Anderson

My initial draft of this chapter was a lot longer. This is a condensed version.

Anderson

 

“Mom!” Erik yelled coming into Grandma Reams’ house, “There are other kids outside across the street!  Can I go play with them?”

“Well, I don’t know,” I replied, “We don’t know them.”

“Can I go say, ‘Hi’ to them?” he insisted, excitement bubbling all over him.

“I guess you can,” I answered, realizing it would be too cruel to deny him at this point.

Erik ran for the door as I gave my answer.  Natasha immediately was following him.  I watched from the window as they ran to the end of the driveway and looked over to the four children were playing in their own front yard.  Erik called out to them and said ‘Hi’.  A few minutes later he came bursting into the house again.

“Mom!”

“Yes, Sweetie.”

“They asked if I could come over and play!  The boy’s name is Christian!  I told him my name was Erik!” pausing for breathes as he talked, “Can I go?  Please, can I go?”

“Just stay in the yard,” I told him, “and don’t go into the house, we don’t know them very well yet.”

He gave me a huge hug and dashed out the door again.  After that first meeting, Christian and Erik played almost daily at each other’s house.  Erik and Natasha began exploring more of the town with their new friends.  Most of the time they would go down to the school and play in the playground.  It was one those days that I met up with Christian’s mom, Shaleen, who would become one of my closest friends in Anderson.

 

Anderson, Alaska is a quiet sleepy town in the middle of no-where.  It sits six miles off the Parks Highway, about seventy miles south of Fairbanks.  It is the northern most town of the Denali Borough, which only has about three towns in the borough, includes the entrance to Denali National Park.  If you did not have a reason to be at Anderson you probably would never know it existed.  Its very existence was because of the Air force Station located five miles away.  It started out housing the construction workers when the base was built in the 1960s.  Makeshift homes were built, and then people ended up staying as jobs became available for civilian employees.

Like most Alaskan communities the wildlife is ever present.  Moose are a normal sighting, an occasional bear on the outskirts of town, coyotes, wolves, and even lynx.  I actually followed a lynx down a street (in my car, of course) and watched it chase birds.  Spruce, cotton, aspen, and birch trees surrounded the houses and buildings.  Wild flowers bloomed and various mushrooms came out in the rainy season.  Low-bush cranberries and strawberries were found all over.

Anderson sat literally at the end of the road.  A slough off the Nenana River ran a mile outside of the city limits.  There was a large RV park between the town and the slough, where the local Lion’s Club would put together a Bluegrass Festival every July.  A person could walk to the end of the road, and looking towards the south sees Mt. McKinley (Denali) on clear days. 

The town had a city building, which housed the DMV, the post office, and the city clerk.  The City Council would meet there once a month.  To the left of the building was a medical clinic for dentist, therapist, and doctors to stop in every so often.  To the right of the city building was the school, which ran about 70 students grades K-12.  Across the street was the only restaurant/bar in the town, which would only be open during the summer months.  In the winter months the local Lion’s Club bar would be open a couple days a week.  Down one of the streets was a little store and gas pump.  It was the front room of a house, and the owners lived in the back part.

Two churches were located in the town.  The North Star Baptist and the Riverside Assembly of God.  Both struggled to keep their doors open and were lucky to have twenty people attend services.  Those who did not wish to attend these two churches would usually go south to Healy, north to Nenana, or even as far as Fairbanks.

Then you had the Air force base.  It was considered a remote location, so the people were rotated in and out every year.  This made it very difficult to get to know people out at the base.  Only the civilian workers, who lived in the town, were the only connection anyone had with the base. 

In a way, Anderson was a typical small town.  Everyone knew everyone else.  Secrets were never secrets for long.  The children could not get away with much, because it never failed someone would see them and call to tell you what they were up to.  When we first arrived to Anderson it felt like everyone already knew our names, ages, and occupations.  It did not take long for them to find out family history, likes and dislikes, and any hobbies you may have.  The town was also full of the “old timers” or “good old’ boys”.  They loved to see new people come into the community, but were not too keen on anything changing.  Things were just fine as they were.

As all towns go you also had the different groups of people.  We were told right away that most people would not have anything to do with us because we attended one of the churches.  Apparently the city, school, and two churches did not get along with one another.  Then if you threw in the Lion’s Club and the Air force base it was almost as if you could not talk to anyone but your own family.  In the end, most people would just keep to themselves.

 

My first thoughts coming into the town of Anderson was not very positive.  I remember grabbing my walkie-talkie and asking Micah, “What have we done?”  His response was not very helpful, “I’m not so sure.”  We slowly drove our vehicles to the church and unloaded our things in a storage room before heading to Micah’s parents’ house.  Micah’s mom did try to prepare us before we came up, but I don’t think there was anything that could have truly prepared me.

Yet, I fell in love with the town.  It immediately felt like home.  I was thrilled that our children would be at a small school with very little crime, if any.  It took me back to the small towns in Idaho that my dad would preach at.  It was perfect.  This was where God sent us.  Although, there was always the nagging question of “Why Anderson?”  I would always think of the story of Jesus and the phrase, “what good could come out of Nazareth?”  Little did we know Erik would soon show us the answer.

 

The church of Riverside Assembly proved to be a bigger culture shock than the town.  Once again, we found ourselves as the “odd ones”.  We were instantly looked down on because of Micah’s long hair.  Several times he was referred to as “being rebellious towards his father”.  I felt like I was being scrutinized on how I was not raising my children right.  It was obvious because I would let them color during church services instead of forcing them to sit still with their hands in their laps.  Micah and I began to feel beaten down and we noticed that we were starting to “butt heads” with a few of the other people in the church.  It soon became clear that our children were considered “wild and unruly” just like their parents.  I felt bad for Micah’s parents.  We moved up here to help them out in the church, and instead it felt as if we were making things worse.

It just showed us even more that the direction we felt God was taking us did not meet the normal standards of the “established” church.  Don’t get me wrong.  Micah and I are far from being the model Christian and struggle daily.  When believers are faced with these kinds of challenges, and not have that support system they can turn to, it can lead to serious questioning of one’s faith.  Questioning is just what we did.  We struggled to keep a positive attitude and stay focused on what we felt God was speaking to us.  We hungered for the fellowship we had left behind in Idaho.

Through all of this we could still see God working in our lives.  Our first three months we lived with Micah’s parents, Albert and Barbara, in the church parsonage.  It was crowded but we managed.  Then we were sent our first blessing, a house on the next street over.  We were able to rent it at a reasonable price, with the option to buy later if we decided to.  We moved our belongings in on September 15^th, 2000.  Two months later Micah found a job at a cabinet shop in Fairbanks.  Erik had already started Kindergarten.  I applied to be a substitute, but also volunteered a little.  Eventually, I was able to find a job at the post office working Monday thru Friday and every other Saturday.  Natasha, just barely four, would spend her days with her grandmother.

Things were looking good.  We found ourselves in a comfortable routine.  We still faced challenges in the church, but our love for the community grew, as we were able to get to know more people.

My days were full that first year in Anderson.  I would wake up at 6:00 a.m. to see Micah off to work, which was a 1½ hours drive there.  Then I would shower and wake Erik up to get him ready for school by 8:00 a.m.  Most of the time I would wake Natasha up just enough to put her in the car so I could drive Erik, when the weather turned bad.  Then I would go back to the house and get Natasha ready for the day, drop her off at the grandparents, and then head to work myself at 9:00 a.m.  For my lunch hour I would go to Albert and Barbara’s house to spend it with Natasha.  Then Erik would walk to the post office to tell about his day, at 1:00 p.m. when he got out of school, and then head over to the grandparents until I got off work at 4:00 p.m.  I would go pick up the children and head home to get dinner ready for Micah, which he would get home around 6:30 p.m.  After dinner, the family would relax to a movie and I would try to get at least one load of laundry done, or some other household chore.  It was busy, but comfortable routine.

As the winter, which last from September to May, started to come to an end Micah was growing weary of the long drive to work and back.  Some of the church people were grumbling that we would not show up to Wednesday night Bible Studies.  Albert quickly squashed that, saying I was doing my job taking care of my family and since Micah did not get home until late it was more important that we spent time with our family.  There were other stresses at Micah’s job, more serious than judgmental church people.  He finally hit a breaking point in April and Micah left his job due to safety violations that the owner would not fix.

God continued to take care of us.

I continued to work at the post office.  Micah was able to receive unemployment, even though he walked off the job, due to the safety violations.  He tried to find work, but nothing really opened up us.  We ended up getting on state assistance with food stamps and medical for the children.  We were even blessed with enough firewood for the winter.  Micah and Albert were out gathering wood when a gentleman stopped and told them he had a pile he was trying to get rid of, but they would have to cut it themselves.

 

Erik loved school.  He was the only Kindergartener that year.  His teacher later would reminisce about not having to teach Kindergarten, because Erik wanted to always do what the other students were doing.  He would push himself to do the same work as his friends were.  Micah and I had no idea the impact Erik was having on the school.  It was not long before we heard him being referred to as the “darling of the school”.  He was never afraid to let people know who he was and what he was about.

Still a little 5-year-old boy who loved to do 5-year-old things it soon became obvious to Micah and I that Erik was not your typical 5-year-old boy.  One of our first clues was during dinner, I think on a Sunday afternoon.  Erik was watching me as I trimmed the fat of my pork chop.

“Mom,” Erik said, “We’re not allowed to eat fat are we?”

“Well, too much fat isn’t good for you,” I started to answer.

“Everything in moderation,” Micah chimed in.

I smiled over at Micah, “I really just don’t like the texture of it, Erik, that’s why I trim it off.”

We both looked at Erik and he seemed to be in deep thought.  He also had a frustrated look on his face.

“Why do you think we shouldn’t have fat, Erik?” Micah finally asked.

“Because Grandpa said so.”

“When did Grandpa say this?”

“He said that the fat belonged to God and we are not allowed to eat it.”  Erik stated so matter-of-factly.

Micah and I looked at each other with realization of where Erik got this information.  It never occurred to us that Erik was actually listening to Albert’s sermons on Sunday as he colored in his coloring book.  It made sense though.  I would take notes during the service as a way to help me concentrate on what was being said.  Erik’s statement took us a little off guard, but we were both very proud of him. 

“Well, you are right there, Erik.” Micah finally said.

“So I can’t have fat.” Erik restated himself with more resolution.

“Just keep in mind, Erik, that God said this before Christ Jesus died on the cross for our sins,” Micah started to explain, “We are no longer required to make sacrifices like they had to in the old testament.”

Erik seemed all right with Micah’s explanation, but every meal after that I had to trim the fat off his meat also.

 

Summer finally arrived in Anderson.  The children disappeared for most of the day.  Usually they bounce between our house and Barb and Albert’s looking for ice-cream sundaes or milkshakes.  Erik had a bike given to him, so he would take off with his friends and ride all over the town.  A lot of the time I would tell him to be home by 5:00 p.m.   Natasha had a few friends she would go see, but most of her days were spent with Grandma.

As the summer flew by, we began to notice Erik’s perception of life was more advanced than most of his peers.  He began asking questions that would throw us off guard, and many times we would not know how to answer him.  We could tell he was getting frustrated.  Sometimes we would pose the questions to Albert to see if he had any idea as to how to answer Erik.

One day when we were over at Albert and Barb’s for dinner we began to discuss Erik’s comprehension.  Only this time Albert opened up to us in a way we were not expecting.

“I fear for the boy,” he told us, setting his coffee cup on the table, “I love all my grandchildren, and some I have a special relationship with.  Erik is different…”

Micah began to interrupt his dad’s thoughts, which is common in the Reams family.

“He’s a very smart child and I sense his comprehension exceeds far more that we realize.  Yet, I am afraid that he’s got something wrong with head.  I keep getting the feeling that he’s got something wrong… maybe an injury or something that might threaten his life,” Micah and I looked at each other, “I just have this sense that his head is very fragile.”

Micah and I just looked at him.  I felt Albert was just being a paranoid grandparent.  Then I remembered what God had shared with us through Matt before Erik was born.  We discussed it further with Albert, but it didn’t seem to ease his mind any.  I took to heart what Albert said that day, and prayed that we had already faced the near death of our son.

 

As fall approached, the children were getting excited for school to start again.  Natasha would be in Kindergarten and Erik in first grade.  They would both have the same teacher, who taught Erik’s class the previous year.   It would be strange to not have a child home anymore.

Sometime in late August we experienced a loss in our church and community.  One of our members, who worked at the Air force base for twenty years died from a heart attack.  His memorial service was held at the school, in the multipurpose room.  There were many in the community who came out for his service.  His wife worked with our children in the church and was a big supporter for Barbara in church activities.  Micah and I had come to love and appreciate this couple for allowing us to be ourselves.  The night our friend died, Barbara was awoken from sleep and looked out the window only to see the streets filled with angels.  She remembers asking God what was going on and He told her he had come to take Howard home.

 

Then came September 2001. 

We had just received a phone call from Micah’s best friend, Erik, who lived in Arizona.  He called to tell us his mother had been killed.  Micah and Erik were very close and tried to stay in touch, but distance made it difficult at times.  Micah spoke with his friend for a little while before hanging up.  As soon as he hung up the phone it rang again.

“Micah, turn on the news!” Barbara said, “Our country has just been attacked!”

Just like the rest of the country that day, we sat and watched the television in stunned silence.  I could not believe what I was witnessing.  I finally pried myself away from the TV and continued to get ready for work.  Micah was on the phone calling everyone he could think of.  Neither one of us realized that Erik was sitting right in the middle of the living room with his eyes glued to the news reports.  Micah continued to pace back and forth as he watched the TV.

“Dad!”  Erik said, “Dad, it’s alright.  They have snipers on the White House and the President is being flown around on Air Force One, so no one knows where he is.”

Micah stopped pacing and looked at Erik.  He realized that in this amazing dark moment of our country, Erik was trying to comfort Micah.  He was reassuring Micah that things were going to be all right.  Micah was taken back by Erik’s self-assurance at that moment.

Later, when we picked up the children from school, their teacher was telling us about how they had sat the children down to talk to them about the day’s events.  Most of the children were not aware of what was really happening, being Kindergarten thru second grade, but Erik proceeded to explain to everyone what had happened.  Erik also made sure they knew the President was safe.  His teacher was amazed at the details Erik knew and how engrossed he was in the conversation.

 

As the school year continued, and winter settled in.  Both of our children were tested for speech therapy.  Natasha had an obvious lisp and was missing certain sounds while she spoke.  Erik, even though we had him tested in Kindergarten, was showing signs of missing sounds in his speech also.  We scheduled IEP meetings for both children, after their testing was done, and set up speech goals and times for them to be pulled.  Ms. Kay, the custodian and lunch-aide, took some training in order to help with the speech pullouts.  Erik and Natasha were both excited to be working with Kay. 

My hours at the post office were being cut.  Micah and Albert started to look at house repair or remodeling to bring in some income.  Things were starting to look slim for our family, but we were still very hopeful that God would provide. 

I had noticed some job postings for the school.  After talking it over with Micah I decided to apply for them.  One was only 2 ½ hours a day as a classroom aide.  The other was 5 ½ hours a day as a special education aide.  I went in for the interview.  I felt very confident about it.  I was offered the classroom aide position, so I talked with my employer at the post office to see if I could work out a schedule in order to work both jobs.  Between both jobs, we were still making enough money to pay our bills.  Once again, God made sure our needs were met.

We had survived forest fires, earthquakes, and the death of friends.  We witnessed an attack on our country, which was now filling up the news stations with daily reports. Our country was going to war now.  Little did we know, that our family would be faced with one of the greatest battles of our lives in the following year.