It was the during the second and third weeks of July in 1993, I was as busy as could be, keeping tabs by phone on my Mom in Michigan, moving things around in my apartment because the manager of the building was going to be putting a thermostat in, doing some errands that I needed to do, and so many other necessities.
My son Bill and two of his three children were going to go on a camping trip and attend his class reunion in northern New York, almost in the Adirondacks. Bill was going to go to his sister Irene's house first, so that I could care for his two-year-Melanie; Irene and family had gone on a one-week vacation and weren't home yet.
I phoned Irene's next-door neighbor to say I'd be up there in the morning (a three-hour trip from my apartment in Scranton) and they said they'd give me her key. After leaving home at seven, I obtained the key at ten a.m., did a few chores, opened windows in their apartment, and waited for Bill and his children. They made five stops on their way from Boston to Liverpool. He was so very tired from the trip, and slept a while in the afternoon.
It was so good to see them. I cooked some cabbage for him to take camping, and made some sandwiches for them for the trip up to northern New York. The children were abed, and he and I were so tired, we collapsed in our places to sleep, too. What a day that was!
In mid-morning, Bill, Emily, and Tim, got ready for the trip to go camping with Papa! How excited they were! Things were packed up, the car loaded, and off they went on the two-hour trip. Melanie and I got along very well. As soon as I could, I put very warm water in the kitchen sink and bathed Melanie in it. She enjoyed it so much that I allowed her to stay in it for a half hour more, and warmed the water from time to time. She had such fun sitting in the sink and playing with a few water toys!
Irene and family came home around four o'clock, and we all were glad to see each other. I helped Irene for a couple of days with her day-care children (Miss Irene's Bootie Camp) and Melanie. I had to go back home after the two days, so the apartment manager could put the thermostat in my apartment.
Two days later, on Friday, I went back to Liverpool, Bill and the older children were back from their camping trip and class reunion, and as I pulled up near their house and parked, I could see the children of both families out front on the lawn. Bill and his brother-in-law Greg were just inside the open door of the apartment, and they knew that I had arrived.
Two-year-old Melanie came running down the lawn toward the car. It was so heart-warming! She was so eager to see me - her little feet a-goin', her arms and hands outstretched, her little blue sleeveless dress coming toward me, with her emotions tagging along. It was beautiful to see! That touched me so, and I wonder why.
It could be that I keep thinking of my paternal grandmother - in 1908 she lived in a coal mining town in western Pennsylvania, taking in washing or doing her boarders' laundry, with a galvanized tub of HOT water, very hot, on the floor, and her almost-two-year-old toddler Mary fell into the tub. She died of the burns - I don't know how long after.
It must have been so tragic. I keep thinking with empathy of my Grandma's pain and anguish. So I treasure the presence of all of my children and grandchildren, so very much. Each is precious and irreplaceable... and so much loved.
Afterwards, the children enjoyed each other, and we had a great time. Bill sang songs while playing his guitar, and later, the children all went to bed. Irene, Greg, Bill, and I, sat at the table together, having some good talks. We stayed up late, as it was a wonderful evening and we didn't want to stop. On Saturday, Bill and the children went back home to Boston. I stayed for another few days and I, too, went back home, and packed my suitcase to go to be with my Mom; her chemotherapy wasn't very pleasant to endure.
I spent some time with her and then went on to Denver to visit daughter Anne Marie and family, then back to Mom. 'T was a very busy summer! I went to Arizona in the fall to visit son Ger and his family, then back to Mom.
I'll see you at the Corner Post...
No comments:
Post a Comment