The Reunion and Lasting Impressions

As I have mentioned in previous posts, this trip turned into a Journey. Mom was the one to say that and it is so true, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I met Rachel when I was 16 yrs old. My Father was a truck driver for most of my life. On one of his trips through he called ahead, as I later learned, that's how truckers do things so you get to visit with them while they are there :)  Anyway, he had Rachel with him.  He'd mentioned a woman that he was head over heels about and that he wanted me to meet her. Well I did, and that was that, as they say.

I fell in love with her too and during this reunion of her children's, fathers side, I learned that there were a LOT of others that had known her since childhood and they loved her too.

To see them scoop her up and hug her so long and tight brought tears to my eyes and made my heart feel like it was going to swell right out of my chest. They even treated me like family even though she and my father had parted ways AND I had a scarf on my head, granted an expensive, really pretty one, but still a scarf and they treated me like I was still part of the family and by blood.

There aren't that many seniors alive in my family and it was really wonderful to sit amongst them and be told the old stories. Really, who cares how many times it may have been told! We are blessed to get to hear it again, because they won't be there at the next one, maybe.  I use to sit and listen to my Father tell the same stories about the Army or some event from before my time or during my diaper-hood days and I never felt like I had heard this one too many times.  It was the same with my Mother, I could listen to her tell of her childhood for hours and how my Grandmother would take her downtown "window shopping" and then she'd make those new styles for the new school year. My Mother use to say they didn't realize how lucky they were.

I am blessed to have had the opportunity to meet a really special woman , one Mrs. Emma L. Spence at the young age of 91, soon to be 92! She would say that she didn't remember things as well or joke about being senile, but she is sharp as a tack, let me tell you! I did the driving on the day we went to Camp Shelby, then to the thrift store and to lunch, and she sat right next to me and directed. Very, on top of things and no messing about, either (Insert big grin here.)

The incomparable Grandma Spence and Dixie

 

Dixie is the name that Mom was known by and apparently is still referred to.  I like it and it's very applicable. These two ladies can really cook, I can't believe I didn't gain a ton while I was chauffeuring her around, lol.

Here are a couple more pictures of the reunion, one of them is where Mom get the crushing hug.

 "The Archer Girls"

Mom asked me to wear that Kamez set. I don't think she'd ever seen me in it other than in pictures, lucky for me I brought it with me just in case I needed something special. It is very special to me because a lady that I use to work for gave it to me as an Eid gift and it is really pretty close up.
I became quite attached to the lady to the left of me and behind Mom. Her name is Lavern and she told me some of the stories I was referring to earlier.

On to Mississippi

My co-pilot, comfortably ensconced

 Rody even has a travel bowl of water and two kinds of treats all on a comfy blanket. Talk about traveling in style! Yep, him is spoilt, but he doesn't know it, he thinks this is the way all dog people live. Shame it isn't.

Mom, Rody and I loaded up our stuff the night before so that we were able to pull out first thing in the morning.  Of course, there were a couple things to do first, stop and see Mom's husband in the nursing home, grab a few supplies and then we were "On the road again" :-D

The little door to the right of the driver's door is the door I opened to get that picture of Rody.  The handle doesn't work and hasn't for some time.  Mom is the one who taught me how to do the trick with the screwdriver and is amazed when it works, lol.

TUPELO, MS!! Birthplace of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll.

I wanted to stop there soooo bad, but "time waits for no Woman", lol.
You know there are dates that will be stuck in my memory until I die, like the death of President Kennedy, or Elvis' death.  I can tell you were I was and what I was doing during both.

This was a pleasant trip and we got to talk and listen to music. For me, it was very special because I had been in fear of losing her for so long, I would look over and see her reading and munching on her Cheetos and marvel that she was even there in the first place! Allah is truly Great!

Hendersonville, TN in June

One happy camper! Me, that is.

Finally arrived. As you can see I was very happy to be there and even happier to see how good and healthy she, Mom, looked,

After getting settled in the very next day my ever faithful companion, Rody and I went to the local park in Hendersonville, that there would be many more pictures of except my Blackberry's software freaked right in the middle of a really good picture of Rody!
As we were heading back to the truck it began to rain, so I dropped him off at the house and went to Verizon.

Mom in July of 09

(This is Mom in July of 09 in the hospital.  She stayed cold most of the time, so while I was sitting there i knitted the wristers and crocheted and knitted the coverlet)



Bless them, because  I bought my phone on the 2nd and it malfunctioned on the 9th and they replaced it with no questions asked.
So these are the only pictures of that day that got onto my memory card before the phone went kaput  :P



 This is a walkway that is quite long and very nice.  The Drakes Creek Park is so nice I wish I had, had the time to go get more pictures but we were off to Mississippi the very next day :)

This is the link to the Google Map if you will be in that area.  Drakes Creek Park, Hendersonville, TN

When ever I am in town with my Rody, we always make a point of coming here.



This is the creek that we went wadding in. It was fun. I had to push him in, but then he was very happy to be there. It is quite shallow but very refreshing.  The day was very hot and muggy so a dip in a cool creek was just the ticket.

On our way back out, then on to the Verizon store.

All in all, it was a pretty productive and fun day.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN....

Three mountains in one shot!

This is the beginning of what became a  wonderful journey.


In the first picture you see part of The Smokey Mountains.  This section is called The Cherokee National  Forest, very beautiful.

Screened in for protection.

Here in the second picture, you can see where there is, literally, a kind of chain-link fence to keep as much as possible of any debris that may fall from landing on or in the lanes of travel below. This is a stretch of  Interstate Highway 40 that runs east and west across our nation.


In the third picture you get to see the actual repair work.  Earlier in the month the interstate was closed here because of fallen debris that landed on the road and caused the Department of Transportation to close it temporarily.

Repairs in progress.

Welcome to Tennessee! Yes!

Entering into Tennessee where My step Mom lives. She is known as Mom or Wife #4 or Mamaw to my kids. This is my first destination on the journey that she initiated.

Being that she was a whopping 89 lbs the last time I saw her and not going on any of her usual jaunts about town to the thrift stores it was an extreme pleasure to be going anywhere with her, much less "traveling".