Life in the Village

The Zilkie family is in its final week at our home after almost 8 years of living here in Caledonia, Michigan. Julie and I closed on this home on September 21st, 2001 and drove our Ryder truck here with all of our stuff on Saturday, September 29th. When we moved in we were 9 months married and Julie had just found out she was pregnant with David a week earlier. Evidently babies and moving are the norm for us. This cute little 100 year old home has been very good to us.

We have brought home 5 newborn babies into this home as Julie and I learned how to be parents and adjusted to their presence in our lives and their accumulative needs. We have had many of our friends over to this home many times, being blessed by Julie's hospitality and culinary skills in the dessert genre. Rare will we Zilkies have dessert unless we are having company so of course I love to have people over!

We birthed our primary ministry at Kentwood Community in this house, inviting the attendees over to our home in the early years and, as the ministry grew, we held monthly meetings in our home for the ministry leaders. In addition, we often invited members of our ministry over just to enjoy spending time together, share a meal together, and invite our young children into our social life and world. For a period there in 04 and 05 we played many a game of Settlers of Catan here in our home. Honestly we were quite obsessive, packing up our two kids in the evening and switching host homes among the couples we were playing with.

We have grown in friendship with our neighbors across the street. It has been neat to watch their family grow, as they brought home Sophia from Korea to be their daughter just over two years ago. It has been such a blessing to have neighbors that share our passionate faith for Jesus. Julie and Brenda really connected over the years, and Julie will miss her dearly. She is one of the kindest, most generous women we know. And our boys will have to find new friends, and Sam especially has set the bar high for them in this area! We saw Mr. Fischer sadly and graciously watch his wife go home to be with the Lord. We often sent our kids over to be with Mrs. Stack during the day, giving Julie a welcome break. I have enjoyed our conversations with Dave over the years and it has been incredible to see their miracle son Luke be born at 24 weeks last year and now is a fully healthy 15 month old boy. We watched the Butlers next door celebrate anniversaries 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, and 63 now well into their 80s...and still going. Old Ollie always has a story to tell and it has been a privilege to listen to him and laugh with him as he remembers his younger years. He was a Marine who served on a spy/recon plane in the Pacific in World War II and they are still so proud of the service they gave to our country. Being a Marine myself, it is always a pleasure to hear his stories, no matter how many times I may have heard them before.

Conversely, the house on our other side has seen much more different activity as sweet Mary our elderly neighbor when we moved in, lost her second husband shortly after we arrived. After that the Gunns move in with their young family only to move out in turmoil 2 1/2 years later. Forclosed, the house stood vacant for almost 3 years until a bright young man and wonderful neighbor Cody moved in last summer and has been returning the home to its previous glory.

Several years ago we hosted a neighborhood party and met our wonderful friends the Baezs. We have enjoyed a neat friendship with them these past several years and will miss them and especially Rick's laid back and humorous ways. Julie and Shamra teamed together for the past two years to plant a garden, of which we greatly enjoyed the bountiful harvest they received for their work. I know Julie was so blessed to have someone who would "mentor" her in gardening as it seemed rather daunting to her at first.

And we can't forget our local librarians! Boy, do we have some great history with them. I'm specifically thinking of the time Julie checked out a book titled, "Marriage to a Difficult Man" and then sent me to pick it up. It was truly the autobiography of Jonathan and Elizabeth Edwards, and Julie was reading it upon recommendation and had no idea of the actual title of the book. However, it created quite the stir at the library as you can imagine!! Julie was so blessed by her friendship with the ladies at the library, where they supplied her countless "Tuesday evening chats", knitting tips, fresh farm eggs, and just good conversations. They will be so missed!

Julie and I have taken many, many walks with our growing family around our village neighborhood, contemplating the challenges and opportunities of life. We would talk and pray and discuss whatever was before us and feel unified and at peace once we came to a collective decision. I have fought the war against the moles in my back yard steadfastly, even courageuosly, but to no avail...I lost. I leave humbled, knowing that the ugly, "bat without wings"looking creatures bested me time and again.

Now in our final week in our home, we are thankful for the many years, many blessings, and great friends God has blessed us with during our time here in Caledonia. During my trip to St. Louis last week we found a home to live in temporarily as we move there next week. I pray that our time in that home and the one to follow will be as meaningful and special as the years we have lived here in this home, among these great and wonderful people.