A Trip to Indiana, 1st of the Year

4/3/2019

For some reason it feels like Spring has sprung!! Aren’t you glad? Yesterday, a friend wrote that it snowed in Hammondville, NC. Another added that it snowed in a suburb of Charlotte. That does it! We’re not putting up with that! Spring is cancelled for North Carolina! They don’t have a team in the final four? they don’t get Spring. We’ll just hawg all the good weather over here in Alabama/Tennessee, ok?…. Oh, alright, we’ll share. But not much!

Forgive the foolishness.

We just returned from Indiana where we attended a special memorial service for Barb’s sister, Claria. She was 88, and being that much older than Barb, she was a true big sister to Barb as she grew up and remained a good friend till the end. She and her husband were some of the first people to buy burial plots in Forest Lawn at Stones Crossing, IN. Her grandson-in-law was the preacher (he needed a King James Bible, but he did a good job.)

We had a good visit with a big portion of the family for a couple of days, truly enjoyable, and returned home yesterday afternoon. Our son, Steve, and our daughter, Sarah went with us. I sat in the backseat and felt chauffeured the whole way both directions—I could get used to that. Anyone want to volunteer to be my driver? Think about it, the pay wouldn’t amount to anything, but the sterling company you’d be keeping! I mean, after all, I could tell you enough stories you could write your own blog! Now that would really pay big money. (I must be in a foolish talking mood this morning.)

On a more serious note, while we were in Indiana, I got in touch with my sister’s daughter to tell her about Claria and the funeral. You see, my sister and Barb’s sister worked together at Camp Atterbury when Barb and I were just little kids. When we met at the county fair air at age 15, our sisters already were friends. So, we had a family tie that said to each of us, “he/she’s good people.” Bonds of friendship reach further than we sometimes expect when they are just being formed. Over the years, the sisters’ lives didn’t continue to run in the same path, but they always kept in touch through us. The “tapestry of relationships” is fascinating, is it not?

Anyway, my sister intended to go to the funeral, but her daughter called back and said she had to be taken to the hospital because of a fainting spell. Turns out we visited with her and stayed close to that situation ( she is stable now and they’re doing some things to correct her needs.) At the same time, another family member had a gall bladder attack and had to go to ER for treatment. Meanwhile, a fourth family member is in a different hospital recovering from surgery! We decided to just pray for all of Indiana, that should cover it!

The rest of the time we spent enjoying the company of family with whom we seldom get the chance to just sit and talk. It is very enlightening to know them better and see the progression of their lives and how well they are doing. We learned a lot speaking with one who has moved up the ladder of management and is a regional manager for a huge manufacturing company. It is an awesome picture of realizing potential at a relatively young age! I certainly enjoyed listening to her expertise show up in several areas in which I might not have thought she would have expertise. A very broad education, indeed.

We came home with clearer thoughts and ideas for forwarding our own intentions in some areas. Very thankful for the time there.

Thanks for reading, the Elder