Six Decades of Me

I am so grateful. Grateful for LIFE. Grateful for where I have been. Grateful for people who shaped me. Grateful for this beautiful world. Grateful for events beyond my control . Grateful even for mistakes made. Grateful even for pain. Grateful even for mortality.

Most of all, I am grateful for my Creator God who is working in all things to make me into the best version of me.

In honor of my 60^th birthday, I wanted to give a little review of my life so far.

Decade #1: I was born on September 28, 1959, to Charles and Audrey Arnold in Fountain, Minnesota. I was the youngest of six kids, and the only girl. When I was six months old, my parents purchased the big, old, three-story house I grew up in. It was magnificent, with a yard made for running and a pasture filled with horses. I drank hot, freshly pasteurized milk in our back room and thought it was amazing. I played flashlight tag with the neighbors. I ran from yard to yard (and house to house) with the Kellys, the Spelhaugs, and the Klockemans, playing all summer long. I rode horses. I star-gazed. I took piano lessons from Donna Rustad. I went to church and Sunday School at the Fountain United Methodist Church. I attended Fountain Elementary School – walked there every day – and had my mom as my Kindergarten teacher. My class was the last one to complete K-6 in that little school.

Our family, in front of our big, old house.

Little Liz, on the front steps of church

My mom and our kindergarten class

Horseback!

Dad & me

Neighborhood kids

Decade #2: I finished up my elementary years and began to take the bus to Preston-Fountain Junior-Senior High School. I was in 4-H (might have started that in Decade #1). I took projects to the Fillmore County Fair, including one of our horses, usually. I started loving photography in 4-H, taking pictures on my little 126 Instamatic camera with a rotating flash cube. I got confirmed at Fountain UMC. I watched people I love grieve over the loss of loved ones – parents, a sibling, a son, a baby (miscarriage). I grieved with them. I wrote poetry. I began my journey with Jesus. I loved learning and worked hard in school. I loved band and choir and could participate in both of them in addition to taking all the college-path courses. I was nice. I learned to drive. I didn’t learn to type and went to college without that helpful skill. (It was more important back then, before personal computers were a thing.) I graduated from High School and picked Winona State University in Winona, MN as my college of choice. Almost on the first day at college, I joined a faith-based singing group called Koinonia.

Mom, Dad, and me

Koinonia group shot, year 1

Decade #3: College continued. I met life-long friends. I wrote poetry. I met and married the steadfast R.J. Traff. I graduated from college (on the five-year plan) with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Special Learning Disabilities. I did not land a teaching job. I worked at WinCraft factory, second shift, making buttons, mostly, and did substitute teaching during the day while R.J. finished college. My next job was working at Winona Christian Day Care, teaching four year olds. I had a miscarriage. We moved to Rochester where R.J. got a job with AIC as a computer programmer. He did contract work for IBM. I did daycare for a family, in their home. We had our first baby, the incredible Emily Elizabeth. I did daycare for another family, at our house. We moved a couple of times. I had great neighbors.

Youngsters, dating

Koinonia group shot

Wedding day!

Emily

Decade #4: We had our second child, the outstanding Joseph Charles.  We bought our first house, which had THE best address: 1011 12^th Ave NE (Ten-eleven-twelfth…). We started attending Rochester Christian and Missionary Alliance Church on Center Street. The remarkable Laura Lisetta was born, and a couple of years later, the delightful David Robert completed our family (for the time being). Our little church built a new building and moved to 55^th Street NW and changed its name to Christ Community Church. I started attending and doing leadership in our church’s newly formed MOPS group. I wrote poetry. I took pictures. I did scrapbooking. The kids and I met my mom at the mall for shopping, when she came up on the senior citizen bus. R.J. started working for IBM. The kids grew up and started attending Jefferson Elementary, a couple blocks from our little house.  I loved that neighborhood and that school! I started praying with Moms in Touch. Kelly and Donnie moved up from New Mexico and pretty much joined our family in Rochester. I was busy. I loved my job, being a stay home mom.

Joseph

Laura

David

Our Traff Troupe, reading

Traff Troupe, plus Donnie

Troupe with Grandpa Charlie & Grandma Audrey

Decade #5: This decade started out hard, as my mom passed away just after I turned 40, right at Christmas time. I mourned. Our kids mourned. My time in MOPS ran out, as I had no more preschoolers. I continued in Moms in Touch.  I began praying for missionaries in our church’s small group. I visited my dad a lot. We grieved together. I made a commemorative scrapbook with him. We moved to a bigger house, just six blocks from our little ten-eleven-twelfth house. The kids still walked to school, but now Emily was walking to middle school. The kids continued to grow up.  I started homeschooling Joseph when he entered sixth grade. Dad’s health declined and he moved into a care center. Just as we were preparing that beautiful old three story house to be sold, it was hit by lightning and started on fire. The house had extensive water damage from the fire being put out. Eventually, it was restored and sold. Emily graduated from high school and started attending Winona State University.  We took two summers to travel all of the route of Highway 52, and at the end of that trip I saw an ocean for the first time. Joseph graduated high school. I started teaching at Kingdom Kids Christian Preschool.

At the end of Highway 52

The girls, loving on Grandpa Charlie

Troupe visiting Em in Winona

Decade #6: This decade also started out tough, as my dad passed away just after I turned 50, right at Christmas time. We were with him as he went to heaven. I mourned. Our family mourned. I joined choir at church. I took pictures. I began digital scrapbooking. Laura graduated from high school and went to Crown College. Joseph started attending Rochester Community and Technical College. I started writing a blog. Emily married the gentle giant, Eric Ling. Emily graduated from college. I went on a three week trip to Cambodia with a short term missions team from our church. Laura went to Cambodia, too. David graduated from high school. Joseph and Laura graduated from college. I kept on taking pictures. I bought a DSLR camera. R.J. and I went on a three-week dream trip to Prince Edward Island for our 30^th anniversary. THEN, our life was turned upside down as R.J.’s mom had a serious medical emergency. As she was recovering at St. Mary’s hospital here in Rochester, R.J.’s dad committed suicide. So much pain. So much anger. So much grief. We started helping with Barb’s care first hand, with R.J. managing her finances and me taking her to appointments. We visited her regularly. We moved her to Rochester, from Austin. David graduated from college. Laura married the amazing Andrew Trader. Barb passed away, right at Christmas time. We mourned.  I continued working at the preschool.  We took one more trip to PEI, for our 35^th anniversary this time, since we loved it so much the first time. Our first grandchild, the fabulous Elle Ruth was born. We moved to a different house in a different part of town, so Emily and Eric could move in with us. They moved in with us. I kept to teaching at the preschool and also started watching Elle.

Em & Eric's wedding

Laura and me in Cambodia

R.J. and me in PEI

Our last Easter all together

Our enlarging Troupe

Our return trip to PEI

Grandpa R.J. & Grandma Liz, with Elle, in front of our new house

So here I am, beginning Decade #7. If history is an indicator, life events will continue to occur at breakneck speed. I think I am ready for the ride, but likely I am not. I was pondering these six decades I have lived (obviously, or I wouldn’t have written all this), and I started considering if I might have a “life motto” or some such thing. (Some people have this idea much earlier in life. I am not as astute as those people.) I didn’t exactly come up with one, but as I was thinking, a song played on the car radio: “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art. Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, how great Thou art, how great Thou art!” Oh, I love that old hymn! The combination of the heart-felt lyrics and the musical swell instantly brought tears to my eyes: tears of unbridled joy, tears of overwhelming gratitude, tears of exuberant praise, tears of incredible awe, tears of tremendous love – tears of sixty years of living. In more modern, less lyrical English one might say, “In light of everything my Great Savior God has done for me, my soul cannot help but sing praises.” THAT is what I want my life to be, more and more each year, no matter what the future holds.

Life is a beautiful thing!

60 years old!