Beautiful Sunday!

Ollie and I went to Marble Falls yesterday and met up with Mom and Dad after Church for lunch. Dad now uses a cane with a base and 4 rubber feet, rather than using his walker!!! Mom said that he "told" her that he wanted one and she shopped but couldn't find one. When she told him she was unable to find on, he "told" her that he knew where they could find one. They got in the car and he directed her to a local pharmacy. Sure enough, they had just what he wanted! For the first time since his stroke, Dad walked up to communion during Mass at Church yesterday!!! He must have felt so proud! He also walked into the restaurant and back to the car using the cane! Again, while we were back at the house, Dad walked around the house, rather than using his wheelchair! Hooray for progress!!! "Faith in one's progress brings contentment."

Mom looked beautiful, as always, in her Sunday best! She and Dad were in exceptionally happy moods Sunday! Mom has scheduled Jerry to come more often and she has hired a housekeeper to help her with cleaning around the house. This week she is only having her clean the bathrooms. That's what works for Mom, so we are happy that she is doing it her way! I think having this type of help is helping Mom to have more rest, hence the brighter mood! Having help for Mom makes Dad happier also!

When we got home from lunch, we all picked our spot and took naps! I don't think I've had that restful a nap in a long time! There's just something about being at my parents home that gives me peace! Pulitzer Prize winning journalist John Ed Pearce said, "Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and a place you grow old wanting to get back to." Amen!

Happy 65th Anniversary - May 5, 2011

It is such an honor to share with you that Mom and Dad celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary on Thursday, May 5th! For a change of scenery, we talked them into coming to Austin and having lunch at Papasita's (Mom's choice)! Danny, Lisa, Glenda, Clint, Ollie and I all celebrated with them. Jean and Jimmie were getting things ready to host over 60 members of Mom's family for Mother's Day, so they didn't get to join us.

Mom and Dad came to our house and Ollie and I drove them to the restaurant. In the car I asked Mom and Dad some details of their wedding. They were married on a Sunday in the priest's office at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rockne. Since Dad was not a Catholic at the time, they were not allowed to marry in the Church itself. Either before or after the wedding ceremony, they attended Mass. The reception was held out in the front yard of Grandma and Grandpa Grohman's house outside Rockne. Mom said all her aunts participated in providing the meal. Luella Goertz, Mom's cousin and best friend, and Leroy Grohman served as their Maid of Honor and Best Man. They couldn't afford to take a honeymoon and they both went back to work Monday morning! Talk about a reality check!!! In later years, when I was about 13, they went to Hawaii and called it their 2nd honeymoon, even though they never actually took a first one! If you ask me, they have been on a honeymoon since 1946!!! They will certainly tell you that they have had their differences, but I truly never saw the fight or disagree with each other. Mom was in the era of wives not questioning their husband. I think she amended that to not questioning him in front of us kids!!! She isn't one for not expressing her opinion, but she is very tactful about it!! I will add that Mom always taught us to respect Dad as the head of our household! His word was law! He would tell us, "This is NOT a democracy! This is a dictatorship and I am the dictator!" He ruled with a loving heart and hand too!

Anyway, back to our lunch celebration, the wonderful staff at Papasita's brought out a delicious chocolate-lava cake with a candle at the end of the meal, announced to the restaurant full of people that they were celebrating their 65th Anniversary and sang to Mom and Dad! The candle was one of those that re-lit itself, and Mom and Dad both got a big kick out of that! As you can see in the picture (sorry for the poor quality), they were beaming with happiness!

At many weddings this is read. It meant so much when I read it today... this epitomizes Mom and Dad's marriage. What a fine example they set for us! Again, I am honored to be their daughter! God bless Mildred and Harvey Smith!

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (New International Version, ©2011)

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Happy Birthday Mildred!

On Tuesday, May 3, 2011, Mom celebrated her 85th birthday! Ollie, Danny, Jean and I went to Marble Falls and took her and Dad out to dinner! Glenda was very disappointed that she couldn't join us, but she was incredibly busy at work and could not get away. Mom chose for us all to go to the new Chinese food restaurant in town called Koy. It was excellent and I highly recommend it! Our great server brought Mom a piece of cheesecake with a candle on it and we all sand "Happy Birthday" to her, including Dad! Mom said he had already sung to her that morning, with her coaching him! It's amazing, but he can sing the words better than speaking them! It's because he uses a different part of his brain for that! It's not perfect by any means, but you can tell what he's singing! He can do it if someone else sings it with him! It's very special to be the one being sung to!!!

Mom was delighted to have some of us there! She kept saying over and over that she just couldn't believe that she was 85 years old! I just pray I'm in her great shape when I'm 85!!! As I have said before many times, she is an amazing Godly woman! Here's what Proverbs has to say about a good woman like our Mom...

• A good woman is proud. She respects herself and others. She is aware of who she is. She neither seeks definition from the person she is with, nor does she expect them to read her mind. She is quite capable of articulating her needs.

• A good woman is hopeful. She is strong enough to make all her dreams come true. She knows love, therefore she gives love. She recognizes that her love has great value and must be reciprocated. If her love is taken for granted, it soon disappears.

• A good woman has a dash of inspiration and a dabble of endurance. She knows that she will at times have to inspire others to reach the potential God gave them.

• A good woman knows her past, understands her present and forces toward the future.

• A good woman knows God. She knows that with God the world is her playground, but without God she will just be played with.

• A good woman does not live in fear of the future because of her past. Instead, she understands that her life experiences are merely lessons meant to bring her closer to self-knowledge and unconditional self-love.

~~ The Christian Bible Book of Proverbs

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