Today is Pop’s 84th birthday! We plan on celebrating tonight with a swim, and supper, and cake! The whole family will be here with the exception of Ben, who is working with the Army cleaning up the oil spill on Dauphin Island. And, Ian, who is not able to get away from Birmingham and make it here. We will miss having them here, but we’ll just party harder to make up for missing them.
Pop, we love you. We are blessed that you lead our family. We admire you, we learn from you and we respect you.
Today would have been my parent’s 59th wedding anniversary.
Last year, on this day, they went together to the funeral home they chose to use. They had had burial plots for many years, but had made no other arrangements. And, so they spent part of the day of their last anniversary deciding on their caskets, and markers, and other such arrangements. Mom called me late in the afternoon and said, “Guess what I got for my anniversary?” I expected her to say another diamond…for her ears, or her fingers, or her neck. So when she said they had bought caskets, I was taken aback. I said, “Why in the world did y’all do that?” And, she said, “Well, we’re going to need them one day and when we do, the decisions will already be made.” She then went on to tell me that the one she choose had a soft pink lining, and she wanted to wear a deep rose colored dress and jacket that she had. She told me that it was hanging at the very end of her bedroom closet. I remember saying to her, “Well, we don’t need to be thinking about all that now.” Five days later, she died.
I still miss her terribly. Joy still misses her terribly. The grandchildren miss her terribly. All the rest of the family misses her terribly. But, Pop misses her, too. And, in a different way than I do. He misses the love of his life. He misses the woman he spent 58 years with, and raised two daughters with. He misses the woman who he travelled the world with. He misses the talks they had. He misses the missions work they did together in South America. He misses the Bible reading and prayer time they had together each morning. He misses sitting in church with her….right side, third row back. He misses helping her plant her flowers, getting the dirt in to the pots…and then watering them when she did not feel up to it. He misses getting her meds together and putting them out beside her plate every morning, and bringing them to her every night. He misses taking her car and filling the gas tank for her. He misses visiting others who were sick or sad or lonely with her. He misses her pound cakes. He misses her fixing his hair in the back where it doesn’t want to lay flat. He misses her delicious meals. He misses covering her up when she lay down on the couch next to his for their naps. He misses answering her call when she needed him during the night. He misses watching her sleep. He misses her.
In June of 2007, Joy, Mom and I took a trip together…for shopping…and eating….and laughing. We went to Birmingham first and had lunch with Ian, shopped, and spent the night there, and travelled on to Atlanta the next day. While there we visited the Market in the morning and then did some more shopping in Roswell in the afternoon. There are some great shops there, and we quickly found much that suited our fancy. We went in one shop…and I saw a beautiful hand mirror, next thing I know, Mom had bought it for me! It is one of my most favorite things. While shopping in this beautiful store, which, by the way, had a very cute baby section, Mom found a little brown rocking bunny. It really caught her eye. It had an antique look about it. She was sold! I asked her who she was buying it for…and she said she’d explain it later. Across the street, in another shop, Joy found a most beautiful theorem stencil painting. If you are not sure what that is…just know it is a very, very old and complicated way of doing stencil work. The painting was, of all things, a red bird. So, Mom bought that for Joy.
When we got to the motel and changed clothes…we brought out all our goodies! Such fun! We put on all the jewelry we had bought at Market. And, we again admired my mirror, Joy’s painting, and the bunny. Here, Joy is looking at her painting…
I showed off my jewelry and my mirror…Yes, the mirror does say ‘Queen’…..and, yes, those are crowns and scepters on my night shirt. I can’t imagine you’d think it would be anything less! 🙂 Why, even Mama knew it! 🙂
Then Mom pulled out the bunny…
Now even though this antique style bunny and chick was very cute…it really was not Mom’s style. But, she was captivated by it. And, then she told us why she bought it. “This,” she said, “is for Tara’s first baby. I am going to put it up and keep it until then.” “Awwwww,” Joy and I said. And we never thought about it again.
THEN, after Mom died, and Joy and I were going through some of her things…we found the bunny. He was wrapped in tissue paper and safely resting in the bottom drawer of a dresser…right next to 5 brand new packages of Pop’s brand of underwear. She liked to be prepared. Thinking ahead. Always ready.
Joy took it home with her…which was the wrong thing to do. Tara had her baby shower…and Joy could not find the bunny. Tara had sweet JT…and Joy couldn’t find the bunny. Christmas Day rolled around…and Joy couldn’t find the bunny. EASTER!!! EASTER came …AND JOY COULD NOT FIND THE BUNNY. Mother’s Day…and Joy could not find the bunny. I told her not to worry…we’d just give it to JT when he graduated from HIGH SCHOOL!!!
AND, THEN…she found it. We made big plans to present it to her while we were at Pop’s for Father’s Day lunch. I brought the picture, and on the way over, I called Joy to make sure she had the bunny…SHE DID NOT! She had forgotten it. “I’ll get it here,” she said. And, I knew Tommy was going to have to head back to their house to get the bunny. It was not where Joy told him it was…she had to direct him, over the phone, where to look for it. But, he got it…the plan was a go! We gathered everyone, and gave the package to Tara…
Tara opened it, and then I showed her the pic…
And here she is…with tears in her eyes…remembering her Granny, and knowing that her Granny had made plans for her years ago, before she was even thinking of having a baby. Mom knew Tara was pregnant with a boy before she died, but she never saw him…that we know of. Who knows what wonderful things God does for those who choose to live with him after this life?
Mom knew that Tara would like the bunny, but why did she buy that gift, that far in advance and make such a point of letting us know about it? And, why did I pull out the camera that night and make pictures of us in our pajamas!? I think it was all one of those co-incidences….that really aren’t. I prefer to think they are just little winks from God. And, somehow I hope Mom saw how touched Tara was…all of us, actually. Here, Joy is telling Pop the story of the bunny.
And, just “one more thing” said JT…..
“Be sure you show everyone how cute I was that day!”
And, you surely are, sweet boy! One day, I hope you pass this sweet bunny on to your first child. And, tell the story once again of “Granny and the Bunny.”
FYI: The wonderful store in Roswell is called The Chandlery……and there is a great primitive country store across the street called The American Sampler (I think). They are located on Canton Street in the historic downtown area.
Today…hot, painful, weary. [It is not today…it was yesterday…but I did not get this post finished…please just work all the details out in your mind…just remember it is yesterday…and today is tomorrow…..and I’m sure it is all as clear as mud. Welcome to my world]
I had a Dr. appointment this morning. I do not mind going to the doctor, but what I do mind is that I always have to have blood drawn. Always. Today was no exception.
Let me just say, that it is not the lab tech’s fault, but it is nigh unto impossible to get any blood out of my arms. They look at my veins and think they see good ones, but they roll and blow, and another stick follows. They always have to get at least 4 vials. …which I think is somewhere close to a half gallon, at least! I refuse to even let them come near me with anything but a ‘butterfly’ type needle…even though the new techs will try to use what they are most comfortable with…to heck with what I am the most comfortable with! “Nope, not gonna happen”, I tell them. There is only a slim chance that they are going to get some with a butterfly….and there is NO chance they are going to get some with a regular needle. And, since I am not into pain…we do it my way. I usually has to come from my hands…and even once from my ankle!
One time there was a tech who thought she knew how to stick me. I gave her my spiel and she said, “Oh, but you’ve never had ME draw your blood before…I get it the first time…everytime.” “Great,” I tell her, “I’ll give you one chance with a regular needle.” “No problem”, she said. She looked again and remarked what wonderful veins I had. HA! I was willing to put up with some extra pain just to prove her wrong. She stuck me…up near the crook of my arm. Sure enough, that vein high-tailed it out of there in a flash. “Well, where did that thing go?” she said. “You need to be still now, you made me lose that vein.” Now, we have already established that I don’t like pain, and I know how hard it is with a butterfly…so if you think I moved when she had a larger needle, you are badly mistaken. She embarked on a ‘search and destroy’ mission…and I gritted my teeth, and silently thought mean thoughts. “OK,” I told her, “that’s it. No more digging. You’ll have to try somewhere else and use a butterfly”. She looked up at me, sweat standing out on her top lip, and said, “IF you’ll cooperate, this will be over in a minute. I have never seen anybody complain like you before.” WRONG THING TO SAY TO ME! The other 2 techs who knew me, and who understood the situation, stood up and came over to my chair. That woman looked over her shoulder and said, “Don’t bother me.” All this time, she has been digging in my arm, and really, I’m about to make some noise that I’m sure would embarrass me later. But, the Lord gave me a coolness, and I looked at the tech standing closest to me, and said, “She may not want you to bother her, and that’s OK…cause I’m getting ready to scream and when I do every doctor in the building is going to come running and if they don’t, I’ll scream until they do.”
This made her very angry. She stood up…and yanked that needle out of my arm…yanked off her gloves….threw them down and left. Blood was pouring out of my arm and running down onto my clothes. The other 2 ladies hurried to help me. I was near passing out by now. They helped me out of the chair and over to a cot to lie down. I told them to go and get my doctor. They did…and obviously told him the whole story before he got there. He was appalled! I told him she could NEVER touch me again. I went home, with out them getting any blood. I came back in the next day for one of the other techs to draw the blood. The ‘tech from a hot place’ was nowhere to be seen, and I never saw her again.
That was years ago, and far away, but the memory lingers still. The ladies in the lab at my doctor’s office here know how hard it is, and they don’t even look at a larger needle. SO…I got 4 vials of blood drawn today. And, they had to get it out of my hand…and the vein blew, so I’ll have a nice blue hand by morning. (EDIT: It’s tomorrow and the hand is blue!)
You know, we are so fortunate to live in a country where there is medical help for any problem we may encounter. Someone can draw my blood today and send it to a lab and study it closely and send a report back to my doctor so that he know all sorts of things about my inner workings. My doctor had just returned from a medical mission trip to Guatemala with a team of doctors from this area. We talked about it for a while today…how we take for granted what we have because we have always had it. We do not know what it is to not be able to get to a doctor when we are sick. Even if we can not afford health care, there are clinics, and hospitals that will treat everyone regardless of their ability to pay. The people who live in other places in our world have to worry whether there is even a doctor nearby, by chance. And, if they can even get to them if there is! Oh, we are blessed. My parents have spent many, many days in Central and South America helping our Southern Baptist Missionaries. They have helped to build churches and homes. Pop helped build and set up a radio station that would serve a group of Kek’chi Indians that had never heard the gospel…or anything else! I can remember Mom telling about the time she had to be the pharmacist when she and one of the missionary wives went to a village to check on some sick. She was the only one available. And either she stepped in and did it…or it would not be done…..and the clinic would not happen that day. God always puts someone in place to do the things He needs done…how sad when those people are unwilling to do what is before them. If God chooses to use you…then He will equip you with whatever you need to get the job done. Those who give their lives in service to those in poor countries are some of the heroes we tend to forget about. The people who live there are as important to God as I am, here in the USA. He loves them just as much as He loves me. But, you and I both know, it is hard to hear anything else a person is telling you, if you are in pain. So, many times, missionaries are not able to witness of God’s love without first tending to the physical needs.
I have several friends who will be travelling to Guatemala in July with a group from another church. They will go and they will do what they can. They will do more than is asked of them. They will sacrifice their own comfort while they are there. And, they will do good, in Jesus’ name. But, they will have to come home. And, the missionaries will continue on by themselves , doing the work before them…and praying for more workers.
“Oh, Lord, make us mindful of the needs around the world. And, make us mindful, as well, of how blessed we really are.” Amen.
After recovering from Saturday, I was ready to tackle Sunday. Ian had come home from Birmingham to be here for Father’s Day. That meant all the kids would be with us.
Several weeks ago, Pop told Joy that he wanted to have everybody at his house for Father’s Day. The last time we all gathered at his house for a meal was Father’s Day, 2009. Mom died 3 weeks later. We have not all gathered together there since she died. So, we made plans to do just this. As it turned out, I had agreed to do VBS before I knew about this, and Joy had agreed to help me. So, Joy told me that if I could find someone to replace her…she would do all the cooking. Sounded like a deal to me!!! (Just kidding). My friend, Monty, agreed to come and help. That freed Joy up. And, cook she did. She has definitely inherited Mom’s talent for cooking yummy meals. She outdid herself on Sunday. Here she is with Tara.
Our sweet Lori was able to be with us after she got off work. Her hubby, Ben is at Guard this week. He has been on Dauphin Island for the past several weeks working on the barriers they are trying to get built for that awful oil that’s on the way.
And here are Ian and Suzanne acting silly!
Looks as if Adam needs lessons on holding baby boys!
We had a wonderful time visiting with each other. Ian had to leave soon after lunch to get back to Birmingham. And, we missed Ben being with us. But the time together was sweet. Here are the Fathers:
And, the newest Father in our family, Will with sweet John Thomas…
At the end of the day, Alex and I sat and talked about the day. Thankful for our Fathers, missing Mom and Granny, and reflecting on the many blessings God continues to bestow on our family. One of which is the fact that Alex was able to be with us for the day!
I am a Christian woman who has survived many years on the planet. God has blessed me with a wonderful family: husband, 3 sons, a dear DIL, and a precious grandson. I also have dear friends to keep me inspired. I am an artist of sorts and am finding my way through the great blessing of retirement. I recently retired after 20 years as a music teacher. Life is good!
My Boys
"All your sons will be taught by the Lord; and great will be their peace." Isaiah 54:13
Read their stories... Adam Alex Ian
Hello, my name is Everly. I am a blogger living in New York. This is my blog, where I post about interior design and decoration. Never miss out on new stuff.