in memory of
my grandma,
who grew up in Kentucky..
just for us kids she had a selection of toys to play with whenever her grown up children stopped by. and always said, "what's yer hurry?" when we had visited and it was time to leave.
i remember a number of times when we'd have thanksgiving or christmas meal at her house.. but that got to be too hard to do - her own children numbered 12, and the spouses and grandkids so filled the house it was hard for anyone to move around. any later family get togethers were done at the local foreign legion.
when i got into highschool i stayed with her a couple of times so i could continue my school year when the family went to Florida. and the time when our upstairs caught fire, i slept at her house while it was fixed.
she collected salt and pepper shakers. i remember asking if i could have one of hers but she kindly encouraged me to start my own someday.
but i already had some figurine collections of a horse, porpus, and dalmation dog families. it wasn't until i myself married that i finally bought my first salt and pepper shaker set, cats.
in later years she moved to a different house that didn't have an upstairs to make it easier for her to get around. the same house that a fellow schoolmate had lived in, and also my older sister had at one tiime lived there too.
and because one of the daughters that had lived with her had died so the income situation also required it. my grandma had let one of her sons handle the auction of so many of her belongings because all those things would not fit in the smaller house. and my mother was angry that the son, had been chosen to do it and not my dad. because he let so much of the belongings go cheaply rather than at top dollar. but then this other son was going to be living with her and not my dad.
she lived some months beyond her 91st year. because of her advancing age i went over to visit her on my own from time to time because i knew that she wouldn't be long for the world, and, i had been interested in genealogy at the time and i wanted to find out all the information that she knew. she showed me a picture of one of her brothers when he was the same age as one of my brothers at that time. the resemblance was uncanny. you'd think her brother and mine were twins.
she was my favorite grandparent. and when she died, the Lord gave me a vision. i saw her be caught up by her angel and whisked speedily to heaven.
my dad,
my dad was a handy man. i learned many techniques that guys have been surprised that i knew how to do, from him. as a matter of fact, on my highschool sat's i got a high score on mechanics because of watching and helping him while he did home improvements.
he was a sunday school teacher at the Methodist church. and when i eventually got old enough i was one of the students in his class. i was very proud of him.
he also was in the choir, singing bass. though perhaps not as talented, he sounding to me much like Tennesee Earnie Ford.
he'd sing around the house practicing those songs that he would sing next sunday.
his singing encouraged me and i eventually joined in that choir.
it was one evening when i was minus 10 yrs old, while my parents had their turn of church janitorial work that i accompanied them, while they worked, i spent my time in the sanctuary.. using the hymn books to read the words to the songs and make up my own tune when the song was not familiar to me. and while looking at the picture of Jesus in the narthex depicting rev.3:20, that i asked Jesus into my heart.
because of heart defects of some sort before he reached 64 he had a heart attack. he recovered. it was during the christmas season. and when we came to visit him, he thought i was wearing the gift he and mom had gotten me. he looked very sad, so i asked him what was wrong. he said that he understood if we wanted our presents.
but i reassured him that we had not opened our gifts, i was simply wearing a shirt that i'd already had. he felt alot better after that had been straightened out.
some month or two later when he was released we had our family christmas morning then.
he took the time to strengthen himself because he wanted to get back to work until retirement. so he was cleared by the doctor to return to work. and eventually had another deadly heart attack while there at work. he was short just a few months from being 64.
my sister,
was my favorite. she and i were the closest out of my other sisters. as she grew we eventually looked closer in age than we actually were. we'd play tennis, frisbee, go bikeriding, learn dances, listen to music, spend time at the park, go for walks uptown, etc.
some years went by.. and during delivery of twins she had complications and eventually died. my mother and oldest sister shared in raising the twins.
[2b continued]
sister in law,
wife of my favorite older brother.
her handwriting was so small and meticulous. she'd write when she and my brother were stationed in Kansas. he was in the marines. and later he became a teacher at the highschool.
i associate her with memories of spurts of learning how to quilt, and crochet. but not from her.
and some camping trips that the family took from time to time.
at some point she had a job working at the local hospitial (office work), as did my mom also get a job there. and when i had a job in that same town i rode with my mom and when my work day was finished i walked through town to the hospital to wait in the car till she got out of work. many times i'd see them walking and talking together then split and each go to the different cars.
i also have a vague memory of all family members going to get a vaccine against the swine flu.
and some years later, when i was looking for a good dentist, i called them to find out what dentist they had.
when the family was together the subject got around to me having begun attending an Assembly of God church, she asked if i'd bring out a tape of Kenneth Copeland for her to listen to. i don't know if she was interested or just curious about the whole speaking in tongues thing.
but after that day the subject was not brought up again. so i guess it was just curiosity.
some years later when the family got together for the holidays at my younger sisters - i remember that she sat directly across from me at the table in the kitchen.
that was the last time that i saw her alive. about 4 years later i found myself going to her funeral.
since she'd gone my brother has no desire to be with the family gatherings during holidays. so the recent chance of bumping into him at the grocery store meant a tremendous amount to me.
my grandma,
who grew up in Kentucky..
just for us kids she had a selection of toys to play with whenever her grown up children stopped by. and always said, "what's yer hurry?" when we had visited and it was time to leave.
i remember a number of times when we'd have thanksgiving or christmas meal at her house.. but that got to be too hard to do - her own children numbered 12, and the spouses and grandkids so filled the house it was hard for anyone to move around. any later family get togethers were done at the local foreign legion.
when i got into highschool i stayed with her a couple of times so i could continue my school year when the family went to Florida. and the time when our upstairs caught fire, i slept at her house while it was fixed.
she collected salt and pepper shakers. i remember asking if i could have one of hers but she kindly encouraged me to start my own someday.
but i already had some figurine collections of a horse, porpus, and dalmation dog families. it wasn't until i myself married that i finally bought my first salt and pepper shaker set, cats.
in later years she moved to a different house that didn't have an upstairs to make it easier for her to get around. the same house that a fellow schoolmate had lived in, and also my older sister had at one tiime lived there too.
and because one of the daughters that had lived with her had died so the income situation also required it. my grandma had let one of her sons handle the auction of so many of her belongings because all those things would not fit in the smaller house. and my mother was angry that the son, had been chosen to do it and not my dad. because he let so much of the belongings go cheaply rather than at top dollar. but then this other son was going to be living with her and not my dad.
she lived some months beyond her 91st year. because of her advancing age i went over to visit her on my own from time to time because i knew that she wouldn't be long for the world, and, i had been interested in genealogy at the time and i wanted to find out all the information that she knew. she showed me a picture of one of her brothers when he was the same age as one of my brothers at that time. the resemblance was uncanny. you'd think her brother and mine were twins.
she was my favorite grandparent. and when she died, the Lord gave me a vision. i saw her be caught up by her angel and whisked speedily to heaven.
my dad,
my dad was a handy man. i learned many techniques that guys have been surprised that i knew how to do, from him. as a matter of fact, on my highschool sat's i got a high score on mechanics because of watching and helping him while he did home improvements.
he was a sunday school teacher at the Methodist church. and when i eventually got old enough i was one of the students in his class. i was very proud of him.
he also was in the choir, singing bass. though perhaps not as talented, he sounding to me much like Tennesee Earnie Ford.
he'd sing around the house practicing those songs that he would sing next sunday.
his singing encouraged me and i eventually joined in that choir.
it was one evening when i was minus 10 yrs old, while my parents had their turn of church janitorial work that i accompanied them, while they worked, i spent my time in the sanctuary.. using the hymn books to read the words to the songs and make up my own tune when the song was not familiar to me. and while looking at the picture of Jesus in the narthex depicting rev.3:20, that i asked Jesus into my heart.
because of heart defects of some sort before he reached 64 he had a heart attack. he recovered. it was during the christmas season. and when we came to visit him, he thought i was wearing the gift he and mom had gotten me. he looked very sad, so i asked him what was wrong. he said that he understood if we wanted our presents.
but i reassured him that we had not opened our gifts, i was simply wearing a shirt that i'd already had. he felt alot better after that had been straightened out.
some month or two later when he was released we had our family christmas morning then.
he took the time to strengthen himself because he wanted to get back to work until retirement. so he was cleared by the doctor to return to work. and eventually had another deadly heart attack while there at work. he was short just a few months from being 64.
my sister,
was my favorite. she and i were the closest out of my other sisters. as she grew we eventually looked closer in age than we actually were. we'd play tennis, frisbee, go bikeriding, learn dances, listen to music, spend time at the park, go for walks uptown, etc.
some years went by.. and during delivery of twins she had complications and eventually died. my mother and oldest sister shared in raising the twins.
[2b continued]
sister in law,
wife of my favorite older brother.
her handwriting was so small and meticulous. she'd write when she and my brother were stationed in Kansas. he was in the marines. and later he became a teacher at the highschool.
i associate her with memories of spurts of learning how to quilt, and crochet. but not from her.
and some camping trips that the family took from time to time.
at some point she had a job working at the local hospitial (office work), as did my mom also get a job there. and when i had a job in that same town i rode with my mom and when my work day was finished i walked through town to the hospital to wait in the car till she got out of work. many times i'd see them walking and talking together then split and each go to the different cars.
i also have a vague memory of all family members going to get a vaccine against the swine flu.
and some years later, when i was looking for a good dentist, i called them to find out what dentist they had.
when the family was together the subject got around to me having begun attending an Assembly of God church, she asked if i'd bring out a tape of Kenneth Copeland for her to listen to. i don't know if she was interested or just curious about the whole speaking in tongues thing.
but after that day the subject was not brought up again. so i guess it was just curiosity.
some years later when the family got together for the holidays at my younger sisters - i remember that she sat directly across from me at the table in the kitchen.
that was the last time that i saw her alive. about 4 years later i found myself going to her funeral.
since she'd gone my brother has no desire to be with the family gatherings during holidays. so the recent chance of bumping into him at the grocery store meant a tremendous amount to me.
You have suffered from great losses but you have been blessed to have great people in your life....may God continue to bless you
