn't know what it was, but I figured it had something to do with religion, so I just threw it away without looking at it. If you don't know, Dr. Peale started Guideposts.

Had I known who Dr. Peale was, I would have never picked up his books. I was not looking for religion. I had left that far behind. Religion had left me bitter; I wanted nothing to do with it.

I praise God for giving me the desire to go to the library and find Dr. Peale's books. I had no idea at the time how much I would need them.

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

45 ~ What Could Possibly Be Missing?

By Kay Heitsch

Moving to this new neighborhood made me think a lot. I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what.

This new neighborhood was beautiful with large wooded lots.

The people were friendly. I never heard anyone gossip about others. Everyone seems satisfied.

We had a block party in the summer. I had stopped drinking, but I found out I didn't need booze to have fun.

A neighbor whose name was also Kay put in a pool and invited the kids and me over all summer. I had a great tan.

Kay had a couple of little boys, and she asked Todd to babysit them so he could make a little money. Todd would always take his box full of army men and forts. Believe it or not, we still have these, and Eli has had a lot of fun playing with them.

A group of moms and I took the kids out to different outings in the area. One afternoon, we went on a riverboat cruise.

I walked a lot with the neighbors. There were several hills in the neighborhood, so it was quite a workout, but it was fun walking with other people.

Since I was home, I was asked to babysit for a few neighbors while they worked. I made friends with several neighbors. In fact, I talked to two just this month.

The school was great. Todd and Shannon excelled! Todd played football and was given awards. We got a dog. Bill had an RX-7 sports car, and I had a conversion van with all the perks.

Even with all of this, something was missing! I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me.

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

44 ~ Moving Around

By Kay Heitsch

Moving around so often from one state to another had its challenges.

It's nice to live in different parts of the country and different towns. K-mart always gave a moving allowance so we could buy new drapes, etc. I really liked that!

We enjoyed visiting the various tourist spots. What was funny was that people who lived in the areas would say we saw more things than they did.

However, changing doctors and finding our way around wasn't always so much fun. Leaving friends and trying to make new friends wasn't always easy.

The kids having to change schools proved interesting, too. Todd had gone to two Kindergartens in Ohio.

When we moved to Indiana, a note was sent home with Todd when he started First Grade that he didn't know how to read. In Ohio, they didn't teach kids to read in Kindergarten. So now Todd was in catch-up.

Let me tell you that he was never in catch-up again. I made sure Todd and Shannon were ahead of the curve on every move after that!

This worked out great with the new teachers, but in one school, Todd came home and said that kids don't like you if you're too smart. I reminded him that we would not be staying long, so it was important to do his best.

Shannon didn't attend preschool because she had other children to play with. I bought a lot of workbooks. Every day we would work in them. Praise God, Shannon loved to learn. So when she was tested before she started Kindergarten, she scored in the top 10% of the county.

When Todd and Shannon started at the next new school, where being smart and getting good grades was cool, they both excelled. I was very happy!

I praise God that Todd and Shannon were able to be in schools where doing your best was cool.

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

43 ~ New Promotion. Time To Sell The House

By Kay Heitsch

It wasn't too long after the basement fiasco that Bill was promoted. This time, Bill was going to open a new K-Mart. It was time to move on again.

We had only lived in this house for about a year, and now we had to put it on the market. The interest rates were high. No one was buying houses. Our house stayed on the market a long time.

Bill moved on and lived in a hotel, and we stayed behind. This was nothing new, but selling a house was.

While we were living here, I had another scare from a doctor. I was told I had cancer, but found out I did not. I've learned a lot from these doctor experiences.

The new store opened. My Dad came down for the opening. We still had not moved.

Finally, we sold our house on a land contract and leased a beautiful home in a very exclusive neighborhood. There were many homes for sale here. A big company had left, and these executives couldn't sell their homes, so they were leasing them.

The house we leased was still on the market. However, the realtors would always tell me not to worry if it sold, because they had another beautiful home we could lease if this one did.

One of our neighbors was Fuzzy Zoeller, who had won the Masters and the US Open. I even babysat his kids every once in a while.

Living in this neighborhood was the beginning of my search to fill the void in my life. I will be forever grateful, and a big reason why I praise Him!

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

42 ~ Flooded Basement

By Kay Heitsch

Everything was going great with the new house until I noticed the farmer in the back, who had a big soybean field, was digging. He was digging right on the edge of our property and pouring something into the holes he dug.

I soon found out why he was digging when it started raining. I went down into our basement, and water was pouring in. I called the builder, and he immediately came out and started installing a sump pump.

I don't understand it all, but somehow the builder tied our house into this farmer's field, and the farmer poured cement into this drainage hole to plug it up. All I know is that we had a big mess in the basement!

I was thankful the builder came out and fixed the problem, and that was another reason I praised Him.

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

41 Adopt A Grandparent

By Kay Heitsch

Since my Mom had already died and my Dad lived in another state, when I saw an ad to adopt a Grandparent, I decided to do it. The ad came from a nursing home in our new town.

I took Todd and Shannon over, and Todd was given a man, and Shannon was given a lady. The nursing home had activities that the kids could do with the Grandparent.

Shannon's Grandma couldn't do much, but Todd's Grandpa could. We developed a good relationship with Henry. He was able to go out, so we took him around and to the German Festival in the summer. It was nice for Henry and for all of us.

Since Todd and Shannon didn't see my Dad or Bill's Dad too often, it was nice that they could spend some time with an older person.

I look back and can see how God was guiding me to show kindness to nursing home residents, even though I didn't realize it at the time. Another reason why I praise Him.

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

40 ~ Living In A Home

By Kay Heitsch

Living in a home in a neighborhood was nice. Leasing duplexes and townhouses was fine. I liked the pools and clubhouse, but it was nice to have our own home now.

Our neighbors were friendly. Todd and Shannon loved the neighbors. The people next door had them over a lot. They made homemade ice cream with them in the summer. I made crafts, and I still have the things I made with the lady who lived next door.

There were two elementary schools you could attend in this area. One was public, and one was Catholic. Todd was in the second grade, and we chose the public school since we weren't Catholic or even Christians.

The neighborhood kids like to come over and put on plays in our basement. They seemed to have a lot of fun together.

A doctor who had been an Olympic swimmer had a pool inside his home. He had a swim team for kids. Since Todd had spent so much time at the pool where we lived, he joined.

The swim team had uniforms and were called The Sharks. Todd learned all the swim strokes and won several medals when he swam against other teams.

I praise God for living in this area. I find it interesting that God put us in this "Precious Blood" neighborhood when I wasn't even a Christian. I know God was smiling!

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

39 ~ Precious Blood Neighborhood

By Kay Heitsch

Bill had been in two different stores in Indianapolis, but now it was time to move on to his next promotion.

We decided instead of leasing, we would buy a home. Some new homes were being built, and we found one we liked. It was located in a nice neighborhood.

We were able to pick out lighting, wallpaper, etc. One thing I noticed was that there were no screens on the windows. I asked about it, and the builder said, "Oh, you won't need screens. It goes from cold to hot and muggy. You won't want to open the windows." Boy, was he right!

This area was nothing like the ones we had been living in before. For one thing, people could pronounce our last name correctly. We figured out why when they had a big German Festival in the summer.

Another interesting thing was that all neighborhoods had religious names. Our neighborhood was called "Precious Blood." Another one I can remember was "Holy Family". When anyone asked Shannon where she lived, she would say, "Plesses Blood."

The people here were kind and friendly. I'm still friends with several from that area and even the neighborhood where we lived.

Keeping those friendships is another reason why I praise Him.

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

38 ~ Scary Phone Call

By Kay Heitsch

Right before we were ready to leave this city, the news reported a serial killer was on the loose. He had killed several women in a very similar way. Women were being warned.

I was paying attention to the suggestions the police were giving. So I always looked in the backseat of the car before I got inside. I always locked the car doors when I got out and when I got back in. I tried to pay attention to my surroundings.

Back in the day, you didn't know who was calling when the phone rang, so you just answered it whenever it rang.

We started receiving threatening phone calls. Bill was usually at work, so I would answer the phone when it rang.

Every day, a man would call and say he had been watching me. He would mention the things I had heard on the news. I would hang up, but his calls didn't stop. I will admit, I was scared!

K-Mart suggested that the managers have unlisted phone numbers, because a manager's family had been kidnapped for money, so our phone number was unlisted. I didn't know how this weirdo got our number.

I didn't know what to do. I want to say I prayed and the Lord gave me an idea of what to do, but I didn't pray. However, I believe now that the Lord gave me an idea.

The idea that came to my mind was to buy a large whistle. When I answered the phone the next time and knew it was this weirdo, I blew the whistle hard and kept blowing it until he hung up! I never heard from him again!

Even though I never heard from this wierdo again, I was happy to be moving on.

Yet another reason why I praise God.

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

37 ~ The Piano

By Kay Heitsch

My Dad called and told me he was having surgery. After the surgery, the doctor said they couldn't keep my Dad under. He kept waking up. I'm sure, after my Mom was put too far under during her surgery and didn't come to, it must have been on my Dad's mind.

When I was at the hospital, my Aunt L. and Uncle E., who never had children, watched Todd for me while I was visiting my Dad. My Aunt L was my Dad's younger sister.

Todd was around 3 years old at the time. My Aunt thought it was so cute that Todd folded his PJs and put them on the bed when he got up in the morning.

Both my Aunt and Uncle also got a kick out of how Todd seemed to enjoy pretending to play their piano.

So, when my Aunt L. and Uncle E. committed suicide together, they left a will and gave Todd their piano.

One Christmas, while we were living in Indiana, my Dad, Aunt Carmeleta, Uncle Fred, my cousin Pat, and the family came for Christmas.

Pat could play the piano well, so we all sang Christmas Carols while Pat played. I was surprised that my Dad was even singing along. I didn't know he knew any of these songs.

At the time, I didn't see it, but God brought good out of my Aunt and Uncle's sad deaths by leaving their piano to Todd.

Shannon took a few piano lessons, and even our foster kids took some lessons. Now our grandkids like to sit at the piano and pretend to play.

Another reason why I praise Him!

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

36 ~ It Was Obvious To Me

By Kay Heitsch

One late summer weekend, Aunt Carmeleta and Uncle Fred came for a visit. They must have had a garden because they brought a big bag full of vegetables.

There was no way we could eat everything, so Todd, who was around 6 or 7, decided to walk around the complex with a wagon and sell some. A set of twins, who were Todd's age, lived in the complex, and they wanted to help Todd.

After being gone for a short while, Todd came home. All the vegetables were gone. However, he had no money! I asked where the money was, and he said the twins had taken the money.

I was not happy! So, I walked a couple of doors down from our townhouse and knocked on the door. I explained to the parents, one being a psychologist, what had happened.

They looked at me like I was crazy. They couldn't understand the issue. Their boys had helped Todd, and they deserved the money. It didn't matter that the vegetables were Todds', and all they did was walk along. They refused to give me the money, but they agreed to give Todd a couple of dollars from it.

Well, God taught me a big lesson that day. Just because something is obvious to me, some people just don't see it that way.

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18

35 ~ Bed Race

By Kay Heitsch

We had some fun while we were living in Indiana.

One day, the mall near our home was hosting a bed race. Jimmy Carter was president at the time. His brother, Billy, was going to be there riding in one of the beds.

We decided to go over and see the race. While we were standing around waiting, Billy Carter came over and asked if Shannon would ride in the race with him. Shannon wanted to, but I don't think they won. I have some pictures of the two of them racing.

We were also able to go to one of the time trials for the Indianapolis 500. K-Mart was involved, so the managers, assistants, and families were invited. We were given a jacket and other things. I ended up giving Ricky, one of our foster kids, the jacket years later.

I thought it would be fun to get a bike with a babyseat on the back. Let's just say this wasn't too much fun. I had a slight accident, and every time Shannon saw a bike she would say, "Awe, awe, fall down go boom!" It's funny now, but I still have a scar on my knee.

"Write down for the coming generation what the Lord has done, so that people not yet born will praise Him." Psalm 102:18