Today is Thursday, July 31.
My last post had quite a few diary entries,
which began my writing about the Camp experience.
Tomorrow Charlie and I travel to Auburn, borrowing a friend's truck, to move both Sarah and Kate into their apartments. They won't be living together. We are giving them some of our furniture from our house - plus odds and ends that they have accumulated in their dorm - those pieces are in storage at Auburn. When Charlie and I do these "moves" for our girls, and it can be so exhausting, I am reminded of the many many times Mom and Dad had to move me, as a single female, and then helped Charlie and me when we moved to S'boro. Parenting, it's a lifetime experience - one never retires - and now Ann and Laura Beth, along with their husbands, have begun that "career" - When I'm in the midst of these parenting experiences my mind goes to Mother and Daddy, and to my grandparents. All the things they did - as grandparents - It feels like I'm running with a baton, and also passing another to Ann and Laura Beth - eventually - Sarah and Kate will probably join the married, parenting marathon - I think of Joel and Ursulla Murphree, of John and Nettie Wilkerson, of Ada Chapman Henderson(widowed, with many children), of Ella and Elbert Northcutt, of Edith and Frank Wilkerson, even my aunts and uncles - the legacy they passed on to me; parenting and grandparenting - investing time and love into their children - it would appear that they lived selfless lives when it came to their offspring - yet always carrying around the same "flesh and selfishness" that we still are encumbered with. But what prevailed was their investment in our lives - The most important thing, and this is God's grace, providing a climate and soil, which enabled my heart to be receptive to the gospel when I heard it - All of it is due to a sovereign God, who ordained that I live in this place, in this world, at this time - with this family legacy - and since this was His plan, I want to be as Christ in the world - right where I am -
Anyway - all of that serious stuff - written because Charlie and I are moving Kate and Sarah this weekend, in Auburn. Tomorrow and Saturday when we are so hot and sweaty - well, I'm guessing I won't be thinking such heavenly and spiritual thoughts - I hope Charlie and I can do it all without a fight - or without me saying any bad words - (I have a few that slip out all along)
What I really wanted to write about -
I want to post the next few diary entries - since I'll be gone a few days - until Monday - and see what I was doing in 1962, the week following my return from Camp Grandview.
Sunday July 29, 1962: Dear Diary, we ate a snack over at the Gunters tonight.
Monday July 30, 1962: Dear Diary, I went swimming with Rachel today.
Tuesday July 31, 1962: Dear Diary, Same old hot day.
Wednesday August 1, 1962: Dear Diary, played with Jeannie Knox.
Thursday August 2, 1962: Dear Diary, I went to band today.
Friday August 3, 1962: Dear Diary, Today is Mother's and Daddy's anniversary.
Saturday August 4, 1962: Dear Diary, Mary Ann is spending the night with Susan Price tonight.
Sunday August 5, 1962: Dear Diary, after Sunday School and Church I went to the show. "Jack the Giant Killer"
Obviously, my life was very ordinary - very ordinary - but the thing is - I liked it - I like that still. I'm not wired for the BIG STUFF. Perhaps all along - something large and out of the ordinary - but I enjoy "Daily" - "Nesting" -
So, that first Sunday night, back from Camp Grandview, we shared a snack with the Gunters. They were our next door neighbors to our left. They were the fourth family to live in that house - Mrs. Gunter still lives there on this day in 2008. I know the first 3 families which could spawn "stories", but let's begin with the Gunters. They were Harmon and Evelyn Gunter and their daughter Connie Sue. They belonged to the First Baptist Church. I know for a fact that they NEVER missed Sunday night church - and I do think that by that year we were regulars for Sunday Night church at The First Methodist Church - If you read my last post with stories about Camp - it was Connie Sue's boots which I borrowed for my horseback riding experience. Anyway, we must have gotten together after church because we would have been at church on Sunday night. Connie Sue was 3 grades ahead of me, and 1 grade ahead of Mary Ann. She was a beautiful girl, talented in art and music. Mrs. Gunter was originally from Ohio and Mr. Gunter had grown up in our own Conecuh County - out from Evergreen - I'm guessing they met when he was in the service - seems like I heard that. She always longed for her world in Ohio, much the same as I still miss South Alabama. In those days we did a lot of grilling out - hamburgers - The Gunters joined us a lot - as well as Beth, Becky and Buddy Monroe from across the street. Mrs. Gunter was a great story teller with a great sense of humor - rather dry - and told us many of her Ohio stories - We always sat outside, in our backyard, in chairs, around the picnic table - listening to the adults talk - playing some - asking questions - until it got late and everyone went home . Connie Sue played the piano. She took lessons from Mrs. Bewley(learned that recently). She played the flute in the band(Daddy being the band director). And she was a self taught artist(we had no art lessons available to us in Evergreen). She was good at "doing hair" and I could get her to "do mine up". I loved that. She was also a majorette and was patient to work with me - teaching me, teaching me. Mrs. Gunter did not work outside the home. In those days I can't remember any moms who did. Beth Monroe, whom I mentioned above, did. She was a widow and was a secretary at The Evergreen City School. But until her husband died, I don't think she worked. I also remember a mom who was a nurse - a really good nurse - but these "careers" that they had were suited to fit around their childrens' schedules. That mom who was a nurse? She, too, was a widow - but remarried. Beth, too, remarried. Anyway - The Gunters - Evelyn was a great seamstress, as was mom - so they compared notes quite a bit - offering advice to one another if either of them hit a snag - There were so many other things besides what I mentioned - it was all life on Williams Avenue, and our culture hadn't yet cocooned itself - We didn't disappear into our homes to live hermit lives - I knew the inside of those homes on Williams Avenue, the way I knew my own. At Mother's Funeral, at visitation, in 2006, I was talking to Susan Price Garth(mentioned above in the diary post - who also was the girl who spent 2 weeks at Camp Grandview and LIKED it) and Susan's parents, Jean and Sonny Price, reminiscing, and saying that I pass their home on Main Street and know every inch of their house - Susan came back with, "and I know every inch of yours on Williams Avenue". Harmon Gunter came to Mom's visitation also - Mrs. Gunter was unable to "get out". Connie was living in Auburn at the time and was unable to attend. I can still see Mr. Gunter's smiling face, holding mine and Mary Ann's hand. So many years gone by. So many memories.
What I want to say is that a couple of years ago, Connie purchased a tiny house on Williams Ave. She was spending so much time in Evergreen, caring for her ailing parents - so she bought The Livings' old house. It's across the street and about 3 houses down. It was available and she bought it. Jeannie Knox Livings(mentioned in the above post) was my playmate. Jean and Shay Livings and Jeannie Knox and Jeffrey. Jeffrey was a toddler in those days. Connie's 3 sons are adult men, Connie's marriage was dissolving, so she purchased that house - and now lives in it permanently. When Mom died the nurse who had cared for Mom began caring for Mr. and Mrs. Gunter, and Mr. and Mrs. Bell - who lived at the end of the street - whose youngest daughter is now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Alabama - weird. Eventually Jane, the nurse, became fulltime for Mr. and Mrs. Gunter - Jane is so good at what she does - that on the evening mom was dying, and Jane was sitting with Mom and Mary Ann,(it was sudden and I couldn't get there) crying even more tears than Mary Ann - Jane told us that people were already calling Jane and saying, "I don't mean any disrespect for Mrs. Wilkerson, but will you be available now?" (You gotta love a small town - that wasn't even offensive to me - I find it practical and endearing)
Back to the Gunters. This winter - Charlie and I planned a trip to B'ham - D.A. meetings - and as fate would have it - Mr. Gunters health became so bad - that he was hospitalized and died right before Charlie and I would be in B'ham. I communicated with my Birmingham friend, Val, another close friend to the Gunters and to Connie - and caught a ride with her to Evergreen to the funeral. Val is Val Carrier. The Carriers were always in the Baptist church and closer to the Gunters than we were. They lived across town from Williams Avenue. The Carriers and Gunters are like family, actually. Val and I were high school buddies - didn't really know each other in Elementary School. The Funeral - I had not seen Mrs. Gunter in so many years, nor Connie. So, standing in line at visitation - right before the service - I stepped out of line - because Mrs. Gunter was having to sit in a pew - while Connie and her 3 handsome sons received visitors. I knelt down to make eye contact with Mrs. Gunter and my emotions overcame me. Mrs. Gunter, in her failing health, has a dazed look to her eyes - but she knew me - and that twinkle came into her eyes - I said, through slight tears - "Well, here we are". and she came back with a slight smile and a twinkle and finished my sentence - "After all these years". Connie invited Mary Ann and me to her house following the service. That house - all those memories - and before I left I said to Connie, "I want to see Jeannie Knox's house". (remember, Connie lives in it now) So, Mary Ann, Val and I drove down there and walked through that house, and again, memories all in my brain - scene upon scene upon scene upon scene - of childhood scenarios - crazy . Mr. Gunter's funeral was incredible - huge blessing when a passionate believer leaves this world and enters that eternal home - which we are all, in reality, longing for. Val and I drove back to B'ham - had dinner with Charlie - and told our stories -
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