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Published: December 9th 2008
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Janie the Seamstress
This a class that Tonya took with Janie called Watercolor Quilts. It never really occurred to me just how often we celebrate until this week. We are a people who love celebrations. Mostly we celebrate achievements in number compared to other types of Celebrations. Graduation from Kindergarten, from Jr. High, from High School, College, getting degrees, promotions, a new job, a new house, a new car, birthday’s, one more year married, one more year dating …. Goodness, we even celebrate catching the biggest fish!
Then we celebrate every possible Holiday we can imagine, gaining our Independence, having a loved one (Valentine’s Day), working (Labor Day), ghosts (Halloween), having a good worker (Secretary Day), a good employer (Boss’s Day), animals (Groundhog Day), all sorts of relatives (Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparent’s Day) and the list goes on and on.
We even celebrate things that you would not think would be gratifying, on the surface. National Cancer Day, and other disease recognition days, we celebrate the death of our past Presidents (President’s Day), others who have influenced our nation (Columbus Day), and we even have a celebration in memorials for those we love. There are 51govenrment Holidays according to Wikipedia, and a host of other non-government Holidays.
The past few months
Janie the Professional
Aunt Janie was very serious about her position in the Army. She most certainly had control of her nurses, and had the respect of all. we have been a part of several celebrations. I want to start with the celebration of Life.
My Aunt Janie died this past September. It was a Thursday. I had just seen her that day. She had been sick for some time, fighting cancer and yet in her last days, she was still Janie. She told us the Saturday after we arrived home from Africa, that she wanted pictures hung in her bedroom, and some flowers for the coffee table. She looked at quilts with us, talked of going to the fabric store, and showed us her jewelry. She said what she meant, and was not flowery with her words, but always with love. She told me the day I last saw her, “Shat (her nickname for me), you need to go.” I knew what she meant, and because I honor and loved her, I did exactly what she told me to do. She died that night.
She carried her honor with her too. She and I were cleaning her apartment one day, or rather, I was cleaning , and we went to lunch for a break. That particular summer the Vietnam Veterans were marching and they had
Let's Eat!
What is Thanksgiving with out food, and great company. Here John and Angie are at the same table as George and Joy. Doesn't John look particularly happy? asked her to join them. In tears, she looked at me and told me, “I just can’t relive that again right now, but I can feed them when they come through here.” She was not afraid, she was formidable. She knew the value of life. She saw things she would not tell me about, nor spoke of openly. She had many accomplishments in her life as a nurse for the United States Army, and as a civilian. She served America in war; the Vietnam War and the Gulf War, and retired as a Lt. Colonel.
Janie was the Aunt that bought you presents for Christmas and your birthday that SHE wanted to play! She drove the coolest cars (a canary yellow ragtop beetle, an MG, a Fiero), wore her hair fashionably gray in her 20’s, and up until her later years did not own a TV. She listened to music instead. She bought me my first pair of Nike tennis shoes, (payment for cleaning yet another apartment), paid for me to take tennis lessons, helped Anthony and I with our first house down payment, and I am in Africa in part due to her, as she encouraged me to
Who needs Turkey when there are Cookies!
Stewart Gee decided cookies were better in twos! take the risk and do something with our lives that was out of the box when we were considering coming to Tanzania.
She was the life of the party and on several occasions, her, and all of us nieces and even nephews dressed up as Raggedy Ann’s and Andy’s and visited the hospital, malls, and even entered the occasional contest as Mrs. Kitty. She was quick to laugh, and quick to tell you what she thought.
Her life at home was sewing to the likes you have never seen! The detailed and intricate work in her childrens' clothes, or her award winning quilts was something you would never imagine a rough tough Army Lt. Colonel could make. I still have clothes that she made Joshua when he was a baby.
She loved her family and in turn we were there for her in her last days. We celebrated her life with a full military funeral, and while standing at the grave site, we witnessed the “Missing Soldier” arrangement that very few civilians have ever witnessed. The sound of the 21 gun salute made me jump in my own skin, I will never forget it. I have bits
Toe Contest
There was the Longest Toe, the Widest Toe, the Prettiest Toe, should I keep going? and pieces of her life entwined with mine, my sons’ and my husbands’. We celebrate life not only in birth, but when we remember those who have passed and what they did to help us realize our place in this world and how they made our lives better.
Celebrations take a different form when we celebrated Thanksgiving! An American traditional that we participated in all the way here! We had the food for sure! Everyone got together at Cy and Stephanie’s and had a really good day together. There were 36 in all! First came the food of course! Then Bonnie was in charge of games. She really could plan parties, she is good at this!
We had the most unusual game I have ever played …. A Toe contest … all of us had our toes measured and analyzed. Anthony was the proud winner of the Widest Toe!! We had a bunny run with live rabbits, a charade game, the Newlywed game for the grown-ups, a belly busting balloon contest, and an odd contest where each couple had to stand on a conga (piece of fabric) without falling off. It kept getting folded and folded, smaller and
Belly Balloon Busting Contest
Although Race and Maddie didn't win .. they gave it a great brother / sister effort! smaller .. Anthony and I won that one! Makes it easy when I can just jump on his back and we only have to have one set of feet on the fabric!
It was a good day and a great way to make sure that we are thankful for all the things and people in our lives.
Then on Saturday we celebrated with those students at the Andrew Connally School of Preaching who graduated. The school was decorated by Stephanie and Anita, and food was prepared and diplomas printed. The students looked smart in their cap and gown and the only real problem was the photographer who was asked to NOT come forward and take pictures in the middle of the ceremony as Sean was going to prepare a disc with pictures for each student. He was told at least 3 times that I am aware of, and disregarded all three requests.
As is the custom … there is nothing that moves fast in Africa and this was no exception. Joshua’s graduating class of over 200 was finished and over with before this one was with barely 30 students from both classes of graduates. It is
Graduating Class 2008
I will not try to name them all. It would be a spelling in fruitility! But congrats to them all! simply an adjustment you have to become accustomed to.
We are prayerful of these graduates as they go on in their lives to continue to be faithful and to preach the Gospel to their own people.
So, there is it, celebrations of 3 kinds: Life, Thanksgivings and Achievements. I can’t think of 3 better things to celebrate. Can you?
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just ken
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That has to be one of the sweetest testaments about you aunt that I have ever read on anyone. That sweet girl is staight from your heart and tells me that your Aunt Janiewas someone that knew how to love and loved you. Isn't it wonderful to have lived such a life that those you leave behind can gain insight and courage to live their own lives with more passion and desire because of the way you lived yours? I think so and I think for certain sure your Aunt Janie would be grateful for the life you are striving to live. Sorry for your loss but grateful for you sharing a small part of the wonderful life of service she lived. Have a blessed day. just ken