Great Women In My Life Part One

I have been musing about two great women in my life. In this blog and the next I will attempt to write about these huge forces who have had such an influence on me. Now dead they are still part of my language, behaviors, and beliefs. I hope I can do this and give them the credit they deserve.

When I was two my Mom was hospitalized because my Dad slammed on the brakes while driving at the lake. Her head struck the windshield and she had a head injury. This was in hindsight a marvelous illustration of their relationship. My Aunt Vera took over and cared for me for the next four years. I was her fourth child. God in his omniscience gave her four children at odd times to raise. When she was a young women in Alabama her appendix burst while she was on a train. This was in the nineteen forties. It is amazing she did not die from septic shock or sepsis. She could not bear children as a result of the scar tissue in her abdominal cavity. She had always wanted children of her own.



She and my Uncle Lester raised two little boys from Alabama. I sadly only have one photo of them. Then in the nineteen fifties my mother arrived at age fourteen. That is not an easy age to acquire a child. But Aunt Vera was wonderful with my Mom. Later one could only mention Aunt Vera's name and Mama would cry. Vera was quiet and kind. She did not preach but she taught me daily about the love of God. One day I arrived home to find string all over the yard leading into the house. She told me to follow it. At the end was this splendid doll. I was delighted. She understood how to have fun. She often took me to my favorite place for lunch after school. That was McDonald's. Certainly a reason as to why I am about to be a lifetime member of WeightWatchers!

When I was in the first grade I arrived home from school and found my darling Aunt on the sofa. She was unresponsive. I never saw her again. She had suffered a stroke and was gone from us. My life was forever changed that day. I often imagine what she would think of me now. Would I be different if she lived longer? I think the answer is yes.

grace surrounds us
Olive Out