As I checked May birthday and anniversary dates of my relatives and friends in my Days To Remember book, it brought me almost to tears. I’ve had this special book of such recordings for about 57 years. Many of those that are recorded have left this earth either recently or years ago. I asked myself why didn’t I mark them out of my special book when they died, but as I check the dates and names out as the months arrive, it makes me recall all those who meant so much to me.
One of those that had a May birthday listed in my book was a dear friend who came into my life as the minister’s daughter of the church our family attended. She and I quickly hit it off and spent many a night back and forth at each other’s homes. We kept in touch for years as our children were born. We’d write newsy letters telling all about our married life and how it was for us being mothers. She developed dementia, way too early in her life. Before I knew it, she was gone.
There on the May list was the name of a cousin I didn’t get to know well as she was always moving here and there with her parents. The end of her life came way too soon.
Two special aunts, one on my father’s side of the family and the other on my mother’s side of the family, were complete opposite women, in both the direction of their lives and in their personalities, yet they each hold a special place in my heart. One of these two aunts didn’t come around to her hometown area often but she led a self-made life, traveling here and there. She almost seemed to be a mystery to her family. The other special aunt was a devoted wife and mother. She was a wonderful cook and housekeeper. Both of these aunts were beautiful and both would suffered health problems, one leaving this earth way too early. The other aunt died later in her life but it was just as I was really getting to know her.
A baby great-nephew, that I didn’t even get to know or hold, left soon after he was born leaving a lot of broken hearts. This precious little one is remembered at least once a year as I look through my May list of birthdays. Then my Granny Boyles’ birthday is listed as May 21. Of course the memories of her flood in. Granny was special to me with her encouragement in my musical interest, in attending church, in her baking talents and in devotion to her family and home. It was probably planned that my Granddad and Granny Boyles were married just three days after her birthday, on May 24. Grandad Boyles had just returned after serving in the Army during WWI in France. He wanted to farm again as he had been doing before he enlisted. He had sold everything before he went into the service at an auction so he had to start over from scratch. He got a job selling farm implements as a traveling salesman. It was on one of his sales trips via train that he came to a little town in Republic County named Narka. Granny was working close to the railway station and noticed this handsome man getting off the train. They greeted each other and ended up attending a town dance that night together. The rest is history. All through their years together they were devoted to each other through the hard times and the happy good times.
Then there are two people who were important in my life, my parents, both having important days listed on the May pages in my special book. My mother hit it big with her family during the month of May because it not only is the month Mother’s Day is observed, but her birthday came on May 10., which sometimes fell on Mother’s Day. Mother was a devoted mother to her three daughters. She made it a point to bring them up the best she could. Her daughters didn’t learn much about house cleaning and cooking from her as she enjoyed as much time as she could outdoors. She would look for excuses to be outside when the weather was nice. Maybe she’d be riding and taking care of her horses, milking a cow she just had to have, painting a corral fence, or digging out thistles in the pastures. She loved her family and her and dad’s farm. She was a great Sunday School teacher, cinnamon roll maker, chauffeur as she’d drive her girls and friends on shopping trips, a devoted Christian and her grandchildren’s best cheerleader.
To top off the May dates in my special book was my parents’ wedding anniversary, May 3, 1946. Dad had just returned to his hometown after serving as a corpsman during WWII and met my mother at a hometown dance held at the Forum. They had known each other years before that, when Dad was a teen. According to Dad, Mother was just a little girl at that time. It was while they were both attending Olive Hill Church they first met. Fast forward a few years, and at the hometown dance it must have been love at first sight. About a month later they eloped and were married in the Olive Hill Church parsonage. Dad enjoyed telling the story about the day after they were married. They went to my mother’s parents to tell them of the elopement. Mother was the oldest of nine siblings. Dad said when they told the siblings the good news and how they were going to move into an apartment, all the siblings were lined up and either crying or had frowns on their faces, as they didn’t take the news well of their big sister leaving the family to go with this stranger. I count my blessings, knowing I had two of the best parents a girl could ever had and I’m thankful.
No I’ll never erase names written in my Dates To Remember book. After all that is what the name of the book implies, to remember not only the date but also that special person who made those dates so special.
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