Before we start this week’s journal, we feel a need to document the fact that this has been a very, very stressful, emotional one…we’re not even sure what all we’ve done, much less where we’ve been…
Sunday, September 2
Barbara: Everyone awoke rather early this morning and before we began to shuffle around trying to get ready to go over to Anna’s to await the arrival of other family members, we tried to help Carol and her sister Jo Ann make a list of all that had to be done before the Rosary tonight. The list was long and seemingly overwhelming, especially since this was a national holiday week-end.
Since every nook and cranny of John and Carol’s house would eventually be filled with relatives, Jim and I felt that we could help out best by finding a motel room fairly close where we could come and go as needed. So after a late breakfast at Anna’s, we ventured out to complete our small part of the list and to find a motel.
Once our missions were accomplished, it was back to Anna’s to help set out the food and get
everyone fed and ready to go over to Castroville for the Rosary.It’s important to note here that though Charlie was Carol’s father, he had become a father figure to my son John after the death of John’s Dad, Henry. It was Charlie who taught John out to make house repairs, to take care of the vehicles, and who spent time trying to guide him through the life of a husband and father to Kris and later Randi. Therefore, it was with a grateful heart that I found that Carol and her family had asked John to deliver the family’s memories of Charlie at the Rosary. And, it was with pride that I heard my son declare his thankfulness for the years of Time that Charlie gave him.
One of the ways that Randi and I kept busy was playing a card game that I swear she kept changing the rules on as we played. She vehemently denies this, but if it weren’t true, why else would I have lost so badly each time????Monday, September 3
This would be another long day as we all prepared for the Mass for Charlie.
What we haven’t mentioned before is that Carol’s family had asked Jim to play Taps at the cemetery; and, of course, Jim was honored to do so. However, he hadn’t played his trumpet in months so he was a tad out of shape. So…each day he had to practice and warm up…he began that exercise first Saturday on I-10 as I drove down the interstate towards San Antonio. Now most people listen to the radio as they travel, but I got to hear scales and sputters as Jim tried to get his lips loosened up! It was a hoot!
Then, Sunday and Monday, since the motel, Anna’s, and the kids’ house was overflowing with people; we once again spent time in the car as Jim tried to prepare for the last honor he could give Charlie.
Since Randi had ridden over to the church in Castroville with us, she got to experience first hand the volume of a trumpet being played in a closed vehicle once we arrived at the cemetery ahead of everyone else!
Tuesday, September 4
Since we were all pretty much wiped out, we agreed to take it slow today and eventually meet over at I-Hop for a late breakfast. There were 11 of us, and it was a wonderful time of sharing memories of Charlie and just relaxing over a great meal.
The rest of the day was spent reading, checking email and online newspapers (for Jim) and starting to get ready to go to Houston to visit our friends Gary and Joyce Whitaker.
Randi had elected to go on to school today, so Jim and I met her after school and took her back to the house for a few minutes. Kristopher and Taryn came by with Rhett and we all went out for Mexican food before they had to head back to New Mexico and Randi had to get to cheer practice.
While the rest of us finished our meal, Carol took Randi to practice, and then we drove out to see her and the new facility where she practices. Then, we said goodbye to everyone and headed back to the motel to pack for the trip to Houston. We planned to get an early start to beat the traffic, so we wanted everything to be in order.
Wednesday, September 5
Jim: At 11:30 last night we received a phone call from my Aunt T.J., letting us know that my Uncle Raymond had passed away in his sleep just a few minutes earlier. Obviously, this came as a shock to us…the doctors had said earlier that he had 3 – 6 months to live, so we had planned a trip back down to Florida to see Glennis and Raymond at the end of September.
There wasn’t any sleeping after that call…did finally drift off around 5:00 am, and then were awakened again at 7:00 when T.J. called to let us know that the funeral was scheduled for 11:00 am Saturday. I called Mother to let her know what was happening and Barbara called Gary and Joyce to tell them that we would be unable to visit them after all.
Next came the travel planning. We didn’t know whether we would need to drive up to Mineola to pick T.J. up before heading to Florida, or if Rob (her youngest son) could drive up from Houston to get her and take her to Marianna. We knew that family members would need to leave soon after the funeral, but we wanted the flexibility to stay and help Glennis through the following days.
By 11:00 am we had the confirmation that Rob would drive to Mineola and get T.J., so we finished our packing, checked out of the motel, and pointed the Vibe east on I-10.
Because we were getting away from San Antonio so late, this was just a Point A to Point B day. After negotiating the traffic around Houston (always a nightmare), we made it through Lake Charles and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before finding a place to spend the night in Denham Springs, about 30 miles east of Baton Rouge.
Thursday, September 6
We gave the morning commuter traffic time to clear out before we left Denham Springs and headed out again. As we crossed into Mississippi, we noticed that the Bay St. Louis Bridge had been reopened, so we decided to take a little side trip down to Bay St. Louis, cross the new bridge, and drive along the gulf coast through Pass Christian, Gulfport, and Biloxi, Mississippi, to see what progress had been made in clearing and rebuilding after Katrina.
What we found was very disappointing to us. While work is ongoing, there has been very little reconstruction. Most of the beaches are still closed and people aren’t allowed in the gulf waters.
The beautiful pre-civil war homes are destroyed and gone, slated to be replaced by condominiums and more modern style houses. We decided that it wouldn’t be necessary to take this ride again; the beauty and charm are gone – never to be seen again in this area.
After completing the “tour,” we once again made our way back to I-10 and headed through Alabama, crossing through the bay tunnel at Mobile, and then going on across southern Alabama and into the Florida panhandle.
We arrived in Marianna around 5:00 pm, met with the family for a bit, and then went with Cousin Paula up to Graceville, where we would spend our nights.
Friday, September 7
This was one of those days of sitting around and visiting with family members and friends as they came by the house in Marianna…lots of memories shared by all who were there. We all went to the funeral home from 4:00 – 7:00 to meet and greet townspeople who stopped by for the visitation. Then, it was time for us to return to Graceville (about a 30-minute drive).
Barbara and Paula spent the rest of the evening talking and listening to the Marianna/Graceville football game n the radio while I set up the laptop in the kitchen and listened as our Artesia Bulldogs gnawed on the Hobbs Eagles and notched their second win of the season.
Saturday, September 8
With the funeral scheduled for 11:00 am, Paula, James (her son), Barbara, and I had to get up early to get ready for the drive back down to Marianna. The family gathered at the house and waited for the funeral home folks to come get us for the service.
Trinity Baptist Church was nearly full when we got there. Except for a few years in El Paso, where Raymond met and married Glennis, he was a lifelong resident of Marianna and Jackson County, where he was prominent in the area grocery business until he retired from it and assumed management of a sod farm. Many folks from around the area were there to say their goodbyes.
Following the church service, the graveside service, and a wonderful family meal back at the church, we returned to the house to visit among ourselves and hear more memories of how Raymond had touched each of our lives. What ultimately came out from all of us was that he was a wonderful man who loved his family and served his community well throughout his 77 years. We will miss him so very much!
Barbara and I returned to Graceville with Paula for the evening. Ty (one of Glennis and Raymond’s grandsons) and his wife, Sarah, were planning to join
Paula, James, and us to watch the Auburn vs University of South Florida football game at 8:00. (Photo on right…Ty, Sarah, and James…on left are James and his mother, Paula).They are all diehard Auburn fans and I got my masters degree at USF (although I’m not a fan of their football program), so that added a little interest to the contest. For those who might have followed the game, it appeared that neither team wanted to win, but USF eventually edged the Tigers out in overtime.
The game ended at midnight, and we all said our goodbyes for the evening and called it a week.
“North Americans are getting stronger. Twenty years ago, it took two people to carry ten dollars’ worth of groceries—today, a five-year old can do it”…A. Nonny Mus
From Graceville, Florida,
Jim & Barbara
