Monday, February 07, 2005
THE REST OF SEPTEMBER....1986
The rest of September was less than perfect. After coming home from such a nice vacation it’s a hard fact that everything needs to be done at once. I first went to see mom who came through very well without our visits. She and Emma were good buddies and mom hardly missed us. She said the week went fast. I was happy….guilt trips are not good.
I then caught a bug that made me miserable for one week-end and most of the following week. I kept working because I always drag to work if I can. It’s the guilt thing I mentioned. I feel like I should go unless I have a broken bone or heart attack. I’ve never felt comfortable staying home for some of the reasons I’ve heard in the past. “Well, I was sick….sick of working, so I took a few days off.” I have to look at myself in the mirror and if I would have to look at those lying eyes of mine, I couldn’t deal with that. If I was home sick….I was home, sick.
About the time I was feeling better we had some bad news. One of Warren’s uncles died back in California and Warren’s sister found out her cancer had returned. It was tough news…..Delores had been clear of cancer for a short while. Uncle Hurley was a family favorite. A very colorful character, he was. Warren’s mother was the only girl in a family of six brothers. Uncle Hurley left the farm in Nebraska as soon as he could put one foot in front of the other, as they say. He had several wives over the years and was quite the ladies man.
The reason all of the little nieces and nephews enjoyed his visits was because he would always take them to town and buy them an ice-cream cone. In the 20’s and 30’s…..that was an offer that didn’t roll around every day. He told them wild stories of his adventures and Warren idolized him. He loved the travels he spoke of and the way he dressed in fine clothes…..Warren wanted to grow up and be like uncle Hurley. He wanted to see the world, not just the United States.
Delores was to undergo treatments for her cancer and we were full of hope. She had breast cancer initially but now the cancer came back in other areas. She and her family lived in Seattle, Washington so we knew we wouldn’t be able to see her very often. She and her husband had four pretty, young girls and we just couldn’t give in to the fact that she might not make it. Time would tell.
Later in the month we picked mom up at WC and drove to West Plains where we had a good breakfast and then planned going on to Gassville, AR. to see aunt Beulah. On an impulse we turned off the road before you get to the ferry that takes cars across Lake Norfork and wound our way down to the Lake’s edge. We had all spent many times there with Dad and Louis and different ones …..there were lots of memories in that old familiar place. We sat there laughing a bit about some of the times and finally fell silent…each of us lost in our own thoughts.
After dinner with aunt Beulah we settled down for a good visit with her and her friend, LaDonne, who came quite often to play cards with aunt Beulah. They were both widowed and enjoyed each others company. We all felt like LaDonne was part of the family. The next day, after our visit in Arkansas, aunt Mary (mom’s younger sister) called to tell us she was going into the hospital for surgery for blockage where the large and small intestines come together. It was cancer. She had breast cancer surgery some time before and now it came back in her intestines. Uncle Buster called later to let us know she came through all right but they couldn’t get it all. There was nothing else they could do.
We went out to tell mom and she took it pretty good but they were very close and it was a worry for her. Mom and aunt Mary were only 27-months apart and had grown up together almost like twins. We were glad to see September slip away…it seemed like after our good visit with John and Barbara and her parents the first week…..it all went downhill. The older ones in our family were beginning to fall victim to illnesses or diseases that couldn’t be contained. It was a harsh reminder that we are not infallible. Life is a gift…but there is a time-line that goes along with that……and most of us don’t know when the time is up. As aunt Mary said when I spoke with her on the phone…. “Don’t worry Esther….it’s all right. Death is a very real part of living………”
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
I then caught a bug that made me miserable for one week-end and most of the following week. I kept working because I always drag to work if I can. It’s the guilt thing I mentioned. I feel like I should go unless I have a broken bone or heart attack. I’ve never felt comfortable staying home for some of the reasons I’ve heard in the past. “Well, I was sick….sick of working, so I took a few days off.” I have to look at myself in the mirror and if I would have to look at those lying eyes of mine, I couldn’t deal with that. If I was home sick….I was home, sick.
About the time I was feeling better we had some bad news. One of Warren’s uncles died back in California and Warren’s sister found out her cancer had returned. It was tough news…..Delores had been clear of cancer for a short while. Uncle Hurley was a family favorite. A very colorful character, he was. Warren’s mother was the only girl in a family of six brothers. Uncle Hurley left the farm in Nebraska as soon as he could put one foot in front of the other, as they say. He had several wives over the years and was quite the ladies man.
The reason all of the little nieces and nephews enjoyed his visits was because he would always take them to town and buy them an ice-cream cone. In the 20’s and 30’s…..that was an offer that didn’t roll around every day. He told them wild stories of his adventures and Warren idolized him. He loved the travels he spoke of and the way he dressed in fine clothes…..Warren wanted to grow up and be like uncle Hurley. He wanted to see the world, not just the United States.
Delores was to undergo treatments for her cancer and we were full of hope. She had breast cancer initially but now the cancer came back in other areas. She and her family lived in Seattle, Washington so we knew we wouldn’t be able to see her very often. She and her husband had four pretty, young girls and we just couldn’t give in to the fact that she might not make it. Time would tell.
Later in the month we picked mom up at WC and drove to West Plains where we had a good breakfast and then planned going on to Gassville, AR. to see aunt Beulah. On an impulse we turned off the road before you get to the ferry that takes cars across Lake Norfork and wound our way down to the Lake’s edge. We had all spent many times there with Dad and Louis and different ones …..there were lots of memories in that old familiar place. We sat there laughing a bit about some of the times and finally fell silent…each of us lost in our own thoughts.
After dinner with aunt Beulah we settled down for a good visit with her and her friend, LaDonne, who came quite often to play cards with aunt Beulah. They were both widowed and enjoyed each others company. We all felt like LaDonne was part of the family. The next day, after our visit in Arkansas, aunt Mary (mom’s younger sister) called to tell us she was going into the hospital for surgery for blockage where the large and small intestines come together. It was cancer. She had breast cancer surgery some time before and now it came back in her intestines. Uncle Buster called later to let us know she came through all right but they couldn’t get it all. There was nothing else they could do.
We went out to tell mom and she took it pretty good but they were very close and it was a worry for her. Mom and aunt Mary were only 27-months apart and had grown up together almost like twins. We were glad to see September slip away…it seemed like after our good visit with John and Barbara and her parents the first week…..it all went downhill. The older ones in our family were beginning to fall victim to illnesses or diseases that couldn’t be contained. It was a harsh reminder that we are not infallible. Life is a gift…but there is a time-line that goes along with that……and most of us don’t know when the time is up. As aunt Mary said when I spoke with her on the phone…. “Don’t worry Esther….it’s all right. Death is a very real part of living………”
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
