On the rare occasion our family drives to church, we park in a lot where this weeks guest storyteller spent his teen years. Jim Lange was 12 years old when his widowed mother and 7 siblings moved from Norborne, MO to Concordia, MO. (Yes – the very same Concordia where our family now resides) His mother Selma determined that her sons should attend St. Paul Lutheran High School. As a single mother of 8 children she could not afford the room and board fees for this private, residential school so she relocated to their home on Main St. almost directly across the street from SPLHS. All of her sons ( it was an all male school) graduated from SPLHS, as have many of their children and now grandchildren. It is this connection to Concordia and SPLHS that brought our family here to live and work when God closed our doors in Michigan 3 years ago.
I have heard tales of this incredible woman, Selma Lange, and her 8 children since before I was officially a Lange. Not only did she have EIGHT children but 7 of them were boys and the youngest was still in the womb when her husband Alvin died from complications with a boil. Jim was the second oldest son behind Bill and before Robert – my beloved Father in Law, Tom’s dad. One of my favorite activities at Lange Family reunions is to sit and listen to the stories surrounding the challenges, joys and shenanigans of this family. Each sibling has their own twist on what happened as well as storytelling style.
Today, In honor of Jim Langes 90th birthday, we invite him to the fire to share a small piece of his story of God’s faithfulness. I am amazed at the unwavering faith of this family that endured tragedy at such a young age. Their lives display a deep level of not only knowledge but love for their heavenly father that gave them all they needed despite their lack of an earthly father.
Welcome to the fire Uncle Jim… we’re so glad you’re here.
note:
The picture above was shared with me by my father in law several years ago. He had just purchased a new smart phone and had uploaded this to it. He was so excited to share this fun gadget with me and its ability to hold pictures! Apparently he added text when he shard it with me and it saved. When I added it to the blog the text he added showed up under the picture. Why is this a big deal? Dad Lange passed away 2 years ago which means I haven’t had a written message from him in at least that long. To see his words pop up in this blog written about his older brother seems just about right… don’t you think?
Campfires and Marshmallows 