Georgia Trip

Note:  This is written six months after the return from our trip to Georgia.
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We went back to Georgia the first week in October.  It was the first time I'd returned home in 1 1/2 years.  Where did the time go?  How could it have flown so quickly? 

I don't quite know what I was expecting upon my return.  I just knew that this was going to be a different trip in many ways.  It was a different time of year.  Joe was having lots of medical problems.  I knew I wasn't wanting to spend too much time away from being with Mom and Dad.  It wasn't going to be spent driving to Valdosta, and surrounding areas, to visit old friends.  I needed and wanted to spend as much time with Mom and Dad and Aunt Rachel as possible.

Before we left, I got two very distinct phone calls.  One from Dad to tell me that there had been a lots of changes in Mom so be prepared.  One from Nancy telling me to be prepared for the changes in Mom and Dad.  Mom wouldn't be talking too much and Dad had gotten very frail. 

All this proved to be very true.  I had taken my camera with me as I always do.  However, on this trip I should have left it at home.  I never, ever took the first picture of Mom or Dad or Aunt Rachel.  For some reason I didn't want to document the changes that had occurred since my last visit.  I didn't want to look at the pictures showing the changes in all of them when I went back home.  So, that's the reason there are no pictures of any of them.

The trip out proved to be uneventful - a non-stop flight and no medical issues for Joe.  It was a difficult trip though as I had to be constantly aware of where he was and what he was doing.  Thank goodness that most of the time he was in a wheelchair being pushed by someone else.  I wrangled the luggage and all the paperwork. 

When we arrived in Atlanta, Vickie Piscotti picked us up at the airport.  She said this was her way to be able to make sure she got some visitation time with us.  What a blessing that was!  This way I didn't have to drag all the luggage and Joe over to the rental counter and then catch the train out to the car rental area. 

Nancy let me borrow one of their cars and we stayed out at Ann's house as we always do.  How wonderful it was to be back and visit with her for all those days.  We had our own bedrooms again and that presented the opportunity for me to have the best sleep I'd had in weeks.

Attending church was nice as I got to see old friends, but it wasn't my ward anymore.  It definitely wasn't like my ward here in Casper.  I did have lunch with the old Child Care Resource and Referral Agency peoples like we do every time I come into town.  How wonderful to spend some time with them and meet Amy's new baby too.  Of course, there was not enough time to visit together.

(Me, Amy w/ Casen and Shirley and Jerry)
Jerry had us all over for a spectacular lunch at her home w/ our husbands.

We had lunch with Natalie Underwood one day.  What a good friend she has always been.  She would have picked us up at the airport, but had unbreakable commitments at work and couldn't get away.  (She and Vickie (and the Clements family) were always my favorite daycare moms and it's been a real pleasure watching their children grow up.

The morning before we were to fly out, Joe had a medical emergency.  I went into check on him about 3:15 a.m. and found him slumped across his bed, having thrown up, sweating profusely, unconscious and apparently did a fall with such great force that he almost pushed the mattress off the box spring.  He'd also felt too hot and had removed all of his clothing.  I immediately went and woke up Ann and the EMT's were called and he was taken to the hospital where he stayed for several hours and then was released.  Nothing was found in any of the tests which were run other than they thought he might have a kidney infection.  He could possibly have had a stroke also.  Thank goodness this happened when it did and not on the plane or driving home.

I went and visited with Aunt Rachel most every day.  The heartbreak for me though was when I went to visit with her alone the night before we left to tell her goodbye.  Had I known at that time that that was the last time I'd see her, I'd have hugged her even longer and harder and told her many more times how much I loved her.  Telling Ann goodbye too was a tearful experience.  What do you say to someone who has been your friend for 30+ years?  I love you just doesn't seem to cover it all.

The morning we left, Gary and Emily Flanders drove us to Warner Robins to catch the airport shuttle.  I'm so glad that Gary was driving because my heart and my eyes were so full that I don't think I could have driven.  It was one of the hardest things for me to do - leave Mom and Dad not knowing when the next time would be to see them.  Phone calls are nice, but personal visits are so much better.

The best part about the trip, other than visiting peoples, was bringing back green peanuts to be boiled.  They were packed everywhere in our luggage - no wasted space.

Change

I was in the process of cleaning out old email files today when I ran across what appears to be my last talk given in Sacrament Meeting in Tifton. It applied then and it applies now...

One of the most inevitable aspects of our lives here upon the earth is change. At one time or another we’ve all heard some form of the familiar adage: “Nothing is as constant as change.” I, on the other hand, like to use voice from time to time that I would like to have a normal life; that I would like to be like normal people. However, I have discovered that the only thing normal in life is the setting on a clothes dryer.

Throughout our lives, we must deal with change. Some changes are welcome; some are not. There are changes in our lives which are sudden, such as the unexpected passing of a loved one, an unforeseen illness, the loss of a possession we treasure. But most of the changes take place subtly and slowly.

This week I have been reflecting back on my days here in the Tifton Ward.

Ÿ 1965 while visiting grandparents
Ÿ Expansion of chapel - branch to ward
Ÿ Newlywed
Ÿ Various callings
Ÿ New mother
Ÿ Divorce
Ÿ New marriage
Ÿ People who have been born and died

Day by day, minute by minute, second by second we went from where we were to where we are now. The lives of all of us, of course, go through similar alterations and changes. The difference between the changes in my life and the changes in yours is only in the details. Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes.

This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now.

If you have children who are grown and gone, in all likelihood you have occasionally felt pangs of loss and the recognition that you didn’t appreciate that time of life as much as you should have. Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.

If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly-cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly. My Dad has a saying which is…100 years from now, you’ll never know the difference.

Les’ death - missing out on opportunities with Corey and Derek

Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know.

Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.

Grateful for friends and family that have supported me in my lifetime.

A friend gave me a little plaque one day which said…

“When one door closes, another opens; (but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us).” Alexander Graham Bell

Gratitude for:

Power of prayer
Priesthood blessings
Principle of tithing
Opportunities to serve
Compassionate service of friends

I hope that my neighbors will look upon me as a good example of the Church and what it means to be a good person.

Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows.

God Be With You Till We Meet Again