Aunt Emma and Cousin Renee
Sally and I visited my Aunt Emma(my mother's Sister) who I hadn't seen in a long time. It was a wonderful visit. She is approaching her 85th Birthday and just a hoot to be around. The visit was made even better because her daughter Renee was able to come over and be a part of it all. We caught up on family news (I kept the grandkid bragging to a minimum). Renee and I got connected on facebook and updated phone numbers so we can keep the info flowing.
While visiting Emma, I very much wanted her to tell about when she went to the convent and then why she left. I had always just assumed that she left because she decided that she wanted to get married and have a family. Her answer surprised the heck out of me. But first let me tell her story as she told it to me... When she graduated from high school in Jennings around 1948, she didn't want to go on with her schooling, didn't have a job, and needed to get out of the house. So she decided to go to convent in New Orleans to pursue taking her vows to be a nun. She said that her decision was based mostly on her personal experiences with the sweet caring nuns that came each summer to Jennings and taught Catechism. She was at the convent for about four years... and found that doing the work of the Lord by caring for the poor and particularly the poor children was a wonderful life. But as she approached her final vows, the superior told her that they were going to send her to further her schooling(theology classes and the such) and she smiles at me and says "I never liked school and I wasn't about to go back." so she left the convent and went back home to find a job.
Now that we are only three hours apart... we will see you more often.
Second Stop - Spotsylvania, Va
Joey, Seth, Tommy and I, Josie, Sis and Sally
After the toast of our 44th Wedding Anniversary, Seth decided to finish off the bottle(haha!....)
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Seth and Josie( I wish they could spend some time playing with our grandkids.)
Tommy met me at the backdoor with a big bear hug and immediately I sensed the good times were going to roll and roll they did. Tommy and Sis's world with Joey and Misty next door and grandkids Seth and Josie coming and going from house to house is the kind of world where you never get old. I noticed that Tommy plays with Seth much like I remember him playing with me when I was Seth's age and he was in high school. He likes to play tricks on the kids much like I like to do with my grandkids. Damn it! Why can't we live closer so all the generations can know each other as family. Oh well, we just need to do the best we can...recognizing the miles are great and the lives are busy....
In my desire to search out the truth in old family stories, I just had to ask Tommy about the time he came out to Uvalde in about 1962 to perform for the festival at the swimming pool(Hilltop Plunge) that my dad operated. I was an eye witness, even though Tommy denies that he was there. The festival was at the pool at night. They had assembled this 40 foot tower at the deep end of the pool. In the dark, my Dad and Tommy climbed to the top of the tower. Dad poured some kind of fuel on Tommy and then lit a torch(I just now remembered that it was advertised as the Human Torch). Someone else lit the pool on fire. Then my Dad lit Tommy and he dove through the air while on fire. It was really awesome. Something you could never forget. I just wanted Tommy to tell me the type of fuel or whether he was wearing some kind of protective suit or whether his hair got singed. Tommy just kept smiling and denying that he did it. I think that he was just afraid that Seth who was listening to the whole thing might go out and try it.
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