Saturday, June 26, 2010

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.

1 comment:

resolute said...

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