Mama’s Birthday (Chase’s too), Peggy’s Graduation

Today is Mama’s birthday. The thirty fourth birthday the Lord has allowed us to share. I was not able to buy her a home or a farm as has often happened around her birthday in the past but we at least decided that we should keep this one. That counts for something. Looking back I wish I had started to log - or blog - the events of our lives together many years ago but I was not farsighted enough to do so, and from this vantage point I have forgotten far more than I can remember about those 12,410 days that have led to this one; especially the first 7,300 or so.

I spent the day at the church again today so I was able to eat lunch with Mama and Grandma who came to give her a small birthday gift. I was also able to get her some fruit for the school’s 10:30 fruit break. We have very little fruit at the house so I took the opportunity to get some of the prepackaged cups of fruit that Walmart sells. It was the only gift I had for her this birthday. It was at least a surprise. Maybe next year will be better in the gift department. For that matter, maybe Christmas will be better. Time will tell.

Chase’s birthday was today also. I remember when we were starting to get all the adoption papers together for our children that I noticed his birthday. Mama was so excited about it. That and the fact that Chase is also left handed - like Mama - has been a fond similarity between the two of them over the years. Chase will tell you that only left handed people are in their right brain. There the similarities between mother and son end…but, that is as it should be. I have not heard about what kind of birthday he had.

Tonight was Peggy Calvert’s visitation service. She died early Tuesday morning but the visitation and funeral were delayed a bit in order to give family time to get to Decatur, TX to pay their final respects; and there was a lot of family. From Idaho and California and Colorado to far-flung parts of Texas and New Mexico. It was a big gathering. Far more memories passing over many more years than we had with Peggy. But if any of them were as deeply affected by her as we have been in the few years we have known her then it is safe to assume that she profoundly affected a lot of lives. Soon we will hear that account given in Heaven. She will have nothing to be ashamed of.

Tomorrow the old shell she left here will be laid to rest. She has no further need of it now. There will be a big crowd for the service tomorrow. School at the church school has been cancelled tomorrow so Bro Zach and Mama can attend the service. I have been asked to be a pall bearer for the service and at the graveside. It has been many years since I have done that so it will be interesting to have that role to play in her final farewell. So much life lived, so few words to recount it.

Joe Walker told me Heaven will never be the same. I have a feeling he is spot on.