A Favorite Necklace

This necklace lives in
a special box. A box that
was given to me by a friend
of the family when his mother
passed away.

Jane had Alzheimer's. In her
early years she was a very capable
RN who had lived in Panama
before coming back to live in
York, Pa as a neighbor and
part of the family to Warren's
Grandma Charlotte. Her son,
Jim, and Warren's Mom, Georgia,
were raised almost like siblings.

The families did many things together.

I first met Jim and Jane up at Potter
County at the cabin. I liked them both
immediately.

It was so sad when Jane began showing
signs of Alzheimer's. She would turn
burners on and walk away or walk to
the Fairground in her Sunday best at
an odd time...planning to attend a
service.

In the later stages, Jane, became violent.
Trust me when I tell you that it was the
disease. This was not anything like the
Jane we had known for years.

It became impossible for Jim to get
her out to a hairdresser. Jane had always
been an immaculate dresser and her hair was
always coiffed just so.
It was hard for Jim to accept that she couldn't
be allowed to look as she had.

He asked if I would mind
coming in and
cutting her hair.
I did not mind
one little bit.

It took three of us.
Two to gently restrain Jane, as she would
attempt to pinch or bite,
and I would wash and cut her hair.

It was never as it would have been
had a professional done it.
Even if I had been a professional there
was always the fact that I was working
around Georgia's hands while she held
Jane's head to keep us safe.
But I know that Jane had to be more
comfortable with her hair washed and
manageable. So we did this on a
fairly regular basis.
Hearts breaking
at the decline of
our dear friend.

After Jane was released from the
disease to her eternal resting place
Jim gave me a box containing
some of Jane's jewelry.



Now this box also contains
jewelry that once belonged to
Grandma Charlotte.

These ladies,
so intertwined in life,
now their jewelry mixed
as it waits to be worn.

I don't wear much jewelry.
I frankly just don't think
to put it on, but I do pull
these pieces out and look
at them.

Occasionally I will
wear a necklace
from this
box.



I did on Sunday
and I was thinking
of these special
friends as I did so.

Alzheimer's is a horrible
disease. It is a thief.
But, there is so much we can
do to make its victims more
comfortable and to assist their
families. It is exhausting to
be a full time caregiver to someone
in the advanced stages.

If you know someone in this situation
I do hope you'll feel free to offer
help. You just never know how some
of your time to sit and visit while
that person gets a small break...

They'll be able to tell you what
would be helpful if you are sincere.

Hope you are having a wonderful
and rewarding day.

I am making candles to help raise
money for Haiti. A local church has
asked to sell them for this purpose.
I'm putting a little extra love in
each one...

Memory Lane

I am currently previewing a book for the Book Club.
It is The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls.
While I am conflicted about whether or not this
is a good second book for the club, due to the
very graphic nature of the text, it is a very
well written and heart wrenching account of this
woman's early life.

This got me thinking about my childhood.
It was so sweet in comparison.

Our family has always been very close
and I did not have to worry about alcoholism,
rape, physical abuse or any of those things.

The closest I got to an alcoholic was a neighbor
man who would stop in to see "The Preacher", my Dad,
on his way home from the bar every now and then.
We learned from him that the abuse of alcohol is
a very ugly thing. It has never crossed my mind
to follow in those footsteps. It was always an
adventure when this man came to call.

My memories involve things like learning to swim
in Penn's Creek on hot summer days.

Sometimes if it was extremely hot
our whole family would pile into
the car with provisions for a picnic and drive up the
mountains to a park called Tall Timbers. The trees
were indeed very tall. The mountain stream was so
cold our feet and legs would sting. There was a
wall of rock that my brother always wanted to climb.
Idyllic. Truly.

Since my Dad was a Pastor, Monday was his day off.
He would spend many Mondays standing in Penn's Creek
as it flowed behind our home casting and recasting
his fly rod. He would bring home beautiful rainbow
trout which we would eagerly watch him clean.
I never learned to love the taste, however.

Every spring the wild strawberries would ripen up
in the woods behind our parsonage. I could not
wait to go out and fill a tiny bowl with these
tart treats.

All summer we were busy in the woods building
forts. I am not sure we ever finished one...

In the winter the little swamp between us and the
creek would freeze over. My brother and I would
head there with our skates and ice skate between the
catty-9-tails and elderberry bushes that stuck up.
It was a bit of a maze.

There was a large row of maple trees across the street.
Every fall the leaves would fall and my brother and I would
take our rakes and make paths through the fallen leaves.
We enjoyed running through these paths faster and faster
until we just could not do it any longer.

There were the skinned knees and lost layers of toes as
we had minor accidents on our bikes...we lived next to the
church and we would ride as fast as we could around and around it.
Occasionally the gravel along the edge of the road would slide under
our tires and down we would go.

I remember so many wonderful things about growing up in that
country environment in a home filled with love and support.
It makes me ever so grateful for the privilege I have been
blessed with.

As a Pastor's child there were positives and negatives...
of course...But as Garry and Ruth's child.
I was truly blessed!

Hmmm, maybe we should use this book for the club.

It certainly has made me reflective and grateful!

Two Years ago today...

I lost my precious Daddy at the young age of 58. I have been thinking of memories I treasure from my childhood (and beyond), as they relate to my father:

- His study at the Church he pastored when I was young. It was so full of books and he always had a treasure trove of cups, bowls and glasses. Mom paid us a nickel apiece to bring them back to the house from the church study.

- The night Daddy shot a bat in the church with a bb gun. We were watching from the nursery. It was an old country church with an attic full of bats.

- His love of fly fishing. The beautiful rainbow trouts retrieved from Penns Creek so near our home. I still don't like to eat fish, though.

- On hot summer days the family would escape to a mountain park called Tall Timbers for a picnic. So soothing and the water was COLD!

- Listening to baseball games on AM radio. The radio "whistled".

- Listening to old radio shows such as Lum and Abner. We had no TV.

- Friendly, brisk discussions about literature choices. JRR Tolkein, CS Lewis vs. Grace Livingston Hill.

- Going to see local ball teams play and pick up games with friends from church. His concern the day I got a line drive in the belly.

- Our playful "nasal" singing to the southern gospel music at the Sunday dinner table. This was something that just Daddy and I took part in...Mom and Allan just laughed.

- Listening to polka music while at the dinner table.

- Singing together, for real, at the many churches that invited our group in for a service.

- Riding the CATA Bus into a Penn State Football game while Daddy quizzed me about the facts of football. ie, what is a safety?

- Freezing on metal bleachers while watching Penn State Soccer.

- Learning to drive...Daddy didn't last long on this one and Mom got me back after I took Dad for a ride into a corn field. My kids love that story!

- Seeing his happiness at my choice in a mate. He loved Warren so much!

- His transparent delight in his grandchildren.

- His help and encouragement to our young family in so many ways.

As you can see, I love my Dad a whole bunch and could never express the whole of the loss that his leaving has left in my life. I am so thankful that this good-bye is not permanent!
Thanks for indulging me on this emotional day.