Tuesday, November 02, 2004
MAY AND JUNE....1982
Aunt Mary and aunt Sally came to visit mom a couple of days before we went to New Orleans. When we came home, mom had gone back to Blair with them for a short visit. On Friday, May 28th, we loaded the car and drove to Blair for a stopover on our way to Warren’s high school reunion. Mom and aunt Mary surprised us with a birthday supper for me. We spent the evening visiting and catching up on family news. The next day we left early to drive north to Warren’s old home town, Newman Grove, NE. It is about an hour and a half north of Blair. It was Warren’s 40th reunion and we stayed with a cousin of his and went on to the school auditorium for the dinner and program.
Newman Grove is an old town with a lot of history. Warren grew up in that town and remembered everyone he saw. It was a banner evening for him to catch up with old classmates and laugh over their travels, since. Sadly, of course, some were missing and some had passed away. It is a fact that one faces when you attend any function after a number of years….some faces will be missing and missed. Life goes on and you are forced to except the inevitable. The ranks grow smaller with each passing year.
On Sunday the King family had a reunion for the evening meal so that Warren and I could visit with everyone in one place. His mother’s family was quite large and were pleasant and sociable. The gathering was in the basement of the Methodist Church where most of them attended on a regular basis. At the time we were there, the King family count was 65. All of Warren’s cousins had grown up on the farm and eventually took their father’s farm over as each dad passed away. They had huge farming operations of all sorts and it was interesting to listen to them talk about their farms. It was obvious they loved what they did. Warren grew up hating anything about farming so he knew as soon as he could, he would leave to make his mark somewhere else.
The next day we went on to Albion, NE. to visit his father’s side of the family and had the opportunity to visit with several cousins there. We stayed one more day in Newman Grove and then drove back to Blair. We took mom, aunt Mary and Sadie (their cousin) out for dinner and enjoyed another visit with them. We left the next day to come back home and mom came with us. She had been staying with us most of the time after her first trip home from Blair. This time she decided she would try housekeeping again in her own home. She was naturally a little apprehensive but I’m sure was ready for some peace and quiet. I checked on her by phone a couple of times and she came down for mid-morning coffee but after that she was in her own element and content.
My vacation was over and time for me to go back to work. Everyone was happy to see me back and it was nice to be in a routine again. As much as I enjoy travel it is always good to come back home….my bed, my kitchen…..my, my, my. I don’t think that is a bad thing….I have always loved my little home and the things within. In all these years since, it has become a house of memories. Each item is a treasure of a happy time shared in the past, be it family or friends. As I look at the items and care for them each day I take comfort in knowing that I am the keeper of family possessions passed down from great-grandmother, to grandmother, to mother and to me.
One day they will all go to my children who will enjoy them for a while before they are passed on to their children. I was raised to love simple things and to be content with what I had….mom and dad would be proud to know that I am.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Newman Grove is an old town with a lot of history. Warren grew up in that town and remembered everyone he saw. It was a banner evening for him to catch up with old classmates and laugh over their travels, since. Sadly, of course, some were missing and some had passed away. It is a fact that one faces when you attend any function after a number of years….some faces will be missing and missed. Life goes on and you are forced to except the inevitable. The ranks grow smaller with each passing year.
On Sunday the King family had a reunion for the evening meal so that Warren and I could visit with everyone in one place. His mother’s family was quite large and were pleasant and sociable. The gathering was in the basement of the Methodist Church where most of them attended on a regular basis. At the time we were there, the King family count was 65. All of Warren’s cousins had grown up on the farm and eventually took their father’s farm over as each dad passed away. They had huge farming operations of all sorts and it was interesting to listen to them talk about their farms. It was obvious they loved what they did. Warren grew up hating anything about farming so he knew as soon as he could, he would leave to make his mark somewhere else.
The next day we went on to Albion, NE. to visit his father’s side of the family and had the opportunity to visit with several cousins there. We stayed one more day in Newman Grove and then drove back to Blair. We took mom, aunt Mary and Sadie (their cousin) out for dinner and enjoyed another visit with them. We left the next day to come back home and mom came with us. She had been staying with us most of the time after her first trip home from Blair. This time she decided she would try housekeeping again in her own home. She was naturally a little apprehensive but I’m sure was ready for some peace and quiet. I checked on her by phone a couple of times and she came down for mid-morning coffee but after that she was in her own element and content.
My vacation was over and time for me to go back to work. Everyone was happy to see me back and it was nice to be in a routine again. As much as I enjoy travel it is always good to come back home….my bed, my kitchen…..my, my, my. I don’t think that is a bad thing….I have always loved my little home and the things within. In all these years since, it has become a house of memories. Each item is a treasure of a happy time shared in the past, be it family or friends. As I look at the items and care for them each day I take comfort in knowing that I am the keeper of family possessions passed down from great-grandmother, to grandmother, to mother and to me.
One day they will all go to my children who will enjoy them for a while before they are passed on to their children. I was raised to love simple things and to be content with what I had….mom and dad would be proud to know that I am.
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
