The Road

I have traveled a road not taken for several years.

A road that has been curvy, rough at times, occasional pot hole;

but has always had a straight stretch in the distance leading to

places unknown, sights unseen,and new adventures.

My first stop in the road was when I was maybe 4

My younger brother,Steve, was in his crib and I was put in charge!

Mommy was in the yard hanging out the laundry.

Steve decided to climb out of the crib and go for a walk

on the front porch that has no steps and is 8 feet off the ground.

I grab him by his diaper and scream until Mommy comes running in

and saves the day.

I remember another time when my sister, Rita, and I got in a fist fight,

a lot of hair pulling; Can't remember why, but no one came to that rescue.

I don't have many memories of my siblings at home. As they were

older than me and gone from home when I was young.

I do remember when Timmy got his first guitar, red I think?

Chet Atkins was "the man"

Bobbie kind of fades in and out because she must have been in high school.

I do remember she was always the boss when Mommy and Daddy would

go to "town" and do the once a month grocery chore.

I remember Lonnie and company. Seems like he never did anything

without a group of friends. He always had motorcycles and

homemade go carts and always had time for me.

From there on everyone was gone from home

with their own lives, married, college, or in the Service.

I remember many times not seeing Daniel and David for years

as they were fighting for our country.

Mommy always praying for them or telling me her stories of them

So I would have memories.

I stayed with Ruth one summer and remember her curling my hair

and taking me to get my picture taken! Wow did I feel special.

Vonda LuGene was someone I heard alot about and knew that when

she called, Mommy and Daddy got really excited. And then as I got

a little older I got to spend an entire summer with her in the big city.

My memories of Mommy and Daddy are too numerous to tell.

I remember when Daddy would come home from work he would

sit in the kitchen in front of the stove and I would take off his

boots. Then I would rummage through his left over lunch in his

bucket! Then another memory of him on a green bench on the porch

when he found out he was not able to work anymore due to black lung.

Many evenings sitting on that same front porch listening to bob whites call

and he would say "sis, why don't you make us some popcorn?"

I remember the first time I made cornbread and fried potatoes for lunch.

Mommy and Daddy were either harvesting or planting something in the yard.

They bragged all about it but I am not sure how great it was!

Many nights I would be up with leg cramps or pain and Mommy would

bring liniment and sing or pray while she rubbed my legs til I fell asleep.

As I grew older we would pray together. One time in particular is when I

heard about a prayer request at church. I didn't know this young man

but he was heavy on my heart to pray for him. When I told Mommy about

the request she said well we will just pray about it now. The holy spirit

filled Mommy and she got happy. After that she said I feel that everything

is going to be alright. I met him a few months later after he had heart surgery,

His name was Danny Hutsenpiller! I often wondered if she knew that he would

be the one for me. I wish I would've asked her.

She was there with me when I had each of my children and then as I learned how

to become a mother she was there for me, my role model.

I called her at 3am when Emily had a temperature of 104, and she prayed with

me over the phone. I felt better and eventually Emily was too.

I called her when Tanner turned blue from the croup and I had no idea.

Again we prayed. Then there was the time Jacob had a seizure from a fever

We took him to the ER, but I had to call Mommy first and get that prayer started.

Then life got really busy, Mommy and Daddy got older and somewhere between

baseball games and the rush of life "IT" went from me depending on them

to them depending on me. Taking them to doctors appt, reading bills because they

couldn't see, checking blood pressures, blood sugars; all became part of my daily

routine. Getting calls at work from Daddy, telling me Mommy had another "spell" with her

blood pressure or calls from Mommy saying Daddy isn't feeling well can you

talk to the doctor and get him some medicine! From there the road got rough

with illnesses and age. But we continued our prayer journey on that old road.

Now Mommy is on that straight stretch yearning for sights unseen and those adventures

she has yet to take. I know she is rejoicing in her heart and soul because she

has paved the road for those of us left here on earth. She has laid the foundation

and although we may still have some curves and bumps in the road our own straight

stretch is waiting on us and I am sure that Mommy and Daddy will be at the end of the road!