My son Bill took me to church with him this morning, for the funeral of the very aged father-in-law of Father Don. I had never been to an Orthodox funeral and I am glad I attended. It was very beautiful and quite moving. Near the end of the services, when many people went to the casket to say their farewells, and the family went up lastly, it was getting very sad for me. So many of my adult relatives have died, including my parents, and I was thinking of them, and I could feel the pain of the gentleman's family. There were many damp eyes.
We went in the caravan of cars to the cemetery. That was also very moving, with the choir singing and prayers being said. Many of the people sprinkle soil onto the coffin after it was lowered. Afterwards, the people were invited to go back to the church for a "Mercy Dinner" of delicious potluck offerings. The food was quite fit for a king, as so many people cook so well. Although everyone didn't choose from every dish, our plates were well-rounded with very tasty things. I have always liked Potluck dinners or suppers, because I get to taste various ways of cooking. I enjoy talking about food, too.
Before we went back to the church, though, Bill and I took a little side-trip on the cemetery grounds to visit the Crystal Cave, containing several dioramas of Christ's life. The work was so beautiful, and I wouldn't mind going again to see it.
After Bill brought me back home, I began some going through a few boxes from storage. Sometimes when we are moving, we don't take a lot of time deciding what to pack and what not to pack. This afternoon I found a small baggie with an assortment of wrapped candies, with a card attached saying, "Thank you for volunteering in 2002". Now, let's see, 2011 minus 2002, that's NINE years. Okay, into the garbage. Yup, too old... I wonder why the candy wasn't consumed at that time; oh, well...
I was working hard for a couple of hours, finding broken tumblers and dishes, sorting things. Fatigue was setting in, so I quit for the day. The man next door is moving out, and he and his buddy were loading a pickup truck with large appliances. Hearing the truck door slam, I thought they were going to leave. Suddenly my doorbell rang. I thought he was coming to say for some reason, that he was leaving and would want me to watch for something.
But no! it was my grandson Tim at my door. What a grand surprise that was! And son Bill was right behind him. They had to go to Lowe's for some item to do a repair at their house, and brought me a kneeling pad and gloves to use when I'm weeding my little Oval Garden. How delightful for them to come unannounced! They couldn't phone me to let me know, because my cell phone had been left in Bill's vehicle when we got to the church for the funeral and we forgot that it was there when Bill brought me home. It's a long story, as you can tell.
They moved some heavy boxes for me, and broke down the beat-up and mangled boxes that were piled up for Trash Day. We had a good time talking for a while, too, as Tim was telling us about Jerome, AZ,
where he had visited on his trip to help Uncle Gerry and Aunt Joyce in their move from Sedona, AZ, to Ojai, CA. The stones and gems in quaint Jerome, hiking around red rocks in fascinating Sedona, and driving a truck for the first time made for a good story.
Several weeks ago, I found in one of those many boxes, two little packages approximately 4"by 2" in Christmas wrapping. They each had the letter 'T' on them. Apparently I had them ready quite some years ago to give to Tim for a Christmas present. I have no idea why they were not his already, while he was a child. When I found them I vowed to myself that I would give them to him. It finally happened this evening, which was quite a surprise to all of us. They are two Matchbox vehicles, which he still likes, as we all do. So Tim has his Christmas present from 19?? at last!
One more item: This evening I phoned my one-year-older-than-I Uncle Al and his wife Aunt Anna Mae, to wish them a Happy Anniversary today. Aunt Anna Mae answered the phone and she was quite pleased that I phoned to wish them a wonderful day. She and I get such a kick out of saying, "Hello, Anna Mae, this is Anna Mae."
She informed me that they had gone out to the Apple Festival with Uncle Bernie and Pat, and then the four of them went for dinner together. At the festival, Anna Mae met someone named Anna Mae. It isn't often that we encounter another woman whose name is Anna Mae.
I then told her about the time in Scranton, Pennsylvania, when I parked my car, and was walking on the sidewalk in front of Mercy Hospital, to go in to visit someone abed. All of a sudden, as I was walking, getting closer to the door, someone yelled out, "Anna Mae, where are you going?" I was quite stunned, as I didn't see anyone looking at me to ask me that question. She said something again and I looked up, to an open window on the second floor. Then I noticed that a car was moving slowly along the street not too many feet from where I was standing. The woman on the second floor was asking the woman in that car, "Anna Mae, where are you going?" and they began to chat for a minute or two.
I just couldn't believe that coincidence, that the woman upstairs would call another woman Anna Mae while I was right there at that particular moment! I said to the woman upstairs, that I, too, was an Anna Mae.
Well, I talked then with Uncle Al for a minute or two, and hung up the phone. As I hung up, I could hear on my radio that a man was singing a song to his girlfriend, as the words were indicating. My ears perked up when I thought I heard something familiar. It goes like this:
"You, You, You, are my Pride and Joy, Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae; my Pride and Joy, You, You, You, You, Anna Mae, Anna Mae, Anna Mae." Now I've got to find out who the singer is, and when was the song composed? This song was on the radio as Aunt Anna Mae and I (Anna Mae)
were talking about Anna Mae's.
And so to bed...
I'll see you at the Corner Post...
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