Tuesday, April 12, 2005
APRIL AND MAY....1990
Uncle Roger called on the 2nd of April to tell us aunt Phyllis was diagnosed with cancer….where the esophagus and stomach join. The doctors were hopeful it could be removed with surgery and she was scheduled for a CAT scan the next day. She had surgery on the 16th at 8:30 a.m. Little John celebrated his 5th birthday on the 19th and Becky took Jennifer to Canton, MO. to register Jennifer in college, where she had earned a four-year scholarship. We were very happy for her because she had worked hard to keep her grades up.
I had been keeping up with aunt Phyllis’ progress by phoning Blair every few days. The news was heartening because they were able to get it all……..she was having some difficulties after coming home which was understandable. Mom had been having more trouble with her right knee and the doctor required partial wheel chair use until it was better. She was getting over the flu and kind of down in the dumps.
Jennifer’s Senior Prom was on the 5th of May and she looked so young and fresh. She developed into a pretty girl and her emerald green formal made her look like a princess. She wore a corsage at her wrist and we took lots of pictures. A few days later she applied for a job at the Char-Broiler in West Plains and they were quite taken with her interview and put her right to work. She wanted to work all summer for college money.
We celebrated mom’s 86th birthday on the 12th and she enjoyed the meal and her gifts. Becky and Jonathan came to help make it more festive…..Jennifer had to work. Later in the afternoon, Hank came after Jonathan and Jennifer got off work so we all had birthday cake together. When Bear and I took mom back to WC the tornado siren went off and they moved everyone out of the rooms into the center of the building and closed all the doors. I called Becky and she came out and brought Dara……it had been rainy most of the day and spawned a tornado about 40-miles west of us, turning three mobile homes over. When the all clear sounded we took mom back to her room and came home…….no damage here.
Jennifer’s graduation from high-school was the 18th of May. I took the day off work to clean house and get food ready for a party afterwards. George drove down from Shawnee to see her graduate so it made it more of a “family” celebration. The graduation was held in the school gym and we went early to be sure of getting a seat. The gym was packed and there was a lot of energy and excitement flowing throughout the program. I never hear “Pomp and Circumstances” without shedding some tears. I can remember my own high school graduation as we stood in the hall by alphabetical order, waiting for the school band to play the old familiar song…..then whispers of “step…step….step” as we made our way in making sure we were stepping in rhythm.
Afterwards we welcomed our pastor and wife to celebrate the occasion and then watch Jennifer open her gifts……..it was a happy time. Now at the end of summer she would be on a journey that only she could travel. She was a product of our family but now she would be exposed to a different aspect of life. Choices without parental advice and independence without restraints. It is only then that who you are is basically how you have been taught. Will you throw it away and replace it with a grab bag of new choices or will you rely on the past disciplines? Those choices will tell more about you than words can ever say.
My birthday came on Memorial Day this year. Becky and Jennifer walked down to have breakfast with us….Jennifer had to work at noon so she would miss the dinner. We went out after mom to come for the meal and took flowers to the cemetery in the afternoon. We wandered around the family headstones as we put the flowers out, recalling sentimental or humorous things about each one. It struck me when we took her back to WC that she had never mentioned my birthday. This little woman who always made my birthdays so special didn’t even comment about it today. Her world was becoming smaller and smaller and I could see her leaving us, inch by inch. It was sad to watch and hard to accept but I knew the last separation was inevitable………
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
I had been keeping up with aunt Phyllis’ progress by phoning Blair every few days. The news was heartening because they were able to get it all……..she was having some difficulties after coming home which was understandable. Mom had been having more trouble with her right knee and the doctor required partial wheel chair use until it was better. She was getting over the flu and kind of down in the dumps.
Jennifer’s Senior Prom was on the 5th of May and she looked so young and fresh. She developed into a pretty girl and her emerald green formal made her look like a princess. She wore a corsage at her wrist and we took lots of pictures. A few days later she applied for a job at the Char-Broiler in West Plains and they were quite taken with her interview and put her right to work. She wanted to work all summer for college money.
We celebrated mom’s 86th birthday on the 12th and she enjoyed the meal and her gifts. Becky and Jonathan came to help make it more festive…..Jennifer had to work. Later in the afternoon, Hank came after Jonathan and Jennifer got off work so we all had birthday cake together. When Bear and I took mom back to WC the tornado siren went off and they moved everyone out of the rooms into the center of the building and closed all the doors. I called Becky and she came out and brought Dara……it had been rainy most of the day and spawned a tornado about 40-miles west of us, turning three mobile homes over. When the all clear sounded we took mom back to her room and came home…….no damage here.
Jennifer’s graduation from high-school was the 18th of May. I took the day off work to clean house and get food ready for a party afterwards. George drove down from Shawnee to see her graduate so it made it more of a “family” celebration. The graduation was held in the school gym and we went early to be sure of getting a seat. The gym was packed and there was a lot of energy and excitement flowing throughout the program. I never hear “Pomp and Circumstances” without shedding some tears. I can remember my own high school graduation as we stood in the hall by alphabetical order, waiting for the school band to play the old familiar song…..then whispers of “step…step….step” as we made our way in making sure we were stepping in rhythm.
Afterwards we welcomed our pastor and wife to celebrate the occasion and then watch Jennifer open her gifts……..it was a happy time. Now at the end of summer she would be on a journey that only she could travel. She was a product of our family but now she would be exposed to a different aspect of life. Choices without parental advice and independence without restraints. It is only then that who you are is basically how you have been taught. Will you throw it away and replace it with a grab bag of new choices or will you rely on the past disciplines? Those choices will tell more about you than words can ever say.
My birthday came on Memorial Day this year. Becky and Jennifer walked down to have breakfast with us….Jennifer had to work at noon so she would miss the dinner. We went out after mom to come for the meal and took flowers to the cemetery in the afternoon. We wandered around the family headstones as we put the flowers out, recalling sentimental or humorous things about each one. It struck me when we took her back to WC that she had never mentioned my birthday. This little woman who always made my birthdays so special didn’t even comment about it today. Her world was becoming smaller and smaller and I could see her leaving us, inch by inch. It was sad to watch and hard to accept but I knew the last separation was inevitable………
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
