Eight Days in Review

The 10th was a fun day...first my yearly physical, followed in the afternoon by my yearly mammogram...phew, if I didn't deserve a calgon bath after that, I don't know when I would. Most of the tests came back fine, except it turns out my cholesterol is high...grrrr...

When I got home on the 10th, Daniel's plywood for his office had arrived. We spent a couple of hours measuring and sawing and putting the boards into the trailer so that we don't unexpectedly fall through. That was fun. Always good to feel like you are getting something accomplished. We got a few things moved back into place before we called it a night as I wanted to get to bed early because I was going to be getting up at 4 a.m. and driving to Luray, VA to attend the funeral of my Great Aunt Margie (one of my grandmother's sisters).

I don't know about you, but a lot of times when I know I have to get up really early, I don't sleep well. I think it is because I am afraid that I will oversleep. Anyway, I went to bed at 9:30 and it was 2:30 before I fell asleep. When the alarm buzzed at 4, I was pretty groggy. A shower and a stop by Sheetz helped with that and I arrived in Luray about 7:45 a.m. My Great Aunt Irma and two of my cousins, Dick and his son Richard, were out on the front porch chatting. About 30 minutes later my cousin, Candy, pulled up. We got into the vehicles and headed into the Fort Valley to the church where the funeral was to be held. About another hours drive. Before the service began, I reconnected with family that I hadn't seen anywhere from 7 years to 30 years. My great-grandmother, Zola Munch Powell Youngblood, passed away in 1977 or 1978. After her funeral, most of my extended family I didn't see again. I had a cousin, Kim, that I was close to and I would see Aunt Irma, Aunt Sam, and Aunt Margie if grandma and I visited. My grandmother passed away in 1993. I visited my Aunt Irma and Uncle Charles in 1992. I visited my cousin, Kim, and my Aunt Margie in 2002. And other than that, contact has been some letters and Christmas cards.

It was wonderful seeing family members again, even under such circumstances. My grandmother was one of 9 children. All except one, (fell from a truck and broke his neck when he was 11) made it to adulthood. Now all that are left are my Uncle Eugene (the oldest - 91) and my Aunt Irma (the youngest). There is so much history in our family. The Munch's were some of the first inhabitants in the Fort Valley and my Great Aunt Margie died in the home she had been born in. The other side of my family, was my great-grandfather, Kemper Powell who is actually from Concord, and I have been told was related to a supreme court justice of the past.

The funeral was a wonderful experience and the kind that I hope follows me when I leave this earth. My Aunt Margie was an active volunteer - the fire department, the local library and the local museum. She loved children and the children loved her. She was very active in her church. Her church is a small country church, but let me tell you, every pew was packed and there were people standing in the hallway at her funeral. The minister shared some of Aunt Margie's favorite bible verses, then allowed the congregation to share things about my Aunt Margie. There was so much I didn't know, and I keenly feel the loss of what I might have learned had I made the time to keep in touch.

Aunt Margie was an amazing woman. Her community loved her, respected her, and valued her contributions. After the funeral, we were quite an entourage as we headed for the Munch family cemetary. A fire engine led the way, but had to wait at the bottom of the steep hill as the family cemetary is at the top of a hill with limited parking. After the minister sang a song and said a few words at the grave, the fire department did something that sent chills down my spine and made the moment one that will forever be engraved in my memory.

They did something called a last call. I am paraphrasing here, but it basically went like this. The captain of the fire department called the main dispatch and requested a last call for crew member Margie Lichliter. Dispatch came back and announced last call to all units for crew 14's member Margie Lichilter and asked for a moment of silence. Static filled the airwaves followed by the mournful wail of the fire engine waiting below.

My Aunt Margie was 87 years old, and was a valuable part of her community until the day she died. In December, she had had a stroke and over the last 8 months, family and friends came by her home and did things for her so she could stay in her home. She died as she wished to, in the home of her birth, and surrounded by those who loved her. What a testament her life is to me and to all who knew her.

After the service, we went to the firehall where a meal had been prepared for family and friends. We visited for two hours and upon leaving, my cousins and I decided that we will plan a family reunion in the spring. The last one was in the early seventies when my great great grandfather Munch was still alive. We don't want to lose what treasures we have left.

Wednesday and Thursday, I was mostly home. Katrina had a friend over and I worked more on my video project and tried to begin with some straightening up of our house and worked at getting the kids to get their school work done...I even managed to slip in a couple of movies. Inheritance was particularly well done - based on a Louisa May Alcott book.

Friday, it was back to town. Jack had an orthodontist appointment. Then we killed some time and had lunch while waiting for the kids to get a flu mist at 2. Since we will be traveling in the fall, the doctor suggested we all get the flu mist to help prevent us from getting ill. I got mine on Monday. And as these are live germs, we have each had some side effects. I had a couple of days of stuffy nose and that is what Jack is dealing with now. Katrina seems to have been affected the most. A low-grade fever, achy, tired and a stuffy nose. I hope it keeps us from being really sick in the year ahead.

After our appointments, we ran a few errands and returned home.

Saturday was another busy day. First we attended a local event called Bedford Farm Day. Bedford has been doing this for several years to bring attention to the huge amount of agriculture that goes on in our county. I have always talked about going, but this is the first time we actually were able to go. We really wanted to go too as the farm being highlighted was Royal Oak Farm which backs up to our property. He began as a hog farmer, but then switched to recycling. They use compost to create prime mulch and top soil. They also haul away food wastes from a local food plant and recycle it into food for livestock. It was truly amazing. There were other farms there with booths and it was interesting learning about the agriculture that takes place in our county.

After lunch, we drove to my dad's and visited for a couple of hours. It is always good to see Dianne and Dad. Then, we drove back down the hill a little ways and attended a high school reunion. This reunion was put on by members of the class of 1986 from the High School that I attended. They opened it up to students who had graduated four years prior to that and four years after that. It was nice to see people from other classes and catch up a bit. A couple of our teachers from years past came as well and that was fun to chat with them. We didn't stay until the end, but I enjoyed the time we spent there and really appreciate the gals who worked so hard to put it together and to make it simple.

Today, we went to church and I have spent my afternoon catching up on computer things, working on transferring more videos, straightening up a bit, and copying out the Children's Bulletins for the next 2 1/2 months. I can't believe our trip is just about here! Only a month to go....

If you read all of that...you deserve a medal. I just couldn't stop, once I got started! Sorry it was a whole week of stuff crammed into one day, but that's just the way it is right now!

God bless!