It appears in front of me once again.  Filled to the brim with the oddest assortment of ‘stuff’.  Cornmeal, yogurt in little pouches, 2 pints of chocolate milk, and a 1/2 bag of carrots!  Yesterday it was a canister of rolled oats, a jar of peanut butter, a bottle of pancake syrup, a canister of chocolate bars, and a box of rice.  Last week it contained a box of aluminum foil, squeeze bottle of mustard, a box of macaroni, a loaf of bread and a can of peas.

When Levi was just beginning to walk, he went with me to The Dollar General store.  There was a plastic grocery cart that he immediately latched onto.  He was in heaven!  He pushed that little cart for all he was worth…filling it with various things that were within his reach.  When time came to go, he was heartbroken over having to leave that cart in the store.  I’ve never seen him before or since carry on about wanting something so bad.  In fact, I felt so bad for breaking his little heart, that when he left to go home, I went back to the store and bought him one.  In a box.  Brand new.  It was very cheaply made…I hoped it would last.  If not, I could buy a well made one from the toy store.

I wanted to put it together, so he would see it when he came the next day.  There it was…purple basket, orange undercarriage, and turquoise wheels!  All the parts were there and soon it was together!  I could hardly wait for him to see it and push it and gather things in it!  I could just imagine the look on his face.  And, him coming to me and saying, “Lulu, you are the best!  Thank you for this wonderful cart.  Thank you for giving me my heart’s desire!  I will love you forever!”   Well, it wouldn’t sound like that, because he couldn’t talk then, but I would be able to read the emotion behind his eyes!  I set it in the middle of the studio and waited for the next morning.

He came in the door and gave me a big hug as always.  Then into the studio he went.  He saw the cart and went straight to it.  Not a word was spoken.  He took it by the handle and began to push…all the way around the table.  Then he began to fill it up…little cars, colorful blocks, books, balls.  He pushed them around a few times then took them out and refilled it.  Still not a sound.

However, the next sound I heard was plenty loud enough!  It was a cry of despair.  I looked up quickly and there he was…and there was the cart.  But, the cart was now in 3 pieces!  He was heart broken.  I rushed to see what I could do.  Nothing was broken…pieces would just not fit together anymore.  What was supposed to fit inside of another piece was either too big or too small. I’m guessing it was fine until he put too much in it and then it collapsed.  I told him I would get him another one.  He cried louder.  And louder.

And, so, being the resourceful Lulu that I am, I got out the duct tape.  That will fix anything.  Unfortunately, all I happened to have was a roll that had a big checkerboard design on it.  Not to worry, it would hold it together long enough for me to get a new cart.

 I taped for a while and he waited and watched.  And, soon he was on his way again.  Happily filling it up with strange pairings of objects, taking them for a spin around the studio, and putting them back.

He was barely two when that cart came to live at our house.  He has pushed it every. single.  day.  After the duct tape surgery, it has held up remarkably well.  Never even offering to come apart again.  It has carried small loads and big loads.  It has carried items that make sense being carried and those that don’t.  It has waited patiently for a little boy’s whims to hit and has been ready to partner with him in his escapades.

About a year ago, he began grocery shopping.  Because the shelves in my pantry go to the floor…and his legs have gotten longer…he can imagine he’s in a real grocery store.  And, he goes grocery shopping every day he’s at my house.  I am the grocery clerk, of course.  And he is the shopper.  He says I have to welcome him to the store.  Then after his shopping, I ask him if he found all he needed.  He always does.  Then we check him out, he uses his credit card, and I bag the groceries.  Then I remind him to drive safely and remember to put all the groceries away in the pantry when he gets home.  You know…he always does, too.  Well, they’re in the pantry…not always on the right shelf.  (Can you spy his credit card in the cart?  An old motel key card works great!)

And, the grocery cart…held together with duct tape…will then sit quietly until the mood to shop strike again.  Or until Olaf, and Mickey Mouse, and the orange frog get ready to go for a ride.  Or until his 5043 little cars decide they want to race in the den.  It is probably the thing he plays with more often than anything else he has!  I have never been able to bring myself to get a new one.  That sad little cart has become a fixture in our play.  And, we both love it…just as it is.

LESSONS LEARNED:

We don’t need to be the prettiest or fanciest to get the job done.

Broken things have their own beauty.

The first annual BOO-GA-LOO CAMP is history.  But, history that is bound to be relived and talked about for a while to come.  Because family is so important and I don’t get to spend as much time as I would like with mine…I decided that the big girls and the little boys would have a special few days together.  Why ‘Boogaloo’, you may ask?  Well, it had to have a name.  And, the Boogaloo (bugaloo) is a fast paced dance with wild, crazy movements…. and with these little guys around, we ‘re nothing if we are not fast, wild and crazy!  So Boogaloo it is.  I also changed the spelling to my liking…because I don’t want it called the ‘bug’aloo camp.  Cause bugs…not invited!

Joy and I arrived a day early to rest and reserve our strength for what we knew was going to be a wild weekend.  We were wise to do so!  However, I did have one small project for us to do.  We bought pavers and sorta/kinda laid a walkway between the house (The Sandcastle) and the trailer (The Flamingo).  We had to wait until it was almost dark for it to be cool enough for us to work outside.   And, late afternoon…prime mosquito time!   It wasn’t exactly perfect …but it worked well enough that the boys did not have to walk through the sand spurs to go back and forth.

The crew arrived and the first order of business was discussing all the activities that were to follow. Oh, yes!  Arts and crafts, swimming, sunning, bumper boats, story time, water fun, go carts, and donuts, of course!  We blew up a big pool for the boys to play with their new water squirters and boats and cars.  While we girls sat around and visited.

After a meal out, we turned in…praying for a sunny tomorrow…with NO rain!  The next day was our planned time on the beach.  And, wow! we could not have ordered a more gorgeous day.  Perfection!.

The boys and girls rode the waves, gathered shells, and floated in the glorious ocean under a blazing sun!  Joy and I sat in the shade of a giant umbrella and enjoyed the show!  Back at the Sandcastle, we got in a little art work.  Painting, stamping, building boats…puzzles, cars, and games.

Levi even got a lesson in Solitaire from Aunt Joy!

After a night’s rest, we were up and ready to go again…this time to the Water Park.  Oh, the boys love it here!  There are fountains popping up from the ground to run through and glorious misters to stand in.  The kid’s pool is only 2 feet deep and it is huge!  There’s 2 slides and all sorts of water fun.  There is also an olympic sized pool with obstacles to run.  And around it all are ledges for the older folks to rest…’cause the little boys don’t stop when they get there…until it’s time to eat.  Also lots of covered picnic tables to escape from the sun for a while.

After a little rest, we went to a wonderful place to eat…Boondocks.    After dinner came go-cart time!  This was our promise to Levi.  And, then we had to scout out some shells.   This was our promise to John Thomas….he has a shell collection…and there really aren’t many to be found on the beaches.  Found a great place, and the boys were going strong.  Joy and I, however, were fading fast.  So we switched up cars.  They went for ice cream and Joy and I went back to the Sandcastle.

Plans were to head to the beach for some crab hunting, but Levi came in the house in his Mother’s arms…already deep in dreamland.  So that’s on our list for next year!

The crew left out by noon on Sunday.  But Joy and I needed a day to recuperate.  They all left and by 2:00 we were both napping!  Revived, we did a little shopping, a little visiting, and a little eating.  We finished cleaning the next morning and were home early afternoon.

What an amazing few days together we had! Time focused just on family and fun.  And building memories for the boys.  I think both boys were sad their dads were not along.  It makes me happy that Will and Adam spend such quality time with their sons that they want them along wherever the fun is!  Such good daddies! But, this trip was for us girls!

We are so thankful that God granted us these days to laugh, and read and sing and dance and play and swim and rest at night!  God is good to us and His blessings can never be counted.  It is He who established the family.  And, it is He who blesses ours.

Born to Donald and Tonja Owens…Adam Ryan Owens…6/3/75…9 pounds!  

My eldest, my heart…you have struggled and overcome.  You have the kindest soul and a genuine love for those who are suffering.  You help these people everyday with courage and wisdom and compassion.  This mother’s heart overflows with happiness.  I am so proud of you.  What a fine husband you are, a loving father to Levi, and a blessing to all of us in the family.  I love you.  Happy 40 th!

There are wonderful mothers in most families,,,mine included.  These are the women who help lay the groundwork for the way you were raised.   Much of what you and your grandchildren are taught to respect and hold dear, comes from the mothers who have moved on to another place.  I can joyfully say these women who have physically left this earth are in heaven and waiting for me to join them there.  How blessed I am to come from such a legacy.  Here then is a gathering of the mothers who helped shape me.

My mother’s mother…Annie Mariah Tew Merritt….when I was just a baby…

Here she is a few years before she passed away…Granny Merritt…

Here is the sweet mother of my Daddy…  Ester Lillian Hallman Townsend…..Granny T…

And this is a picture of Don’s Daddy’s mother…she passed early in our marriage…Ola Owens…

Sitting with my young boys is my mother in law and Don’s mother Sarah Elizabeth Meadows Owens…..

Elizabeth Owens…she was a kind and gentle soul who loved her Lord and her family greatly…..

Here is my mother a day after I was born…Elosise Merritt Townsend….

With me, ready for church….

With her grandchildren, Ian,Lori, Alex, Adam, Tara, who learned and loved so much from her…

With Joy and I on one of our fun trips together…

My beautiful mother, whom I miss every day….

Joy and I holding our precious grandsons….Levi Hampton Owens, and John Thomas Bush

My Sister, with her children…Joy Annette Townsend McKibben with Lori and Tara

Me, with my children…Tonja Lynn Townsend Owens…with Alex, Ian, Adam…

And the next generation….Tara Suzanne McKibben Bush with John Thomas

Suzanne Michelle Horne Owens with Levi…

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

What a whirlwind my life has been the past few days.  On Tuesday night, I got a call that our dear Aunt Marie Pope had passed away.  She was in the hospital originally for bronchitis, but then the kidneys and her heart became involved.  She passed without too much suffering…and I rejoice to say she had secured her place in Heaven long ago!

Joy, Pop and I made plans to fly up as soon as we got the details.  So very early Thursday morning, we boarded a flight from Dothan to Raleigh.  Ian was going too, so he flew from Birmingham to Atlanta, and met us there.  Then we flew on to Raleigh, where Ian had rented us a car.  We drove about an hour to get to Clinton.  The visitation was that night, so we had flowers to pick out and other business to take care of.  But, we were ready and at the funeral home at 6:00.  It was a sad time, because the whole family loved Aunt Marie so dearly, but it was a wonderful blessing to see so many of my family who I had not seen in years.

We were pretty tired so we went back to the motel and got some sleep.  But up early the next morning to get ready for funeral.  We left a little early…Pop wanted to visit the cemetery where some of the people he served in the Navy with and their family are buried.  Then we went to the Rowan Church cemetery where my Grandparents are buried…and where Mom and Pop were married….in the church, not the cemetery.

The ladies of the Epwoth Methodist Church had prepared a wonderful meal for us at the church prior to the funeral.  Amazing food.  While we waited for the funeral to begin, we took the opportunity to make pictures of as many family groups as we could.

….Cheryl, Uncle Elwood Merritt, Aunt Betty, Debbie  (missing son,Woody)…this is Mother’s brother

….Tony, Jeannie, Kay, Kim (Warren family…my mother’s sister Della Mae, and Uncle Jefferson…both deceased)

….Uncle Charles Pearson, Aunt Evelyn, Uncle Elwood, Aunt Betty, Pop

Jennifer Pope (married to DeLeon, Aunt Marie’s grandson) and Charlotte Pope (Aunt Marie’s daughter-in law, married to Harry, deceased)

…DeLeon Pope, son of Harry, grandson of Aunt Marie) Lisa Pearson (daughter of Charles and Evelyn)  Ian Owens ( son of Tonja)

….Lori Pearson (daughter in law of Evelyn) Aunt Evelyn Pearson ( Mother’s sister)

….Uncle Elwood and Pop

….Ian, Clyde Townsend, and Nicholas Pope (son of Harry and grandson of Aunt Marie)

Tonja Owens and Ian Owens

….Group picture of cousins, (first and second…Missing Chris who was a pallbearer)

We then attended the service, which was beautiful.  It included a heartfelt letter written to her by her grandson, DeLeon, beautiful music, words by the pastors.  We were all reminded again just how special Aunt Marie was to all of us.  She loved and cared for everyone in her path.  So many people loved her, as was evidenced by the packed church.  This is a country church and the cemetery was right across the road.  We walked over, in bitter cold and wind, to hear scripture and prayers by the pastor.  But, quickly, we hurried back over to the church fellowship all to greet friends.

Someone sat down at a table, and slowly…it filled up as more and more of the family pulled up chairs.  What a beautiful picture of ‘family’…expanding and letting others in…and closing the gap when one moves on.  Thanks, Ian for capturing this.

We left the church and all gathered at Aunt Marie’s house.  This little cottage has been her home ever since she was married at 15 years of age.  It has changed little over the years.  It’s tiny…with a small kitchen and 2 bedrooms, one bath.  Amazing the food that could come out of that kitchen!  Food fit for royalty.  And, she had always just cooked something anytime you may happen by.  She could move like a magician there.  Stove in front…sink in back, one of those old long porcelain sinks with the drain slabs built into each side.  She could stand there and reach almost anything she needed and never leave her spot!

I must say, walking into to her house…even though it was full of family…was a cold feeling.  For no matter how many people were filling up her tiny kitchen and den…she would leave where she was and go and greet them and tell them to come and get something to eat!  The light was not there anymore…the warmth…the “Shug, don’t you want something to eat…I know you’re hungry?”   Some of us sat in her living room..a very unusual thing.  It was for show…not visiting.  But we had to split up due to the number of folks there.  We reminisced about the dining table…how it used to look so big!  And how we as children only got fed after the adults were finished.  Oh, and memories poured.  Then we began getting reacquainted with one another and catching up on each other’s lives and children.  It had been a very long time since I had seen them.  They of course see each other more often as they all live fairly close…but Joy and I had lots to hear about!  More pics, too…

all the first cousins minus Tony and Woody…at least we got Chris in this one!

….Chris and Lisa, brother and sister, and Chris’s wife, Lori 

And, we hugged and cried and said our goodbyes.  And, walked out into the the cold night air to go back to our motel.  We had an early flight…and a long ride to the airport.

All in all for the Townsend family, our trip to Clinton and back took exactly 60 hours.  But, oh, the tears, and joys, and hugs that were crammed into them!

A beautiful wreath of fresh flowers on Aunt Marie’s front door gave passerby’s the information that someone very special lived here.  But, almost everybody that traveled highway 701 knew the Popes!

We walked around her little house earlier in the day and remembered.

This was, for Joy and I, the place we learned that there was a different way of life that the one we lived in Dothan, AL.  This is where we learned about getting up too early, and going to ‘work’ with Uncle Arthur Lee.  We’d ride to the store and get a pack of ‘nabs’ and a mountain dew…and call it breakfast!  (If mother only knew!)  Then we drove all over the area to pick up the ‘hands’.  Back to the field to pick tobacco, or hang tobacco, or stack tobacco,  (Probably don’t have those terms right)  Then we had to go and check other barns to see of there were any problems with them.  And, when we were older, he put us to work to do some of those things ourselves.  Don’t remember that that lasted too long, though!  So, we just rode all morning…called it working…and got filthy!  But, it was nothing short of wonderful!  And, so different from the life we lived in Dothan.  Granny Merritt and Aunt Marie would start cooking when we left before day.  Getting lunch ready!  And, it was a feast, let me tell you!  Harry and Uncle Arthur and maybe one or two others would eat an enormous amount of food…then relax and watch All My Children…and back out to do it all again.  Joy and I tended to stay home for the afternoon!  We learned about combines and tobacco pickers, and tractors in general.  We learned about people who work the land for a living.

….Marie, Della, Eloise, Evelyn

….Grandmother and Grandaddy Merritt at home in Wilmington

….Aunt Marie and Eloise

We went to Vacation Bible School in the same church Aunt Marie was buried in .  We went to church on Sunday.  And, when we weren’t in the fields or eating…there were always beans to snap, or peas to shell or corn to shuck or some unknown food source to be dealt with.  Didn’t mind the shelling…didn’t ike the picking!  And, always…ALWAYS…lots of family dropping in several times a day!  It was a time of playing with cousins, learning from my grandmother, and Aunt Marie, and visiting with the Warrens and Pearsons, and Merritts ,as well!  Little community stores dotted the road…with delightful offerings for a hot, thirsty child. And, there were always chickens…millions of chickens at the Warrens, and goats and pigs…BIG pigs…along with cows and donkeys.  We would usually move around a little to see everyone a while.  It was an idyllic part of our childhood.

So many memories in those yards  between Aunt Marie’s house and Granny Merritt’s trailer, and up the road and down the road.

But, yesterday…the trailer is gone…only the steps remain…and the little house where Granny stored some outside things.  No one lives there anymore.  The birds are not in the trees, because the bird feeders are empty and gone and the flower gardens are not dug up and spaced around so nicely. This land has long since finished being dug up, planted, swept up, lived on by our Granny.

But something is coming to life there.  Something is budding out and getting ready to enjoy the bright wonderful world.  Planted by loving hands…long stilled…but growing and blooming still and bringing beauty to an empty yard full of dead leaves and grass.  Just as our memories bring beauty to our hearts when we remember.

And, even though Aunt Marie’s house is still and quiet…there is the love and care we felt from her oozing out every window and door!  We will never drive past her house without feeling it and remembering how great it was to be loved by her.

And, just look at THIS house…in her front yard tree awaiting a new family who will sing the songs of joy to the Father that she used to sing.  How fitting!

And, a few pictures from several years ago of all the brothers and sisters together before some of them moved to Heaven.

….These following were made in Dothan, 9/8/07

….Harry,( Aunt Marie’s son, deceased), Tonja, Lisa, Joy

Rest in Peace, Aunt Marie.  We are all better people for having known you,  better for having learned from you, and better for being loved by you.  You remain forever in our hearts.