Gone. . . but not forgotten
There is a tradition in Mexico that each person dies three times.
First, there is the moment in which the body stops functioning.
Second, there is the time that the remains are consigned to the grave.
Third, is when the person's name is spoken for the last time.
Then the person is really gone.
Here are some people who will never be gone as long as I am alive.
I was very close to my maternal grandparents, particularly my grandmother. I lived with them until I was three and always stayed in close contact with them. They were wonderful people. The person I most wish I could be like is my grandmother. I have always liked this baby picture of her. (I plan to make a page about all my grandparents.)
I also have many great uncles and great aunts who I have very fond memories of, as well as great-grandparents and other relatives. Eventually I will either mention them on this page or make pages for them.
The saddest part about getting older is losing people you care about.
Georgetta was my favorite aunt. She moved away from Garnett when I was five so I didn't get to see her often but kept in contact. This photo of Georgetta and I was taken when I was about 15 months old.
Uncle Jim, who lived most of his life in California, is my favorite uncle. This photo of him in the Navy was taken around 1947. He moved back to Kansas for the last few months of his life so my daughters and granddaughter had a chance to get to know him better.
One person who did not even live long enough to be born, but who left an empty place in my heart that will never quite be filled, is the baby I lost January 27, 1968.
Dear babe that almost was, yet could not be...
Torn by the pounding surf, swept out to sea.
For a good part of my life I didn't have any really close friends - something I very much regret. When I was growing up one person I was close to was Skip. We knew each other from the time we were babies.
On April 9,1988 Skip killed himself. Even though I had not seen him for quite a while I thought of him often and it took me a very long time to adjust to the idea of a world without him in it.
This is the two of us being silly at a party. A while back I contacted Skip's daughter. It has been a great experience sharing memories and seeing photos of Skip's children and grandchildren.
