A Month of Thankfulness - November 9

When we were first married and moved into the house on the Blacktop, the barn had a sign on it that said Goory.  The last name of the former owners.  I think there was a shortened first name and an initial also...like Wm. C. Goory.  But I can't remember exactly what it was at this point.

For our first Christmas in the house, and as a married couple, I asked Kim Hassett, who was the art teacher at the high school then, to paint a sign for me that said SIEMENS as Gary's Christmas gift to replace that sign on the barn.

I remember well, taking down the old sign and putting up the new.

I also remember that sign being a landmark for others.  

"Oh I know where you live!  The barn has SIEMENS on it!"

"You live at the white house with the red barn with SIEMENS on it!"

"How can you find our house?  Drive on the blacktop 4 miles east of 39 and you will see a white house, red barn with SIEMENS on it and you will be there!"

When we moved, I asked about taking the SIEMENS sign off the barn and Gary said it would probably fall apart so just leave it there.  That made me sad...because it was a gift for him, because it was a landmark and because it was something that distinguished where we lived.  Plus now...driving past the house and seeing how much it has changed, and not for the better, makes me really wish that our name were still not on the barn!  I don't want people to think we still live there!

Anyway....tonight after dinner, Gary mentioned that Blaine was here and he was doing something by the old fanning mill.   That confused me because the fanning mill is on the front porch and we were in the kitchen and he was looking out at the barn....oh mistake.  He meant the old seeder at the end of the barn.  

When I went to the door I saw Blaine's truck backed up to the old seeder and Hilary in the back of the bed of the truck and Landon standing on the bed and Tessa and Owen standing on the ground.  

I yelled out the door "Hey there!  What do you think you're doing out there in the dark?" and promptly heard from Hilary "Get back in the house!!" which I did.

That prompted Gary to go to the door, put on his shoes, and when I said that Hilary told me to get back in the house, he said he didn't care.

She finally came in to get me for the 'surprise' and there it was.  A new sign on the barn that said SIEMENS.

 

I nearly cried.

It was perfect.

Blaine had retrieved the wood from the hayloft in the barn.  Hilary had cut stencils with her Cricut and painted the wood this afternoon.

They wanted to surprise us so they had come in without headlights and were trying to be quick without attracting any attention.  When they saw the living room lights on, they thought they were home free but darn!  We were just finishing dinner at the big island and could see outside! 

At any rate I am overjoyed with the sign.  I love it.  

As I told Hilary, I feel like I am home again.  We have our name on the barn.  We live here.  We belong here.  It is our place.  Our home.

And I am thankful for the show of love and kindness from Hilary, Blaine, and the kids tonight.