Since I was a stay-at-home mom, our two kids pretty much went everywhere with me. Many times, I’d pick up mom, my aunt that raised me, to take her along since she had no transportation to get back and forth at that time. Plus, that was a huge help for me since our youngest was her buddy! We helped each other.
I look at some of the times and feel so sorry for her though! There was one trip we went on when the roads were quite winding. We discovered our little boy couldn’t handle that very well and she was drenched with his digesestive fluid. I bought her a new shirt that day! You look back on things and see things funnier than the actual occurrence at the time thank goodness!
I’d bring them to the farm to work. Our oldest, our daughter, learned at a very early age how to put the boxes together for the produce to be packed in. Our son tended to be very curious and loved climbing out of his play pen and grabbing things around him. He was just the opposite of our daughter and had to be watched so close. It was tough wanting to and being expected to work on the farm when the kids were small.
On top of getting up early to fix our daily meals and plan the day, I was getting them up to get going. Like most working families, you did what you had to do. Some days, mom would watch them for me and that was such a huge help, but there were many days the kiddos were training early!
On occasion, we would stop at an elderly couple’s home on our way home from the farm. Oh I so loved that couple! They were the sweetest most loving couple we knew! They too, were farmers during their time and he would tell us stories and show us a few woodwork items he created. They loved our kids and our kids were very entertaining for them. They had a lot of their own grandchildren, but like most families, sometimes they didn’t see them that often.
This couple was one of many that when my religion class met to help the elderly couples, they were always on the the list! They held a very special place in our hearts and I really miss them. They are both now gone, but those memories and times spent with them will forever be cherished.
I had a special place in my heart for the elderly in our community. There was something pulling me to that age group and I was blessed to have had the opportunity to be with many of them. I learned a lot from many of them and felt a sadness all the same knowing that many had been around a long time and the curiosity of the life after intrigued me. I wondered if I myself was living as worthily as these wonderful hearts to be able to make it to heaven when I died.
There was another special lady we spent time with. She was a sister to an up-the-road neighbor. Her husband died a year earlier and when I’d drive by her home, my heart was broken for her. I rarely saw anyone there but her. So, our kids and I made it a point to visit one day and that began a new friendship to a lonely soul.
I was not a Chinese food fan until I met her. She introduced me to a new flavor and even when she was admitted into a nursing home, her request when I asked what she’d like for the day was Chineses food. I usually tried to see her at least once a week until she too, passed on.
By this time in my life, I was getting to the point that getting close to people was painful for me when they passed on. Yet, there was a sense of peace all the same. After her passing, life took new turns and I was not able to visit many and spend time like I had with the elderly. As the kids grew, many new responsibilities and challenges made their path into our lives.
