Friday, March 11, 2005
SEPTEMBER ....1988
We left home early so as to arrive in Blair by supper time. Uncle Roger and aunt Phyllis had just come from a funeral of an old friend……and aunt Sally had come back from Colorado to attend as well. It was uncle Rod’s brother, Bob, who passed away and aunt Sally’s brother-in-law. Aunt Sally had been widowed for several years and had spent a few summers in Colorado working in one of the National Park’s gift shops. We visited until very late and then turned in. It was good to catch up on each other’s families and we would be leaving the next morning. We packed as much into the visit as we could.
The next morning we got up early but uncle Roger and aunt Phyllis insisted we stay for breakfast, which we did. Afterwards we walked next door to see the improvements Joy and Dan made on grandma’s home place. As we walked from room to room, remembering how it used to be…..a transformation had taken place that gave it a new personality. Whereas it had remained the same for most of the years grandma lived there, it now had an energy of a growing family and updated new look. They had worked long hours and did the work themselves. Dan was an excellent carpenter and Joy had a flair for designing and decorating. The house was beautiful. Joy had worked as hard with the landscaping and it complimented everything else they had done to the house.
We left by 9:00am and drove to Madison, NE. where we were to stay at Warren’s cousin’s home. Helen was a pleasant woman and her husband, Jim, came in at noon for lunch. We had a good visit with them and in the afternoon we looked up the cemetery where Warren’s dad was buried, his grandma and grandpa Rosenbaum were buried…..the house where he was born, his first church and school. It was interesting to see where he had grown up and where his roots went down. We were both second marriages and so much of our past was a mystery to each other. I felt I knew my husband better after seeing his childhood haunts.
Warren’s niece (who was the youngest daughter of his deceased sister) and her husband had been visiting at the same time, joined us with all of the stops we made. They were leaving to go home to Portland the next day but Diane was happy to see where her mother spent her young years. The King family, though large in number, was very close knit and very loving. One of the other cousins, Alta, had dinner for us, and several other family members that evening. The next day was the picnic and reunion so we visited until late in the evening and then went back to Jim and Helen’s.
The picnic was at the park and was very windy. We met each carload as they arrived and took group pictures of each family. We spent the day eating and visiting and I enjoyed listening to the wild stories Warren and his cousins told. It was a good day with lots of hugging and laughter….the Kings were all very talented, well educated and mostly farmers. They loved their land and farmed with pride and much success. They are the very fiber of what makes me proud to be a Nebraskan.
The next day we drove all over the area again, seeing new country to me. We ended with a steak dinner at a favorite restaurant of Jim and Helen’s, which was to be our last day with them. We left early the next morning, driving all day and arrived home around 7:00pm that evening. I had to work the next day so our routine clicked back into gear as if we’d never been away.
The rest of the month flew by with visits to mom or bringing her to visit with us, which she enjoyed. Becky and Jennifer usually joined us so it was a good balance for mom to be able to go back and forth. I dreaded the day she would no longer be able to come. I look back on these times with great satisfaction, knowing we did all we could to make mom’s life good in her last years. It wasn’t easy, by any means, but I knew I could do no less. How much has your mother done for you? How much impact did she make in your life? When her health fails and she can no longer do for you…..what will your decision be? Tough questions. No one can answer that until the facts present themselves. As for me, I have peace of mind because we helped mom travel those last years together, rather than having to go on an unfamiliar road, alone………..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
The next morning we got up early but uncle Roger and aunt Phyllis insisted we stay for breakfast, which we did. Afterwards we walked next door to see the improvements Joy and Dan made on grandma’s home place. As we walked from room to room, remembering how it used to be…..a transformation had taken place that gave it a new personality. Whereas it had remained the same for most of the years grandma lived there, it now had an energy of a growing family and updated new look. They had worked long hours and did the work themselves. Dan was an excellent carpenter and Joy had a flair for designing and decorating. The house was beautiful. Joy had worked as hard with the landscaping and it complimented everything else they had done to the house.
We left by 9:00am and drove to Madison, NE. where we were to stay at Warren’s cousin’s home. Helen was a pleasant woman and her husband, Jim, came in at noon for lunch. We had a good visit with them and in the afternoon we looked up the cemetery where Warren’s dad was buried, his grandma and grandpa Rosenbaum were buried…..the house where he was born, his first church and school. It was interesting to see where he had grown up and where his roots went down. We were both second marriages and so much of our past was a mystery to each other. I felt I knew my husband better after seeing his childhood haunts.
Warren’s niece (who was the youngest daughter of his deceased sister) and her husband had been visiting at the same time, joined us with all of the stops we made. They were leaving to go home to Portland the next day but Diane was happy to see where her mother spent her young years. The King family, though large in number, was very close knit and very loving. One of the other cousins, Alta, had dinner for us, and several other family members that evening. The next day was the picnic and reunion so we visited until late in the evening and then went back to Jim and Helen’s.
The picnic was at the park and was very windy. We met each carload as they arrived and took group pictures of each family. We spent the day eating and visiting and I enjoyed listening to the wild stories Warren and his cousins told. It was a good day with lots of hugging and laughter….the Kings were all very talented, well educated and mostly farmers. They loved their land and farmed with pride and much success. They are the very fiber of what makes me proud to be a Nebraskan.
The next day we drove all over the area again, seeing new country to me. We ended with a steak dinner at a favorite restaurant of Jim and Helen’s, which was to be our last day with them. We left early the next morning, driving all day and arrived home around 7:00pm that evening. I had to work the next day so our routine clicked back into gear as if we’d never been away.
The rest of the month flew by with visits to mom or bringing her to visit with us, which she enjoyed. Becky and Jennifer usually joined us so it was a good balance for mom to be able to go back and forth. I dreaded the day she would no longer be able to come. I look back on these times with great satisfaction, knowing we did all we could to make mom’s life good in her last years. It wasn’t easy, by any means, but I knew I could do no less. How much has your mother done for you? How much impact did she make in your life? When her health fails and she can no longer do for you…..what will your decision be? Tough questions. No one can answer that until the facts present themselves. As for me, I have peace of mind because we helped mom travel those last years together, rather than having to go on an unfamiliar road, alone………..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
