Letter to your great grandmother

 Letters to Mom,                                                               March 13,2021

Dear Mom, This is your weekly memory letter from your daughter, Kathy, the one that looked liked Dad. 

 Barbara is your firstborn.  I called her Bobbie when I was young.  I remember Saturday nights you would put "Bobbie pins" in our hair to make it wavy for church the following morning. I used to think that was the reason I called her Bobbie.  Much later you rolled our hair with clips and I remember calling them "Kathy pins" and thinking I was just as glamorous as my sister.  When I was 14, baby sister Beverly arrived, and again I had another sister who always took center stage.

The three of us are entirely different. Bobbie is beautiful and smart.  She made straight A's in all of her classes and was a member of the National Honor Society.  She was a debutant and was presented to society at the debutante ball.  My beautiful brainy sister could be quite scatterbrained at times like the day she drove the car to High School with her girlfriends and that afternoon rode home on the bus because she forgot she drove that day.  Needless to say, her girlfriends were not amused waiting by the car for an hour before she remembered and got a ride from a teenage boy back to the high school to pick up her friends.

I was not the smart one unless it was something I really liked.  You and Dad gave me a lecture, "I don't care what grade you make as long as it is the best of your ability, but don't you dare bring home less than a C".  So I made up my mind that if you were happy with a "C" that was my goal.  I will admit to also being the lazy one and came very close to failing many subjects, but through frantic prayer, and tutoring from Bobbie I could somehow manage a C minus.  You and dad were always disappointed but I always thought and chuckled to myself, "If you only knew how close to failing I actually came you would be congratulating me right now!"  

 I was  "everybody's buddy" but definitely didn't stand out in the crowd.  I played a tenor saxophone in Junior High and was in band and orchestra and still can't really read music to this day.  I got a pity date to Prom 3 days before the event and you were upset that I didn't give you enough time to make my dress.  I was just thrilled to be invited and go out with my friends. All my high school friends were in the Honor Society, I was just thrilled to graduate.

Baby sister Beverly was a big surprise to all of us.  We got to name her as long as you and Dad agreed to the name.  Bobbie and I pitched out our favorite girl names only to have someone else in the family say, "I knew a girl with that name and I hated her."  Bobbie wanted to name her Joy but Dad vetoed the name.  He said, "Girls named Joy were usually sweet or terribly misnamed and he didn't want to take his chances on the name."  We finally settled on the name Beverly because the only Beverly we knew we all liked.  Barbara's middle name is Leigh, so she wanted Beverly's middle name to be Lynn so they would have the same initials.  So here I am stuck in the middle with Barbara Leigh and Beverly Lynn.  It's tough to be a Janet Kathleen.

Baby sister Bev is an island all her own.  She is very different from Bobbie and me and basically grew up as an only child.  She has a very strong personality and either loves you or hates you with very little sway in-between.  She is your best friend Mom, and a strong advocate for you.  She has a temper like your father (our grandfather Carden) and feels things very deeply.  She called you daily when you lived in Virginia Beach and would call me if she couldn't reach you insisting that I drive 4 hours to your house and comb the streets to find you.  She never married and would come home for several weeks in October on vacation from United Airlines

to cook, clean, do yard work, clean out the attic, linen closet, and your clothes closet.  She has a good heart but would frustrate you as she moved things to where she thought they should be and not where you usually stored them.

So, Mom, that's us, (Brains and Beauty) (Fun and Fabulous) and (Fire and Ice) your 3 very different daughters that adore you, pray for you daily, and would love to see you and hug you.  Hope you enjoyed the stories and will write more next week.  

Your Daughter Kathy

This picture is of Lyra Jane your great-granddaughter.  She just completed 100 days of kindergarten with a little old lady photo.  It made me laugh and I thought you would get a chuckle from it.

Letters to great grandmother

 

Dear Mom,  This is your adorable daughter Kathy, who lives in Tennessee writing you a memory from my childhood that you may not remember.  I hope it brings you joy and lets you know how very much you are loved and cherished.  Charlie (my husband) and I pray for you every single day and are so happy that you are well.

It was the best Christmas, it was the worst Christmas.  It is the one Christmas I will never forget.  I was a spoiled princess.  I had never gone hungry or lacked anything.  When I wanted a particular toy or object I usually got it.  I may have had to wait till my birthday or Christmas but whatever I asked for would "magically" appear.

   The Christmas I was 11 and Bobbie was 14 we were told that Christmas would be very lean as we needed to replace the family car.  You and Dad had long ago revealed Santa's real identity so you both felt like we could reasonably be included in this family decision.

    Christmas at our house was always very lavish...lots of presents, toys, games and new clothes.  So even though you both had announced not to expect any presents other than what the aunts, uncles, and grandparents sent, we really didn't believe it.

    One reason we didn't believe that there would be no Christmas was the mysterious noises, whispers, paper rustling, and frantic cries of "Don't come in here right now!"  After all, we reasoned, neither of us could drive...so a new car was not a family gift if only our parents could take it for a spin. We also thought you were just telling us this just to see the joy on our little faces come Christmas morning when, "Surprise, Santa came after all."

    "They really wouldn't really cancel Christmas," my big sister assured me.  Christmas morning arrived in our household, no one was allowed in the living room until Dad went in and turned on the Christmas tree lights.  We had sliding "Pocket Doors" leading into the living room from the hallway that was closed on Christmas Eve.

    You, Mom, turned to us in the hallway and said, "Do you want to go open your presents or go sing Merry Christmas to the Car?  What kind of question was this?  Who wants to go sing Merry Christmas to the car?  Let me at those gifts.  "Gifts! Gifts!" we cried in unison.  "Okay, you said and slid open the door, revealing our glorious Christmas tree and gifts...just the way we left it on Christmas Eve.    

    One quick look at the tree was enough to depress this 11-year-old. "Let's go sing to the car, I said, clearly disappointed.  "Oh no," you replied, "Let's go open our gifts.  So we did.  It was disappointing.  It wasn't anything that we wanted and I was totally miserable. "What's that string attached to the tree?"  Near the top branches was a note that read "To the Watson family" and the string led to the new car in the garage.

     "Let's follow the string and go sing Merry Christmas to the car!" you encouraged, knowing how disappointed we were at having no presents.  We went to the garage very begrudgingly only because Dad had on his "You heard your Mother" face, and we knew it was pointless to argue.

      So we opened the garage door and there sat the car.  Our new car, the car that had robbed us of our happy childhood.  The car that neither of us could drive.  I really wanted to kick the tires or spit on the wheels but we were encouraged sweetly by you Mom and also by the stern, threatening look on Dad's face to sing "Merry Christmas to you, Merry Christmas to you, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas to you old stupid car!

    Oh look, you said Mom, "The string is caught in the trunk....maybe we should open it up and look inside."  "I'm going inside," I announced tiredly of the whole let's get a new car for Christmas incident and hoping I was adopted and my real parents might be inside waiting for me with my Christmas presents.)

   "Oh no you don't," Dad said, opening the trunk revealing the entire space filled with gaily colored boxes, packages, dolls, games, stockings, ribbons, and candy.  "Not until you help bring these presents inside."  Presents, gifts, wow! maybe this new car thing wasn't as bad as I originally thought.  My emotions went from sad, angry, and miserable to all smiles, excitement, and total joy.

    Presents, more than I had ever imagined at any Christmas before or since.  Presents, my parents really did love us more than their car after all.  "I told you so,
" Bobbie said to me wiping tears out of her face but not sounding nearly as confident as she wanted me to think.

   So that was our miserable Merry Christmas.  You told us later that was the first time you both had to sneak presents from the house into the trunk instead of the other way around.

    You and Dad really surprised us that Christmas.  Thank you for making our childhood memorable.  We always knew you both loved us and were good providers.  We would always ask Dad where he was going at Christmas time and he would just smile and say, "I'm going to see a man about a horse."  I always wondered what happened to our Christmas pony?

Thank you Momma for your love and prayers.  I hope you enjoyed this story about our most surprising Christmas. Your adorable daughter, Kathy 

first lost tooth

Goodness. This boy FINALLY lost his first tooth last night. He’s so glad to be in the toothless club.  Congratulations Henry.  Pretty soon all those baby teeth will be loose too.  Poppa and I are hoping you will have enough left to eat corn on the cobb this summer.

letters to your great grandmother

 Dear Mom,                                                February 19,2021

This has been a busy week for us in Tennessee.  My husband  Charlie turned 71 on Monday.  Our daughter (your granddaughter Suzy) baked him a Chocolate cake and her boys ( your great-grandsons) put 10 relighting candles on the cake.  He kept blowing them out and they kept relighting.  Thankfully they didn’t put on 71 candles or we might have had to get the fire department to put the flames out.

Barbara reminded me that your mom (our grandmother)  put relighting candles on her birthday cake when she was a teenager (over 60 years ago).  We were visiting her in Harlingen, Texas, and Bobbie’s birthday is in late August.  None of us had ever seen relighting candles so we were amazed the first 3 or 4 times they kept lighting back up. It wasn’t nearly as funny by the 10th or 12th time. It generated a lot of smoke in the room and I   remember Dad finally got a glass of water and took the candles off the cake one at a time and submerged them in the water to put them out completely.  We all had to laugh as we never suspected Grandmother to be such a jokester!

Speaking of Cakes I remember the weekend Bobbie brought Joe home from North Texas State to meet you and Dad.  She was really nervous and hoped that you would like him.  You had lots of food and multiple desserts but Bobbie decided she wanted to make a Boston Cream pie from a mix.  You whispered to me, “Stay in the kitchen with her and make sure she does it right.”  She mixed the cake batter, made the cream filling and put it in the refrigerator, and lined the pan with wax paper the way you always did.

 By the time she got it in the oven and set the timer, I felt like she could manage the rest.  That night we had a  wonderful dinner and when it came time for dessert    Bobbie was the only one who chose Boston Cream Pie.  It looked really pretty. The cream filling was in the center and iced with chocolate frosting.  Imagine our surprise when she ate a mouthful of cake and disappeared into the kitchen.

 You gave me “ the look” which meant what’s wrong with the cake? I gave you the “I don’t know shrug!”  In a few minutes, she returned to the table with the cake but no frosting on it.  She looked embarrassed but finally said, “I forgot to take the wax paper off the cake and after I split the cake and put the filling in, I frosted over the wax paper! “  We all laughed because my beautiful brainy sister was so twitter-pated she put frosting on top of wax paper.  Later on, we found out why she was so nervous when Joe asked Dad if he could have his permission to ask her to marry him

Bobbie is certainly a good cook now.  They have been married for over 50 years.  When I first brought Charlie over to meet you and dad,  you looked at his baby face and said, “How old is this guy, 16?”  We were both out of college by then and we have been together for 47 years.

I hope this brought you some moments of laughter.  You and Dad certainly were good role models for us girls.  We love you, Momma,
and pray for you every single day.  We look forward to when we can see you and catch up on all our missed hugs.

Kathy (the one who looks like Dad) and Charlie ( the now not-so baby faced hubby)

 

 

 

 

 

Lexi turns two

 

 Dear Lexi Anne,

You and your Poppa have birthdays very close together.  He is my late Valentine because his birthday is the day after Valentine's day. He turned 71 and of course, you big boy cousins put relighting candles on his cake.  Fortunately, there were only 10 candles instead of 71 or it might have taken the fire department to put them out. 

We miss you and your sisters very much.  We are so lucky that your parents take lots of photos of you and your sisters so we can watch you grow and change right before our eyes.

Poppa has made treasure chests for all of our grandchildren.  He wrote you a note to go with it that I am posting in your blog as it will probably be misplaced as you grow.  Please know that you are a precious gift to our family and Diva and Poppa pray for you every single day.

February 10, 2021

Dear Lexi,

This is a special treasure box for a very special young lady, you. Diva and I have made it for you, to store your treasures.  There is not another box just like this in the whole world, just like there is only on Lexi.

We hope that you remember that you are dearly loved by us, and by so many others.

Your smiles light up a room, and we enjoy hearing you say, "Hi" when we are talking to your mom or dad on the phone.  We look forward to seeing pictures of you with your sisters.

Did you know that your daddy was our baby boy many years ago?  He was a good baby, and now he has grown into a wonderful man and father.  We haven't known your mother for as long, but we love her now as our 3rd daughter.

May the Lord bless you as you grow into the godly woman we hope you will become.  With all our love, Poppa and Diva

Happy Birthday to our Curly Girly.  Can't wait to see you again.  Your Diva

Your Birthday Card to Poppa

 Dear Henry, This is the birthday card you made for Poppa when you were 8 years old. 

You are a very good artist when you take your time.  You especially like drawing dinosaurs and animals.

I noticed you do not like to color.  Your Card says:  Happy Birthday Pappa!!!!!!

followed by lots of candles and then lots of hearts.

Thank you for giving Poppa lots of love.

Your Diva

 

Letters to your great grandmother

 Dear Mom                                          February 7, 2021

It’s time for your weekly letter from your adorable middle daughter Kathy.  It snowed last night here in Tennessee and I woke up to beautiful pristine snow on the tree branches and ground.  It almost takes away your breath by the purity of it.  It reminds me of the hymn “Brighter than snow, Yes brighter than snow, now wash me and I will be brighter than snow.”  Today is Sunday, a calm restful day of church services on the computer of our local church and of your grandson Andy’s church in Fort Worth, Texas.

I am writing memories and stories for our grandchildren (your great-grandchildren) so they will know a little bit more about you and dad and the memories I had as a child. This is part of a story I wrote about my favorite memories of church.  This occurred while Charlie and I were working at Equipping the Saints in Virginia.

‘Several days ago we had a new volunteer ( a 17-year-old girl that was very quiet) she was working on scraping off loose paint from the window sills before we could caulk, sand, and paint them. Our Suzy always plays questions and answers whenever we are on a road trip so I started asking everyone questions trying to draw her out and learn a little more about her.

The question asked was, "What is one of your first memories of the church?"

Various answers followed, VBS, church camp, a wedding, stain glass windows in the sanctuary.

[I was transported back to my childhood and the one memory that stood out in my mind was sitting next to my dad in the church service. I was a wiggler and a giggler so was assigned to sit next to my dad so he could give me "the eye" when I got too antsy. I was intrigued by my Dad's big hand compared to mine. I would study it and play with his hand. Occasionally we would play a game where he would suddenly grab my fingers and my job was to keep him from entrapping them in his grasp.

This normally would keep me entertained and quiet for at least 20 minutes till I would suddenly break into gales of laughter causing my mom to give both of us

"the look" that instantly brought both of us to attention and make my Dad suddenly stop playing and start looking stern. We both knew it was to satisfy my mom because there was always a twinkle in those merry blue eyes.

I miss my Father's Hands. He was a good hugger, tickler, coach, adviser, sports enthusiast, friend, and the first man in my life. I miss his "Dutch Uncle" talks where he would tell me what he was thinking and why without trying to spare my feelings.

Our son was named after Dad  (Andrew Wallace) and I see many characteristics in him that were in dad.  I miss him every day.}

 We love and miss you,
Momma.  Hope this was a nice story of the man we all loved.  Same time next week?  Gotcha all prayed up sweet lady.    Kathy