One of the events of the "Drug Store Years" for my family came around this time of year. It was the time when my grandfather and father would make "Titrating solution" for the orange growers. I'm not exactly sure what it was for but I know it was important. We had a huge tank in which the solution was made. From there we had an "assembly line" that included my grandmother, my mom (obviously my grandad and dad) and us four kids. The gallon bottles were filled, a piece of foil was placed over the mouth of the bottle, the cap went on, a string was tied around the bottle top to secure it into place and then red wax was used to seal it on the top. The bottles were set aside for local orange growers. (There may have been other steps. Those are the ones I remember). For me it wasn't so much what we were doing but it was that we were all together and doing something for our community. It was a family thing and I still have really fond memories of those times. I think my brother has the titrating tank now, and there are much more advanced ways of accomplishing the same things. I can't even begin to understand it.
All this made me think about, in another sense, telling stories from one generation to another. My kids will hear this story (and the older I get the more they will hear it I'm afraid!) and someday they might tell their children about "the Drug Store days".
In Psalm 145 it says, "I will exalt you, my God and King and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise. No one can measure his greatness.
Let each generation tell its children of your mighty acts;
let them proclaim your power.
I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles. Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue I will proclaim your greatness. Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy about your righteousness." How much more should I be telling my children about God's mighty acts and His faithfulness in my life and in the lives of their ancestors! I have stories going back several generations of how God was mighty and faithful in the lives of my family. My husband has similar accounts to relate to our children. It's important to pass on family heritage and history and even more important to remind them of God's faithfulness, grace, mercy and power on behalf of His children throughout the ages.
One generation proclaims to another....
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