Happy 4th of July
Our celebration today included flying our American flag. In the recent years, Dennis and I have been right here on Stuaffer Avenue for the 4th safe and sound.
I have more memories of the 4th of July than a talk show could cover. Fifty one years ago today, Carrie and I had taken mother-in-law Esther, Grandma, to Redwood Falls to see Mrs. Connors. Mrs. Connors sold Tri-Chem fabric paints and she had Esther as a good customer. Carrie had been a good traveler and had contained her boredom while we were at Mrs. Connors. As a treat the three of us stopped at Hardee’s in Redwood Falls for an ice cream cone before we headed home. I knew we would be getting Esther home in time for us to continue motoring home to help Orlin with the evening livestock chores. As we were leaving Hardees, I tripped on an uneven concrete seam in the sidewalk. It was a fairly good jar.
I should mention that I was almost nine months pregnant. That jar began the rest of the story. We didn’t stop in Hector to take Grandma Schafer home. We headed straight for our farm in Boon Lake Township. Orlin had already started the evening chores and was just about to start milking the herd of Holstein milk cows. Grandma Schafer stayed with Carrie. Dad came and started the milking while Orlin and I headed for the hospital in Hutchinson. My, oh my! How schedules change. Kevin became the star of that 4th of July and all those that have come after.
Fast forward. Carrie will be 54 this year. Kevin is 51. Those numbers don’t mean much to me as they will be my babies for as long as I breathe. I celebrate my children’s lives every day. I can’t stop time, but then . . . no one can imagine how much my memory can hold. I nurture my memories because I can and because they are MINE.