Dora
May 23, 2003
DO 1736France, 6/9/80
—15-18 mos. old.
—By Dora
CAMPING—A NEW LIFESTYLE!
1. THIS IS THE MIDDLE OF JUNE & TECHI IS 15 MONTHS OLD. Several days ago Sara & Alf‚ together with the two older children left us to pioneer new living arrangements. It was early Sunday morning, & Techi woke surprisingly early, when Maria informed us of a trip we would take together with her & Dad to see the pioneer team. So I got some things together for the one-day trip.
2. AS SO OFTEN IN OUR LIVES‚ "ALL THINGS CHANGE," & we actually stayed three days, being guests in Sara & Alf's caravan. Techi adjusted surprisingly well, having lots of outdoor fun with David & Davida. During this time Dad & Maria went ahead to look for a different campground where their whole unit would move to.
3. IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE WHERE WE LIVED, THE HOUSING SITUATION IN SUMMER IS VERY DIFFICULT & the rent is outrageous‚ so Dad & Maria decided to "camp out." "The Lord let this happen so we wouldn't only preach about camping but do it as well!" Dad remarked. Amen!
4. IT WAS EARLY SUMMER & A NICE TIME TO GET THE FIRST TASTE OF CAMPING. Techi loved it & also went to the beach for the first time in her life! She could hardly get enough of playing in the sand & walking towards the huge open sea! She was thrilled! Dad warned us to be sure the children play in the water facing the sea in order to be aware & forewarned of coming waves.
5. AFTER THOSE EXCITING FIRST DAYS OF CAMPING, TECHI & I RETURNED BACK HOME to get ready for the final move. All of us knowing that we'd go mobile, we of course had taken preparations accordingly & forsaken items we didn't need, yet the moment came when each one of us was faced with all the equipment & the things we did have to take! At first it didn't look as if it would fit! Having lived in houses before, it seemed strange that so much could fit into the small caravan space—especially considering all the work & office materials this unit has to carry around—but it worked, TTL! Furniture which we were using while living in houses we stored in a rented garage, & we learned much about storage‚ what & how to store, from dear Dad. (See "God's Against Storage," No.1065.)
6. GETTING USED TO A WHOLE NEW LIVING SITUATION WAS EXCITING but it also took a lot of faith & patience & trusting on everybody's part, since "things were up in the air." The campground where we had moved to wasn't the final place yet, yet we had burned all the bridges behind us & were on the road! God bless Dad & Maria for their sample, always encouraging & speaking faith. They were the ones to go ahead again, to find the place the Lord had in store for them, their big workload & staff.
7. OUR DAYS WITH THE CHILDREN WERE FULL OF CHANGES & GREAT VICTORIES. It was almost comical to watch people around us in the other tents or caravans lying in the sun reading their magazines & listening to Worldly music, & the latter of these was really the only thing which disturbed Dad regarding our surrounding vacationers.
8. "I DON'T LIKE THE DEVIL & HIS MUSIC TO TRY TO CONTROL MY MIND!" Dad stated while trying to get his work for the Lord done. So here they were, Dad & Maria taking care of the Lord's Worldwide Family amidst this busy holiday hubbub. There had to be a better place to be found, providing more quiet time for our Shepherd's work!
9. SOON AFTER, DAD & MARIA TOOK ANOTHER TRIP & FOUND THE PLACE THE LORD HAD PREPARED. "I am going to prepare a place for you," Dad said to us while driving off. PTL! Dad didn't get to personally say "good-bye" to Techi since she was sleeping & he felt sad about this because they were separated for several days, which hardly ever happens. Once reunited, Dad said that one night he had been very sick & felt like dying, "... and the worst thing about it was that I hadn't said 'good-bye' to my little girl."
10. SO, IT HAD TAKEN TWO WEEKS & THREE DIFFERENT MOVES TILL WE CAME TO THE CAMPGROUND WHICH WOULD BE OUR HOME FOR THE SUMMER MONTHS. Considering that Dad & Maria had to take care of the moves of the most important unit in the Family—with Dad, Maria & the children living under such [tight] circumstances—it took a lot of preparation & consideration to find the best suitable place. But the Lord is always faithful‚ He had the answer, & provided the most suitable, secluded spot in a beautiful campground!
CAMPING WITH DAD
11. STUDYING HIS ROAD & CAMPGROUND MAPS, Dad knew of each Campground, its facilities & prices even before actually visiting it. When he saw the place the Lord had provided, he didn't fail to thank Him & to claim the land. When first arriving there‚ other caravans were still parked at the end of a dead-end road, & by a miracle they had all left the following morning! So Dad sent Maria & Alf to walk over each campsite which we planned to rent & to "set their foot upon it."—Just like in Joshua 1:3 where it says: "Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you!"
12. ALL OUR CARAVANS WERE PARKED IN A CIRCLE, with windscreens situated so that we were almost undisturbed at the end of this dead–end road—though things were very lively there indeed, ha! According to Dad's suggestion, James painted & set up a "dead-end road" sign, of course in agreement with the camp management. This spared many cars the trouble of driving down the narrow road & then having difficulties with turning around & backing up again.
13. DAD'S CARAVAN WAS PARKED IN THE MOST SECURE POSITION where he could hardly be seen by strangers, yet where he could overlook all our area as well as any approaching newcomers. He had a car hitched up to the caravan to always be ready to move on or flee if need be!
14. THE CARAVAN THAT TECHI & I & SOON AFTERWARDS RICHARD LIVED IN, was placed slightly uphill, & whenever Techi stepped out Dad could enjoy seeing his lil' girl playing or dancing along!
15. DAD USUALLY TOOK A HAND IN PARKING & LEVELLING THE CARAVANS. He once very seriously warned us to never try to stop a rolling caravan, which could lead to very serious injury. He said, "We can replace the caravan, but we can't replace you!" Dad is very convicting in his diligence in whatever he does! Dad also taught the boys that when positioning the caravan to be sure that we are not too close to the trees where we can't open the windows all the way.
16. THE FIRST EVENING AT OUR NEWFOUND "HOME" WE ALL HAD DINNER TOGETHER. Dad was so happy & thankful, sitting at the head of the table with his family gathered around him. "A dream come true‚ this is the day I dreamed about!"
17. DAD SUGGESTED FOR SIMPLICITY'S SAKE that our dear cook Jewel should fix a communal breakfast. We had the kitchen set up in the awning of the smallest trailer, & out of there Jewel produced some delicious one-pot meals! The crockpot & pressure cooker were Jewel's good friends during that time!
18. THE "KITCHEN" WAS VERY SMALL & it took some good organising to set it up efficiently & make it work for our whole Home! When it got to be very hot, Dad didn't allow us to use the gas stove during the day so as not to overheat the caravans. So we usually had healthy fresh salads for lunch, & in the morning we saved hot water for coffee in a thermos. Then in the evening Jewel cooked for us & we enjoyed dinner outside!
19. SOME OF US TOOK TURNS DOING THE DISHES & it took organising here too, to do a good & thorough job. We had two covered buckets of water where we collected the dirty dishes till they got washed. We had to be faithful to keep the buckets covered so the dirty dishes wouldn't attract the flies. Once the dishes were taken to the public washhouse & washed there, we had to cover the dishes again once they were neatly stacked on the dish drain outside in the kitchen awning. For this covering or netting we used glass- curtain material.
20. DAD MADE SURE EACH CARAVAN HAD PROPER VENTILATION, & we even had the complete front wall of the kitchen awning pulled up for more air. This was another reason why the kitchen had to be clean, for our testimony's sake. Dad hates dirt & uncleanliness & he likes us always to leave the house or place where we stay in even better condition than we first found it in.
21. AROUND THE CAMP & OUR NEIGHBOURS DAD LIKES US TO ACT AS "NORMAL" AS POSSIBLE, so we don't stick out too much. He says, "Curiosity of neighbours is bad news! The less they even notice you as being different, the better for all. " It was a real blessing for us that the campground had a big changeover so neighbours never stayed very long & newcomers didn't know how long we had been there already, which actually was over two months!—TTL for the owners who seemed thankful for our good care of our little campsite. Dad made sure each caravan paid their rent faithfully & on time every week.
22. BECAUSE OF THE DROUGHT, DAD HAD ONE OF THE BOYS ASK THE MANAGEMENT if we could set up our own sprinkler system to keep the grounds moist & to prevent fire.
23. DURING THE MORNING HOURS IT WAS USUALLY VERY QUIET AROUND OUR GYPSY CAMP, as each team was involved in their work. Dad & Maria were busy with their important work for all the sheep around the World‚ guided & directed by the Lord in their Heavenly Home on wheels. Also, MO Letters were typed, research work was done, the WS business was taken care of & the children were being taught. Then by the late morning a team got ready to go for a swim with the children at the campground pool.
24. AFTERWARDS WE HAD LUNCH OUTSIDE, but for devotions we all moved inside one of the caravans for better [privacy]. When it got so very hot‚ we placed sheets on top of the cushions to protect them from our perspiration. The plastic pool we had for the children often also offered the opportunity for the adults to take a quick refreshing dip too! Right after devotions we all went back to work. It seemed so nice & peaceful at our campsite, but really lots was going on behind the scenes! Before dinner, groups of us took their turns going on walks & then we all gathered happy & freshened-up for dinner & fellowship time during the evening.
25. LIVING IN A PLACE WHERE WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO OUTSIDERS due to the living conditions, we all learned valuable lessons of being friendly to immediate neighbours & those we met, but for Dad's sake we could not get familiar with outsiders or get into too close contact with them.
26. VERY SOON UPON ARRIVAL AT THE NEW CAMPSITE "HOME," DAD WARNED US OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING PREPARED FOR EMERGENCIES & having our fleebags packed. He told us how he has his papers always together in one place, readily packed‚ his clothes are in another bag which he actually never unpacks‚ but lives out of. He's always ready to "get up & go" in the case of emergency.
27. HE WARNED US OF THE DANGER OF FIRE, especially a risk during the dry Summer in a place surrounded by trees. "Have your bags packed! Usually people are not very smart if they only get out of a burning house with empty hands. They just weren't prepared enough," he said. "I don't expect that we'll have a fire here, but I do believe in being prepared, & please pray for rain."
28. HOW FAITHFUL THE LORD & DAD WERE IN WARNING US! Only six weeks after the warning we did have a fire very close to the spot where we all were parked, & we were glad & thankful for the Lord's protection & the preparations we had made due to the warning!
DINNERTIME WITH DAD
29. "HERE'S TO THE LORD OF LIFE & LOVE & LIBERTY!" DAD TOASTED, "And to the happiness of our Heavenly Homes!" When gathering together with Dad & Maria for dinner & fellowship time in one of the caravans, Dad suggested to keep most doors & windows almost shut for security reasons, & we also had to almost whisper our "Hallelujahs" & prayers, so that for Dad's sake we wouldn't be recognised as the "You-Know–Who"! Once everybody was seated, Dad sent one of the boys out for a security check around the caravan, & also during the meeting the security man would check on the other caravans, which we had all locked up, awnings zipped up‚ yet with a security light on inside the caravan.
30. THESE TIMES WITH DAD ALWAYS WERE A GREAT BLESSING. We had Bible studies together & listened to Dad lecturing us or giving us many helpful little tips about trailer life, which he himself had enjoyed for such a long time. "Almost all my children were conceived outdoors," he told us. "How much I enjoy the naked weather & the naked women‚" Dad said.
31. DAD REMINDED US NOT TO BE WASTEFUL WITH THE SMALL PLASTIC COMMERCIALLY BOUGHT WATER BOTTLES & not to throw them out. They can be used again to temporarily store water in. Since Dad's stomach & bowels are very sensitive we like to offer him bottled water, especially when first moving to a new area. Dad also said how he doesn't like to use "throw away" razors: "People are just often too easygoing, too lazy to put a new blade into their razor. Maybe some don't really know how to do it. It's just like driving a car, most people get in & start it & drive it, but otherwise they're totally ignorant about it!" TTL for dear Dad & his faithfulness in teaching us in so many areas!
32. AROUND MARIA'S BIRTHDAY WE HAD A LITTLE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR HER, or rather a birthday dinner outside under the beautiful night sky with the beautiful moon & twinkling stars. Dad & Maria "ordered dinner" for a little later so that it would be dim at least & other people wouldn't see us all grouped around the table. Dad guided Maria up the little hill where our dinner table was. She was dressed in a gorgeous white nightgown, a real Queen for sure, sitting at the head of the table with Dad, who had a beautiful time celebrating dear Maria's birthday, who herself isn't very much for birthday parties. Dad said to her, "Well, birthdays are like weddings. They're more for the sake of the relatives‚ not even so much for the people concerned." Ha!
33. ONCE WHILE LIFTING HIS WINEGLASS BEFORE IT GOT FILLED, DAD SMELLED IT & said, "Smelling the dishes is a good check to find out if they're clean! It's ridiculous to see how many hotels & restaurants are storing their glasses with the open-side down, so the glass rim catches all those germs from the cupboard shelf!"
34. IN GENERAL, DAD DOESN'T LIKE ANY GLASS OR BREAKABLE THINGS AROUND WHEN CAMPING, especially around children, but when he drinks wine, he enjoys using a wine glass. "'A lot of the joy of drinking a glass of wine is drinking it out of a nice glass,’ my Mother used to say!" Dad told us!
SAFETY & HYGIENE
35. DAD RECOMMENDS THAT IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO BE PREPARED FOR BAD WEATHER WHEN CAMPING & have all the needed items such as boots‚ rain wear & shovels to dig ditches if need be. During our stay at the campground we had several rainy days where we all had to stand in line & be ready with our shovels, digging ditches around the caravans to drain the water. Once the rain had almost ceased, the kids had a great time playing outside in their boots. Little 16-month-old Techi, who was talking away then, loved it & would tell excitedly at dinnertime, "Puddle, big puddle, little puddle, stepped in! Did it!" TTL, usually we had really beautiful weather which makes camping, of course‚ much more comfortable & easier.
36. DURING THESE HOT SUMMER MONTHS DAD RECOMMENDED THAT WE NOT EMPTY THE WASTE WASH WATER BUCKETS under the caravans but to let them flow over so they would keep the ground moist & reduce the risk of the grass catching fire. Dad also said that when buying any kind of hose that might be used for drinking water‚ to be sure to ask if it is suitable, as some hoses have toxic components which are bad for drinking water, especially if they have been lying in the hot sun. Please be sure to check before buying! Plastic can be very dangerous. It can be toxic & is flammable! Dad also doesn't like the children to put pencils or plastic pens into their mouths because it's so dangerous. Dad also reminded us that the fumes of burning plastic can be very dangerous & can suffocate you.
37. WE SWEPT OR BRUSHED OUT OUR CARAVAN AT LEAST ONCE A DAY & Dad told us that we're bringing in just as much dirt into the small space of our caravan as we usually would in a normal house or apartment, so the dirt actually is more concentrated. We made it a rule in the caravan, especially in those where the children lived & played, that we didn't wear any shoes inside for hygienic reasons. A plastic basin of water was used for a quick footwash outside the trailer door for "dirty-footed" campers!
38. DAD HAD TO WARN US SEVERAL TIMES TO BE MORE CAREFUL WHEN STEPPING OUT OF THE CARAVAN‚ & especially when carrying loads or having a child in your arms, to step out first & then pick up what you had to carry. Also, the best place to put the doorstep is not directly under the door but slightly out & to the side, where the handle is. Also‚ avoid slamming trailer doors as they are fragile. They have to be closed gently but firmly.
39. WASHING THE CHILDREN & KEEPING THEM CLEAN WAS A WHOLE NEW EXPERIENCE! We grownups usually took turns towards the evening to go to the public shower houses. The bigger children learned to take showers too, but Techi was a little afraid of the surroundings, because it was very loud & noisy in the shower houses, with System children screaming wildly while getting washed! We usually washed Techi in a good- sized plastic bucket right outside the caravan.
40. WE HAD A SMALL PLASTIC SWIMMING POOL FOR THE CHILDREN which was lots of fun. To avoid the water getting dirty too quickly we placed a plastic bucket in front of it & once we took our shoes off, everybody had to step in the plastic bucket to rinse off their feet & then go into the little pool with clean feet. During the night the pool was covered with a big plastic sheet. Visiting the public swimming pool which belonged to the campground was very helpful, especially for the older children to progress in their learning to swim. There also was a footbath area right at the entrance of the swimming pool for everyone to walk through to clean their feet! 'Cleanliness is Godliness!'
41. USING PUBLIC SHOWER ROOMS & TOILETS IS SOMETHING TO BE VERY PRAYERFUL ABOUT because of the danger of disease & germs, & when using these public places we wore "flip-flops" or plastic sandal shoes, even while actually taking the shower. There can be all kinds of diseases in such places‚ such as athlete's foot. Dad always likes for the children to wear these plastic shoes when going along the beach too, for more protection. Beaches can be covered with broken glass. When in these public showers be careful also not to let your clean clothes drop on the floor or touch the floor.—And when using a public toilet always put a "seat" of toilet paper down to avoid any contact with the actual seat & wash hands with soap right away! Don't touch the door or door handles either, but use your elbow, foot, or a tissue to open these toilet room doors.
42. EACH ONE OF OUR CARAVANS WAS EQUIPPED WITH A PORTA-POTTY which we usually only used when someone had to "do business" during the night. Otherwise Dad suggested that everyone should make the trip to the washhouse during the day. He even would have done it himself if it hadn't been for his security's sake, & Dad always thanked & praised our boys who emptied his potty. GB'M! The children also used the potty in the caravan for sanitary reasons & usually I did as well since I was very often staying by myself in the caravan & didn't want to drag Techi down the road to the public toilets unnecessarily. Everybody else was faithful to use the public toilets whenever possible, thus making the work easier for the potty-emptier. Dad even had instructed the potty boys to personally check the level of the potties & to not empty them unless they were full. He said, "I only believe in doing necessary work‚ but still doing things right!"
43. WE LEARNED A VERY SEVERE LESSON WHEN ONE DAY DURING OUR DEVOTION TIME DAD CONTACTED US OVER THE MONITOR & with a very angry voice asked why the porta-potty liquid wasn't put away immediately after use. The potty boy had forgotten to put the bottle away in a safe place & Dad was very upset about this neglect, since the porta-potty liquid is very very dangerous. As with any other dangerous cleaning liquid or any kind of liquid it should always be out of reach of small children. Dad's faithfulness & diligence in every little thing is so convicting! He's very faithful to treat equipment properly & to do a good job with it & that's why the Lord has blessed him so much. (Mt.25:23.)
FIRE!
44. IT WAS THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST & ABOUT SIX WEEKS AFTER WE'D FIRST MOVED TO THE CAMPGROUND & Dad had given us the warning one night to be sure to have all our fleebags packed & to always be sure to pray for rain. We were all gathered in Sara & Alf's caravan for our devotions & had just finished the Letter "Ivan Ivanovitch" & were about to pray, when we suddenly heard neighbours yelling outside & saw everybody run over to the fence. Our boys ran out too, just in time to see big huge dark clouds of smoke coming up out of the woods, coming straight towards our hill! The fire was so near that we could see the big red-hot flames bursting up into the sky through the smoke.
45. DAD CAME RUSHING OUT OF HIS CARAVAN & the boys quickly obeyed his orders to turn on the big water hose & sprinkler, installed by the management, at our end of the campsite. A couple of minutes later the camp work-crew came rushing up in their car, glad that we had already put the sprinkler on. They then moved the sprinkler further out into the woods. Right along the fence, between the campground & the neighbouring woods more onlookers were gathering to watch the progress of the fire! The management was trying to do their part in fighting the fire, they kept as much of the woods wet as they could reach with their waterhoses to prevent the fire from coming closer‚ & our men were working on getting the assigned cars ready to escape!
46. WE GIRLS, PRAYING FOR DAD & THE BOYS AS WE WORKED‚ got the fleebags & important equipment from the caravans & put them in the assigned cars. Although we all had our fleebags together it still took quite a while to get everything into the vehicles, & we learned that we weren't as prepared as we should have been! It was a real shakeup & a real warning, but TTL He took care of us & the Fire Department got the fire under control so it didn't reach our campsite. They used big fire planes to gush water over the fire. These fire planes flying low over our campsite added to all the panic, but TTL for His help & for His warning & His preparation!
47. TECHI EVEN WENT TO SLEEP FOR HER NAP amidst all the loud noises of the fire planes & the shoutings of people outside. The Lord gave her peace in the midst of a storm. When putting on a verse tape for her to go to sleep by, the very first verse was from Psalm 91, "There shall no evil befall thee; neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." (Ps.91:10.) Hallelujah! What a comfort!—And what a promise, TYJ! After the fire was under control, Dad asked us all to come together for a talk during which he gave us several very helpful notes:
48. AGAIN DAD REMINDED US OF READY-PACKED FLEEBAGS! We should just be able to grab them & put them in the designated vehicles. Fires come very very quickly‚ whereas floods come very slowly & quietly. Panic is one of the greatest dangers. People can get so attached to things that they are ready to risk their lives for them & die for their things. But then people also don't heed warnings & it is sad to see people running out of the house with empty hands because they haven't heeded the warnings. Fire is the worst disaster there is! Hurricanes & earthquakes can be survived in trailers. The campground is a good place in an earthquake since there's nothing to fall on you. Fire always travels uphill faster than downhill. Regarding the care of the caravans, Dad recommends grabbing things out of the caravan & putting them in the vehicles, then closing & locking the caravan windows & turning off the gas bottles inside & outside. If you should have to travel through a fire area with lots of smoke, keep the car windows closed & hold a wet handkerchief over your face. (We all have a handkerchief in our fleebags for this purpose.) Also, the caravan vents all should be closed. Dad made contingency plans of places for all of us to flee to if there should be any kind of an emergency, either a natural catastrophe or [other] emergency, & he suggested that we all, if separated, be faithful to call into headquarters & to have a common meeting place after being separated.—THANK THE LORD FOR HIS PROTECTION & CARE!
"ON THE ROAD TO JERICHO!"
49. DAD & MARIA ENJOYED VERY MUCH EXPLORING THE AREA AFTER THEIR DAY OF WORK & one day they came home with news of a precious young boy they met on "the wayside."—With a radiant face‚ Maria said, "Let us tell you about the exciting experience we had while on our walk!
50. "WE HAD PASSED A YOUNG BOY STANDING AT THE ENTRY OF THE AUTOROUTE, rather shyly holding a sign in his hand indicating the town he wanted to go to. It was late in the evening & when we were about a block past him already, Dad said,
51. "'OH MY, I WONDER HOW MANY PRIESTS & LEVITES ON THE ROAD TO JERICHO have passed that lonely hitchhiker already!’" Maria was all excited because she had noticed that sweet-looking boy, too, so Dad & Maria discussed how much it would be for the boy to take the bus to that town, about 200 km. away.
52. DAD WANTED TO GIVE ABOUT DOUBLE THE AMOUNT of what the fare would have been & when he told Maria about it‚ she immediately agreed. "Maria really isn't stingy at all when it comes to helping in real needs!" he said.
53. SO MARIA WALKED BACK TO THE BOY WHILE DAD WAITED, watching her talking & witnessing very cheerfully to that precious boy. Maria asked the boy if he spoke some English, which he did, so they had a conversation about his whereabouts. He was a young German Jew travelling to this part of the World to participate in a sports competition.
54. "BUT HOW CAN YOU GIVE THIS TO ME WHEN YOU HARDLY KNOW ME?" he asked Maria, after she had handed him the money.
55. "IT'S FROM GOD, & IT'S GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU!" she answered. "Do you do this to every hitchhiker you meet?" he asked. "No, actually it's the first time I've done it!" Maria replied. "You can be happy too & can have this Love too, if you ask Jesus into your heart!"
56. WHILE DAD WAS WAITING & WATCHING MARIA'S CHEERFUL WITNESSING, the Devil attacked him with the doubt, "Doesn't the Bible say that you only should 'give to him that asketh thee', but that boy didn't even ask!" But then Dad said it came very clearly to him from the Lord, "The boy did ask! Remember the sign he had been holding in his hand?!" Hallelujah!
57. DAD & MARIA WERE VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PRICELESS OPPORTUNITY TO WITNESS THE LOVE OF JESUS. "Often we can't witness so publicly anymore, but in this case it was safe, since the boy went on his way & we went our way. He will never forget this!—God bless him!
58. "WE HAD SO MUCH FUN DOING THIS—I'd like to do it more often!" Dad & Maria were very happy. Thank You Jesus for such loving faithful Shepherds. We love you!
CAPTIONS FOR CAMPING LIFE—DT 39:
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family