Doc Martin, not the shoes, melted down some veins in my leg. That was interesting. Burning veins are stinky but that laser is pretty cool. I still think it would be a very neat tool for removing moss from old oak trees. Roger always said my idea was crazy because laser means heat, heat means fire, fire in an oak tree is not good. Hey...I had a firefighter on hand so I never saw the problem.
Afternoon meant spending time with my amazing SIL (Sister in Love) - She is fun, not only because she (and Jessica) is an AMAZING cook, and baker, she is just relaxed and makes any and every thing just more relaxed. I got to relax with my leg up and pay more for a jacket than I ever thought possible, but hey, the cheesecake made it worth it! Home parties - gotta love em. One per year.
Then, off to the theatre. I love my Master's Academy Thespians! I do my best not to miss a show and I will follow that Director ANYWHERE, even if she ever gets a wild hair to leave TMA. She has such creativity and vision and this show (My Dear Mr. Watson) was a world premiere - written by one of her MA friends from Rollins, and Directed by my very favorite director, Morgan Matos. (I will clarify, STAGE director, for Hans is also my favorite Film Director!) She has challenged these kids so much and they always rise far beyond any of our expectations. As it should be! If you are going to teach - go for the whole thing! Thank you Morgan and my forever TMA family! Jacob joined me and LOVED the show~ he loves figuring out mysteries~ And even Roger would have loved this show. He humored me more often than not and attended at least one showing of any production where I was involved, but LOVED Morgan's shows - unless they were too girly. Or if there was a conflicting football game.
Jacob -my caregiver for the day - and I capped off the evening by changing into RED to celebrate Zach's high school graduation. Barbara outdid herself, as expected. (Refer to the last post) It was fun to sit at the theatre and find that the student next to me knew Zach. They met at a summer camp. It is so neat to see how small the world really is. It is even better to discover how seemingly unrelated individuals meet, and often it is through a church activity. Crossing paths - just really neat the way God causes paths to cross. One day I will recall the story of the first time Roger took me to Windermere. Crossing paths - so absurd sometimes, and yet something only God can orchestrate.
Ah, but when I found myself awake throughout the night, I might have been rubbing my leg, but I was laughing with cousins. Most of these were Roger's SECOND cousins - if you follow the genealogy - but we never did. Just cousins. Most of these cousins are closer to MY age than his age. Some are even closer to our girl's ages...though they were sort of the 'tweeners. (Between generations because he waited past the norm age to get married and start a family)...Actually, I think that made them pretty special because all of the cousins liked to baby them! Oh the fun!
With me and my recently repaired leg all propped up, I spent some time just observing this interesting and loving crew. They laugh. They laugh ALL the time! If they ever squabble, I have never seen it. The reason for the party was Ole Miss - where Zach chose to go to college. The theme of the party was all things southern. Ole Miss is a wonderful ole southern school. Sam graduated from Ole Miss last year, so my sister and B-I-L spent a fair amount of time traveling between Nashville and Oxford Mississippi. Southern Charm. Family.
I woke up laughing because I could just see Jim sporting his seersucker suit. I wondered if John would be wearing one soon. He is a bit young to be called a Southern Gentleman, but he is going to have to bump up his game pretty quickly! He's got the Southern and Gentleman, but I don't know if he has a seersucker suit! Jim...oh, he was perfect for the part!
I woke up laughing because David just cracks me up all the time. He is about as laid back as any young man I have ever known. He does not seem influenced by money, prestige, the elite, the never ending crazy beliefs of these 'young whippersnappers' in his college town. He has a good head on his shoulders and is just as down to earth as Roger ever was and I wish they had spent more time together. He was our ring bearer and Roger's godson (which I only recently discovered.) My family did not grow up with god-relations so I did not know to research that important little bit of information. Sadness.
I discovered that he loved studying the Civil War and had Leonard relatives all over the place. It was like talking to a Roger-Clone. I loved it. I will also be sure that he gets one of those 'stiffly starched shirts' for he will have an appreciation for it! He reminds me a whole lot of Roger!
I woke up laughing with Claudia, Roger's closest cousin. I got the idea that they grew up like a brother and sister in many ways. They had a unique connection. Let's see, Claudia was the middle child. That must have made her go with the flow and take the opportunities to escape from the bossy elder and attention getting baby! Ha! Much like my own siblings - only I, the eldest, was the one always trying to escape! Aunt Hazel was my personal sanctuary! He was an only child and liked having a sister that he could send back to her house when he was tired of her. They were quite the pair!
I woke up laughing with Punky about cancer - and beating it - and not letting it beat you! And laughing about the way it changes you and how it can be a positive thing if you let it. She is so positive and encouraging and so many times in those first few weeks, when I was tearing up unmercifully, I would get this little 'ding' and it was a text from Punky - with just the scripture message that I needed. No comments - just the perfect message from God. Pretty remarkable the way He orchestrates those things. It was so good to see and hug her after almost a decade. I thought 10 years apart was a pretty good stretch for Roger and myself, but Punky beat me. At 6 years younger than me, she married a wonderful man the same age as Roger! She beat me in capturing the old guys!
They were both forever young, however, likely due to robbing the cradle.
I woke up seeing the sea of faces that we all love and seeing in my mind the ones who were present in spirit but physically in far distant places. Each one has a special place in my heart and makes me recall great memories of seeing each of them with Roger.
Mostly while gazing around the room, I missed something really big. I missed Roger's big laugh and bear hugs being shared around. He would have been all about Ole Miss. He would have had a good time talking with Ted about those Gators, even though he would have been wearing Red with his shiny black shoes - to match my red, with black sweater. (Ted noticed right away that I was wearing Bulldogs - glory...who knew! I thought I was wearing Red for Zach!) He would have been all about the 'boils' that John kept pouring on the table! And he would have been the very last to leave - he could never get enough of family.
It has often been said that you do not marry the person, you marry the family. Roger always thought that he was blessed because he loved my family. We vary from reserved to over the top crazy - my mother bringing reserved and refinement to the table - Daddy kept the party going. Roger might have been born in Ohio, but everyone considered him southern and he did too! (But I NEVER would have been able to get him into a seersucker suit!)
But it is I who is so remarkably blessed. There ia a different kind of fun that this Wilamoski clan brought to the table. The never ending laughter and the ability to just love one another no matter what has been their theme for as long as I can remember - The family gets bigger and it becomes more difficult to coordinate something where everyone can be present every time, but the secret is in the trying. And party, they do.
Our family just got smaller, but I saw yesterday that Roger's love and influence lives on beyond him. I am so thankful for that. I am so thankful to be a part of this very special family.
Roger's Lesson: I know he would tell me that it is not about one college or one team, but it is about Family and Friends. It is about knowing what they care about and caring about it too.
And it does not matter if you agree, either.
Roger left me far more than our two babies and our expanded family. He left me his extended family as well.
And I count myself so very blessed!
I love extended family get-togethers. Even when we do not have the get-togethers, I travel to see them.
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