an important date

When I was growing up, May21 was an important date in our family. One of the reasons was it was our parents' anniversary. Barbara and Fenton were married in his hometown of Adams, Wisconsin in 1946. I always thought my mom looked just like a princess in her wedding dress. In subsequent years I learned that this dress was a borrowed last minute replacement and she hated it. I still think she looks gorgeous. She was 21 and he was 27. He was visiting an army buddy when they met.

However, each year the anniversary took 2nd place to the birthday of my mom's grandmother and my great-grandmother, Kate Davis Morris. My grandma is the cute little girl on the left with her 2 brothers pictured here. Boy babies wore dresses in the late 19th century. Katie was born in a covered wagon somewhere in Kansas and eventually her family came back to Illinois.

Here is my Grandma Morris somewhere in her 90's. She lived to 108 years of age. She was one of the people in my life who made a tremendous impression on me. She always seemed happy and content with her lot in life. She worked like a trooper and took care of everything and everyone. I rarely if ever heard her complain about anything. When I was a little girl, I got to go to her house every Sunday when my parents went to mass. She made me origami chicks and their feeders and strings of paper dolls. She always cooked bacon and 2 eggs with perfect runny yolks and never made me eat the whites. She was always there at all the important events in our lives. I hope as I age, I can do it as gracefuuly as my great grandma.