Blocks 1, 2, 3 and 4

My eyes are tired again.

Had to get a close-up

so I could show everyone

what I am talking about.

Don't I look like I have a

raccoon mask on?

I have never

actually seen them like this before.

I have seen them in a mirror

but that is never close up.

No wonder it took so much time

to conceal my dark circles . . .

they do take up a lot of space on my face :o{

Now, the unveiling of 

 Blocks 1, 2, 3 and4.

Block #1 is my Tree of Life.

I am blessed 
to have a family 
that is rich in history.

I have a family tree

that dates back 
to the 1st York in my family.

My family tree

has so many more branches

than this tree.

When someone asks 

how big my family is

I always tell them this.

"When 

my Grandpa Winegardner 

was born,

he already had 

nieces and nephews 

older than him."

His father, 

Rev. William Winegardner,

was married 5 times.

(Grandpa was the child 

of the 4th wife.)

Mom always said

"Grandpa kept getting married

because

he still had children at home."

Because of this fact,

and that we 

used to attend 

Winegardner family reunions,

where I knew no one . . 

and Mom knew some,

I always was interested

in how spread out 

this gene pool was.

Blocks  2 and 3 are Mom and Dad.

I was blessed 

to have parents 

who truly loved me

for who I am.

Mom raised me 

to be an independent woman.
Dad taught me 

what a man should act like.

They both had sly senses of humor

so I come about my dry,

semi-sarcastic

quick wit genetically.

Dad's humor was understated

while Mom's was out there 

for the world to see.

Dad was born 

October 31, 1917 . . .

that makes Halloween 

a special day for me.

Whenever anyone asks 

"What's your favorite holiday?"

this is it.

So for Dad,

I made a pumpkin . . .

not a jack-o-lantern

but a pumpkin.

Mom was a little harder.

She was born October 21, 1919 . . .

no holiday that I know of 

goes with that date.

How do you show the love

that only a mother can give a child?

THAT is what I associate with my mom.

After she died

I SO MISSED

being able to stop by their house

and tell her about something

inconsequential that happened to me.

She would be so happy for me.

No matter how small,

or large,

it was always important to her.

So when she died,

I felt the void

more than a I thought I would.

Since it is springtime

and the lilacs are blooming,

I HAD to make Mom's block lilacs.

When Lee and I were younger,

with no money,

we would ask Mom  

if we could borrow some money.

Then, off we would go

to North Drugs to buy something for her,

with her money.

When I got old enough to drive,

I would 

search the alleyways 

of Logan

looking for lilac bushes.

We no longer had them in our alley

so I had to hunt them down.

I would "steal" lilac blooms

and bring them home to Mom.

She loved them . . .

Now,

when I smell my 1st Lilacs of the spring,

I think of Mom . . .

and how she would kid Lee and I

about how she always bought her own present

and I stole for her.

That makes me smile just thinking about her face when she said this.

Block #4 is for Mom and Dad's Marriage.

Mom and Dad were married
February 24, 19?? . . .

I can never remember the year.

I have to think:

January1951 (my birthday) - 4 years = January 1947

Lee was born in December 4 years before my,

so he was born December 5, 1947.

This means Mom and Dad were married February 24, 1947.

Hum . . .

wonder is I can do a block for Lee

that is Horseshoe Bend?

(Just a family joke
and I'll bet Lee 
has no idea
what I'm 
talking about!)

I am so blessed 
that Mom and Dad 
fell in love and were married.

I always wonder . . .

what were their plans were for me before I was born?

(My name was picked out for Lee

so they were planning on me from the beginning.

They had no boys name picked out

so I know I was to be 1st . . LOLOL)

Dear Lord,

Thank you for Lilacs. No matter how far I wander from home, the 1st smell of their scent brings me back to my youth. What a great family you gave me. I know you are all seeing and all knowing, but how did you ever match all of us together into such a good family unit? It seemed so easy for Mom and Dad to be parents . . . but I am sure it wasn't. In our youth, money was tight, yet I didn't know it . . . I knew I was loved, and that was what was important.

Thank you for all of the blessings you bestowed upon my developmental days. They gave me a sound foundation with which to live my life . . and I am proud at the way it turned out.

Amen

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