9:55 p.m. - Monday May 31, 2004
Memorandum 2004
On this day people remember those fallen veterans who have protected us and served their country willingly and with integrity. I am proud to say both my grandfather and father served proudly. My dad was in the Navy CBs they were the first wave after recon to build portable bridges and such to prepare for then infantry. Scary stuff. He served in WWII. My grandfather was a Lt. Col. Offered a full Col. but turned it down, I don�t have a clue why but he did. He ever worked in the pentagon for a while. Gram never talked about him as he brought her to the farm and dumped her there and had a mistress which she did know about but he was always gone. Since she never talked about it I don�t know how she felt. He did come home to retired and farm a little bit before he died. My dad lived next door to her to take care of her. I hardly remember my Grampa, he was pretty sick by the time I was old enough to remember him. I have fond bits and pieces of him playing with me. I do remember the love I had for him and wasn�t in the least afraid of him even thought as he got sicker **hardening of the arteries, whatever that is** he didn�t have him mind about him and sometimes he would hold my hand too tight but Gram was always there to make sure he never did. I also remember that he loved me too. My Dad told me he would give him hell when he would try to discipline us. Gooo Grampa! That Grampa was the only one I knew and he was married to my Gram who I have such fond memories of, the one who had a big hand in raising me.
Not only is this day for honoring just our service people but for remembering those we loved who are no longer with us. Here are a few of those who I am thinking of today. I really don�t do the whole cemetery thing but I like to think of them. Let us begin with my Gram�
Gram taught me how to make bread, and cinnamon bread and cinnamon rolls and how to crochet. I remember sitting on the back of her chair doing her hair. I was little, she would let me climb up there and sit on her shoulders/chair back and play with her hair. Sometimes she would wash it and I would put rollers in it,,, not sure how good I did back then but she always liked it. She would let me play for hours.. Sometimes she would set it and I would brush it out for her. I remember doing �shows� for her, sometimes my cousins, nieces and nephews would get together and practice some skits I guess you would call it and then perform for Gram. She was always tickled to watch. Sometimes in the winter we would take newspapers and sprinkle them with her sprinkle bottle that she used for ironing and roll them tight to make logs to burn in the fire place. They worked well too then we would bring in wood if we had some. On Friday nights my Aunt Cathern would come up and play cards with us. When I was just very young I would watch HEE HAW with my Uncle that was cool too. When I got older we played a game call Dirty on you Neighbor which is sorta like crazy 8�s. In this card game Kings reversed, 8�s skipped, 2�s were draw 2, Jack�s changed the suit, and jokers were draw fours. I guess it was a lot like Uno too. First we would eat ice cream and then play cards. My Grams kitchen was the greatest place in the whole wide world. There used to be a chalk board over by the door with a black mat rug thing in front of the door. Gram had this dog that was sweet her name was Trisha we called her Trishy she was black and white with black freckles on her muzzle. I loved her. We would let her in and she would have to stay on the rug till her feet dried and we called her off. She was a good dog. She woke Gram the morning her house burnt, saved her life I am thinking. It was a wonderful life. Gram passed away at 99 years of age in Jan of 2002. She did at one time tell me of an uncle of hers that lived to be over 104 yr. old. I was sad to see she was only 6 mo. of missing her 100th birthday. She told me she was going to live to be over a 100. I know she gave it her best shot. I loved her so very much.
Gram�s daughter Cathern was also another person I admired and loved very much. She was my Dad�s sister who smoked horrible but I loved her anyways. She kept everything very very neat and tidy and lived in a trailer with a big addition. She had cool things to play with, not many but this cool little peggy thing that you could build towns with. I thought it was very cool. She lived across from a little store that had penny candy, and I do mean penny. We could get a whole little brown bag full for a quarter. OHH that was the high life!!! She passed away quite a few years ago, don�t recall the exact number maybe like 10 or there abouts. She had lung cancer,, surprise surprise! She did do lots of stuff for us, we would go to see her Christmas tree every year and I can remember a couple of times she would give us presents but I don�t remember what they were. I remember loving her bunches too.
I was about 16 when one of my friends was killed in a car accident the day of our family reunion. She was a great person we hung out in band together. **there was a whole group of us** I had a terrible time with that. She was young and young people aren�t to die. David was there for me,, and her brother and us girls got each other through it. She was pretty and the first person that I knew that died young.
David�s mom, she passed away from cancer about 2 springs ago. This was the second Mother�s Day this year without her. She was a great lady! I think she might have liked me. I know I thought a lot of her.
The last person that crossed my mind today is my beloved David. I look back on the great times we had. The plans we made.. the things we wanted to do. I don�t think I am going to go into more detail here but just suffice to say I loved him with all my heart and when he died it crushed my world. He was a good person to the core!
I remember these people almost everyday, but I thought I would like to write this as a memorial to their time here on earth. Each of these people touched my life in such good ways that I like to remember the things we did and how much I loved them. I thank to each and every one of them for all the good things they brought into my life. I carry every one of them with me for they have all helped shape me into who I am.
