From Chris Thompson: It's a cool, rainy Sunday and Mom is maybe a little more tired than previous days.
It's been a little quiet today and Mom is getting some much needed rest. She seems to need a little more each day.
Mom's brother, Uncle Harold & Aunt Pat made the trip from Raleigh and arrived at the same time as Adam (Capri's Son). Thanks to them for the food that was prepared for us and of course the great company.
Mom had been asking if the trees (dozens of dogwoods on the property) were white yet. Adam opened the blinds for her and she was able to sit up and look out to see the first blossoms of spring from her bedroom window in the beautiful yard that she and Dad have painstakingly maintained over the years. She seemed happy to welcome them.
Uncle Gene and Aunt Linda (Dad's siblings) are on the way and we are expecting the church to send the young men over to offer her the sacrament this evening.
All of us would like to take this opportunity to say Happy 103rd Birthday to our Mother's Mother - Ms. Mattie Hargett. She has a little cold today, but has also had many well wishers come by and visit at Aunt Faye's home. We are so fortunate to have such AMAZING women in our family to lead by the example they set. We love them Very! Much!
Will update again soon!
Chris, Thanks so much for the update. So happy she is able to rest some. Please give your dad & mom my love. I know they are so blessed to have all of you with them at this time in their lives. God Bless you and your family durning this diffcult time and give you strength. I hope I can see you all again. Love Sandra L. Edwards
ReplyDeleteWho's love are we giving? Happy to do it!
DeleteI am Aunt Sandra, Tina, Teresa, Talena, & Todds mother.
DeleteYes you are.Sorry, didn't see the name the first time! Pizza was great, by the way and Thank You!
DeleteHi this is Debra in Peoria, Arizona. I wanted to send my heartfelt love and thoughts to all of you with Aunt Mary Lou. She is and always has been a special person in my life! My earliest memories are of visiting with the family in Mesa when I was pretty young. I remember riding tricycles around the pool and having such great fun. I cherish all the visits that we had with your family over the years. As I had my own family, we loved visiting with you and learning about our family history and all the fun stories that you would tell. I especially remember a trip that we made with you across country one summer. We drove up and met you at your ranch in Colorado (a place which we now have been visiting for the past 20 years and love so much! - Colorado that is) We took part of the Church historical trail back east and loved sharing this special time with you. I appreciate that you have always visited when you were this way and we tried to always do the same when we were back there. The last visit I remember was when we had our family reunion in Myrtle Beach a couple of years ago. You came and brought Grandma to visit with us all. Your great love and devotion to family has always been evident and we cherish every moment we have shared with you. Our children will never forget the times that we spent with you. We love you so much and pray for you all! I guess I feel a more particular bond with you since Carl and I have ended up living in Arizona where you lived for so many years. So strange that I would live here so far from North Carolina like you did. We have a special love for Arizona though and have made it our home.
ReplyDeleteAgain, please know how very much we love you and cherish every moment we have shared with you. Our love to all of you!
Debra Lee
As the most senior and most distantly located Grandchild, I’d like to share some of my fondest memories of my Grandma, Mary Lou Hamilton. Being so far away for most of my life, many of my memories revolve around my early childhood in Mesa, and summers spent at the XTC Ranch in Durango. This is going to be a long post…you’ve been warned.
ReplyDeleteI first met you 37 years ago, on October 12, 1975. Even if you weren’t in the delivery room, my eyes weren’t really open at the time, so I’m going to give you credit for being there. As a wee-man in Mesa, I remember spending time at the “Barn” house you and Grandpa built. I remember lots of awesome green shag carpet and the scary spiral staircase. I also believe that it was the place I heard crickets for the first time and may, or may not, have covered myself from head to toe in blue eye-shadow on at least one occasion. Oh, and getting baths in the kitchen sink and riding around on the little orange riding mower you guys had. I also remember sleeping under the big cutting table at Window Wonderland, and the roach-coach (I think we called it the Chuck-Wagon) that would come around at lunch time.
We moved to the Northwest when I was 5, but Scott and I were fortunate enough to be able to spend summers with you and Grandpa in Durango. My best memories as a kid were from those times. You let Scott and I “adopt” a little black and white cow. We named him “Midnight”. I remember your big garden, and snapping beans on the front porch, and learning what Aphids were. I remember the really cool garage built into the hillside, with the scary root cellar in the back (and how cold it always was in there). I also remember jars upon jars of “Grandma Beans” on the wooden shelves. I remember going to work with you at the La Platta C&V (with the flashing yellow light that signaled “open for business”). The best part of that was the long drive to work. I used to pretend to be asleep so you would carry me out to the red Ford Granada or root beer colored van with the bed in the back. It was always so early in the morning that it was pitch black, and there were billions of stars. I remember laying there in the backseat looking up at all of the stars in the inky darkness. It was amazing. Still to this day, when I go backpacking or climbing and have a chance to escape the city lights, I am reminded of that when I peer into the dark sky. I remember multiple trips to the Bar-D-Ranch for a good country stage show (singing cowboys) and dinner with lemonade out of a tin cup. I recall you making Scott and me custom pairs of green colored denim jeans (we got to pick the stitching design on the back pockets. We were way ahead of the style curve on that one, so thank you ☺. I remember walking, for what felt like forever, to the Burleson’s (the “big” house with the green metal roof) down the road for what I think was a 4th of July celebration, and home-made peach ice cream and root beer. As we got older, I remember my best vacation of all time. I was in 6th grade when we made the trip to Durango to spend Christmas at the ranch. Who could forget what must have been 20 plus people in a three bedroom farmhouse…with frozen pipes, and the custom sled run out back. I remember Uncles Keith and Kim taking a toboggan down the run and blowing through (or maybe over) the final snow embankment before the end of the run. It was like a Chevy Chase movie watching them sail out into the road in what seemed like slow motion. In what must have been 8th or 9th grade I remember all of us gathering at the ranch for a summer family reunion. I got to camp in the back yard, next to the pig roasting pit that Grandpa built. All of us sat around the campfire singing hokey camp songs until late into the night. Good times they were.
(Part 2 next - warned ya!)
Part 2
ReplyDeleteFast forward many years later (past the part where life complicates and distance injects itself). I remember having the chance to surprise you with flowers at your front door in New Bern. I’ll always remember the look on your face when you answered the door. You were shocked to see me standing there. I was sure that in the context of it all you’d have no idea who I was. I was wrong. Being able to spend that evening with you, Grandpa and Mom and re-connect and catch up was very special to me.
Also special was the opportunity to host you and Grandpa here at my house before and after your cruise to Alaska a few years back. I’m glad that you had a chance to meet Sherry and that she got to know you two a bit. I look up to the longevity of your marriage to Grandpa and strive to spend the rest of my life with her, just like the two of you have.
These are just some of the many things that I remember about growing up with you in my life. I promise to you that, while you may be gone someday too soon, I will not forget you until the day that I am gone.
I know that who I am now is a direct result of all of my life’s experiences. You played a major role in many of the best ones I can remember. I also know that I probably haven’t always fit the mold of the “perfect” grandson, but you were always the perfect grandma for accepting me “as is”. Thank you.
I wish you Godspeed and a peaceful journey. I love you.
Brian
Oh…and thanks for introducing me to grits. Those are pretty good too ☺