Missing our Virginia

In 1968, my Dad took a job in Franklin, met a very nice girl, and was invited to go to dinner in The Terrace Garden apartments.  It was a very good year.  The job became his career, the girl his bride, and that dinner was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  Mom and Dad and Ginni and Lane have been a perfectly matched set of friends since before forever in the lives of their children...at least the two legged human ones.  Wiggins Grafton was the first pup to discover this foursome was a pile of fun, and for the human kids, Wiggins has legendary status.

Lane and Louie bonded over Steelers football and their wives delicious dinners!  Susan and Ginni began their bond as fellow teachers, and they soon realized they were two peas in a pod!  They showered each other in times of joy and comforted one another in times of sorrow.  For Lanie, Adrienne, and I, the girls were the planners and organizers of everything... from yard sales, to tea parties, snazzy costumes to fit the season, and lots of laughter.

The daily sound of normal has been the sound of the phone ringing and a sweet voice asking is "Your Mother there?".  Then my reply, "It's Aunt Ginni" as I hand the phone over knowing that the daily chatter of what's happening in our lives will commence.  This rather ordinary event has suddenly become the silence of a phone that seems to forgotten how to ring the same old tune.  Our lives have changed, and we sit here wishing for the cheery smile and grin.  We're missing the little details that we've come to think as ordinary but have really been that extraordinary presence that we think of as our dear Virginia.

If you only knew her in the classroom as a student, you might have missed her fun loving self.  But after all, she had to deal with the pre-pubescent hoard that thinks they are always right.  She taught lots of lessons to her students and expected our very best work because she knew we could do it if we really really tried!  But the best lesson of all she taught was how to be a true friend!  With kindness and love, attention to detail and fun, she was a feisty trooper in all she went through, and she always
seemed to have a place to go and people to see!

Our Ginni was a treasure hunter. Shopping at Gimbals, Kauffman's, Hornes, Macy's, and Nordstrom were all most definitely her style.  But so were the shopping jaunts to Goodwill, Sally Ann's, and the local humane society shop... She could find treasures in lots of locations, and most definitely knew where to look!  My mother sometimes wonders where I get the shopping genes, when I tell her my aunts, Aunt Ginni is most definitely to be included on the list as a grand champion shopper.  Mom and Ginni's shopping adventures have been a regular part of life, and when I think about it have included items like Atari and iPads, baby dolls and clothing for the grand baby, and most definitely Steeler gear!   You ought to be impressed by her shopping talents when you know that on the way home from the beach, she was able to convince my dad to stop at a sale just for fun!  But by far the treasure she loved best was her family and friends and one very special grand boy named Fox!  She spent her best treasures on them, her time and her talents.

Oh yes, we are missing our Virginia!  Her laughter, and smiles, her charm, and her wit!  The tone of her voice and the roll of her eyes!  The details she noticed and the things that she did...from hospital sales, to trips to Paree or perhaps more likely the sea, from card club and lunch bunches, to providing decor.  You name it, she did it, and helped quite a bunch from little bitty kiddies to the very very old.  She was compassionate, well organized, and had talents galore!

Miss Virginia Wolfe was a blessing to her Mom and Dad, and like me, she was the favorite, which made them very glad.  As high school sweethearts, her groom was blessed to have known her in her teenage days.  She was a stylish sixties bride!  Mrs. Grafton was familiar in Central's grand halls, her friends on the faculty knew that her goal was to help Central students to be all they could be!  To Lanie and Adrienne, their mom was a wonder!  And to my family, you can see, she was adopted family!  We love her and miss her!  There are thousands of lives she touched, and cherished  memories made along the way!

There are a zillion things missing in our lives that all came bundled in the blessing we knew as Ginni.  We are thankful to have been a special part of her life.  We were blessed to have been a special part of hers.

I have mentioned little elements that made Ginni "Ginni"!  She was a darling daughter, a fabulous friend, a wonderful wife, a marvelous Mother, a creative colleague, an amazing aunt, a terrific teacher, and a truly grand Grandmother!  We are definitely missing our Virginia!  But as much as our lives have been flipped upside down by her passing, and as sad as we are at missing her, there is one part of her life that helps to gladden our hearts and make us know that just as always before she had a place to go and people to see, when she left this world, she left us to go on to the most amazing place and to be with Jesus our savior.   Her faith was rock solid.  This Christmas, our choir will be singing about surrendering your life to God our creator, our redeemer, our ever present help, and the one who loves each of us so much that the miracle in the manger happened.  Ginni was a part of our choir, and had sung with us as we began learning that song, and it occurred to me that all of the everything that was a part of her life wasn't as important as her relationship with Jesus.  He is our hope and our strength as we are weak.  We are missing our Virginia, but we are trusting our Lord that He has welcomed her home.

The element of quality (written in May of 2014)

Today, I found myself sorting out markers.  As a classroom teacher, it's one of those periodic activities that you do at the beginning or the end of the school year with the old batch of markers.  This year, I decided to do it with two different batches of marking pens.  One was purchased within the last two years and is probably the best known art supply company for kids, while the other batch is an odd collection of markers that was purchased by myself and a sweet friend who added a batch to mine that she had had in storage.  (And is probably memorable to most people as those sweet scented markers that you got to use in art class!) I'm not sure how old the oldest markers are in that batch but I believe that the vast majority of the markers are 15 years old at minimum.    Some of these might actually might be from my years at Grove City College!

They have been actively used so with several groups of children, but also have had several periods of general storage.  So it was very interesting to note the difference between the different brands of markers.  The older batch has been used intermittently within my classroom for heavy duty coloring projects, while the new group was a set that had regular use for brief periods of my day, not necessarily heavy usage, but regular enough.  I started the project, because I had noticed that the newer batch seemed to have a significant number of markers that were quite frankly out of ink.  So I started sorting.  I threw out about 80% of the markers.  (I wasn't surprised, because over the years, I have found that brand is not particularly well filled with ink, and even with the lids in place they dry out quite fast.  In fact, I have probably been given an equal number of markers from this company, but they never last longer than a year or two even if they are stored properly.

So I started the second batch thinking that I probably would find some that were out of ink.  After all they are quite old, and have been used with regular frequency, so it might surprise you to find that  I found exactly one.  Seriously!  I noticed some variations on ink color that might be age related discoloration but all of the rest did work, and the ones with odd shades were still filled with ink, and the color difference just adds a little variety.  It was the quality that made a difference.

Summertime...sunshine, seashore, and sales

Summer has flown by, and this post is being prompted by me wanting to share a link on Facebook as well as realizing that it's been too long since I've updated my blog!  Summer 2013 is going to be remembered for the joy of a sunshiny day in the midst of a lot of rainy days!  It's also going to be remembered for the bliss of the beach... walking in the sand, swimming in the waves, and laughter and fun with my family.  And that last thing...sales, I admit I love going to a good yard sale!  This year, we hosted one!  The fun part of that was finding household treasures to pass along to someone else who wanted or needed them!  Today, I got to go to several!  I find that finding treasures at a yard sale are just like finding them along the shoreline.  You have to look for them, and what you might find as being lovely and absolutely the right thing for you might just be an old dust catcher that might break to someone else.  Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder!

Time flies!!!

They say time flies...and perhaps this blog is proof! (Or maybe it's just proof that I don't often take the time to write!) In either case, I guess I need to get blogging! This year is speeding by without me taking the time to reflect on what's new in my life. This year, I've been blessed with some darling new little friends in a classroom of my own, and that has been a great blessing. This year, I've been blessed to spend time with with a couple of nieces and a lovely little nephew a little more often than I had before, and that has been a delight! Maybe someday, they'll read this note, and know that I really loved being with them to celebrate all life's little and big moments. This past year, I got a new little blessing/bundle of joy to celebrate and enjoy so I have another little voice to call me Aunt... (I love being an AUNT!) There's another little smushie that will smile when he reads this someday, and think teasingly...but you're my cousin...but I know in his heart...he knows and loves his Aunt! (And I know that for sure!)
2012 seems to be flying with lots of exciting additions to celebrate in the coming months. (I'm looking forward to the celebrations, and hoping for a few surprises too!) And the thought of hoping brings me back to the concept of this blog... being a trousseau of sorts. I hope that you have had lots of delightful things to celebrate and enjoy in the last year, and I hope that 2012 brings you and me some delightful surprises to celebrate!

Schooldays!

I am spending a fabulous day learning about Blogs and these nifty things called digital binders! Think of a computer "Trapper Keeper!" Just love this concept!!! PS. Check out http://www.lorislatestlinks.com/ if you are a teacher...

The Season of Waiting...

This is it... the season of advent ... waiting... as children, we remember the anticipation of the pure bliss of Christmas morning, and as adults we look forward to the sight of happy family members and friends being delighted by the things that we have planned for them to enjoy. What a wonderful celebration Christmas is!

Hmmm...

I haven't written in a while, and I've just spent about four minutes thinking of a title... and this one seems to fit best. September has flown by, and we're already a third of the way through October. The past two days have been gloriously beautiful... both for sunshine and the fabulous shades of autumn. I think we're at the peek of leaves this week. My birthday was yesterday... which I describe as the day that the last of summer's roses bloom, and the first flakes of winter may fall... so this was definitely a beautiful day to enjoy, because we got one last warm taste of summer rather than a nip of winter's chill.
Right now, I feel like it's a waiting day. The next season's adventures will soon be upon us, and things will be filled with zillions of projects. But it's not now...and not yet! So I'm just enjoying the wait!

The end of Summer Bliss

I love summertime! This summer is a wonderful example of why I enjoy it so very much. During the past three months and a half months, I have had the opportunity to see most of my family and many of my friends. I love having the opportunity to travel, and this summer is going to go down in my family history books as a great year to travel! I have celebrated graduations and weddings, flown across the pond to see the beautiful land of Eire, sank my toes into the sand, and visited the birthplace of the King of Rock-n-Roll. If you haven't figured it out yet... I had fun!
It hasn't been all sunshine and roses... (There has definitely been a little laundry...) But my summer has been a delightful experience. A friend of mine posted on his blog the concept of where do you go to recharge yourself? This summer has charged my need for celebrating life. So I'm wondering what do you do to celebrate life?
I'm a little sad to see the carefree days of summer go, but I'm looking forward to celebrating the joys of Autumn.

Forever Young...at least in our minds

Last night, I celebrated a reunion of dear friends. It was my friends' 20th high school reunion. I was a party crasher in the sense that it was the class just a year ahead of mine, but in reality, I was an invited guest, so it was a special evening with cherished classmates! In the afternoon, I pulled my yearbook off the shelf to look at their senior year. The yearbook's theme was "Forever Young", after the classic song. But it caused me to reflect on the idea that in our minds in some sense each of us will always be forever young in the hearts and minds of our classmates. When I was in high school, the show Designing Women was a hit, and in one of the episodes, the Delta Burke character Suzanne Sugarbaker goes to a class reunion. I don't remember if I paid attention to that particular episode at the time... other than thinking that class reunions are for adults. But rather recently, I came across that show, and Suzanne's comments on seeing the people there...how no matter if people before her have gone grey, hairless, or whatever... in her mind... They will always be the same "sweet boys who carried her books." I think I agree. I hope I left a sweet impression in high school, and I'm so glad to be blessed with sweet dear friends who left such an impression with me.

By the Sea, By the Sea,By the Beautiful Blue Green Sea

I don't think that I've mentioned that I love the beach! Well, I do! I love the feeling of sand between my toes, the sound of the waves crashing on the shoreline, the distinctly good smell of the sea, the taste of fresh seafood, and the wonderful sights seen only at the beach... of waves, water, shells, shore, and friends who live so far away, but are delightfully close by only when we vacation together at the beach. It makes me as "happy as a sea gull with a french fry!" A quote that made me giggle at the thought... because I know how much the gulls love fries! I've been going to the beach for most of my life, and I always find myself refreshed and renewed from a journey to the seashore. From the enormousness of the ocean itself to the finest grain of salt, I see the beauty of God's creation. How beautiful it all is to see and discover, and know that it was created for us to enjoy. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to see and experience this part of the world. If you haven't been to the shore, you should give it a try! If you've experienced a blissful day at the beach, feel blessed because you are!

God bless America... Land that I love...

This is a belated celebratory note about Independence Day! I love our annual summer celebrations! Hot dogs, Hamburgers, potato chips, and ice cold pop make the celebration yummy. Family and friends from near and far make it fun! I'm glad that America is the great melting pot! Hope you had a fun celebration!

When Irish Eyes are Smiling!

My family went on holiday to Ireland in June. It was a wonderful adventure to explore a new land together! We saw beautiful fields, shorelines, cliffs, islands, and lovely little towns. It was fun to see a place that you have imagined for always... and to discover that it is more than you ever imagined. My ancestors came from the Emerald Isle centuries ago, and yet our family has never forgotten that we are Irish as well as American. I arrived at the Irish customs desk to hear the words... "Welcome Home!" The places we visited were amazing, and it's hard to imagine that my family chose to leave the beautiful isle to go on a long hard journey across the sea to America. We went with a more recent Irish imigrant who shared that "No one ever wants to leave his homeland." It's an interesting comment made even more memorable when you know that he can come and go back and forth easily across the sea in an airplane, but the reality is that my ancestors left that beautiful land to never return. Their descendants have only recently been able to see the land that they left, but have always remembered the love that they had for their homeland. I'm glad that I went across the sea, and even more glad that I could return home again so easily!

Memories are made of this...

Tonight is Prom night. It's a night to make memories that will last a lifetime. It's the first time that you get to wear a ballgown not because you are playing dress-up or wearing a costume, but because this is the night that you are allowed to look like the princess you truly are! This evening, I took photos of my lovely Godchild looking every bit the princess that I know she is... for she is a lovely child of God!
Then while walking downtown tonight, I walked passed other prom goers and thought about the memories made at my own prom. My school had a Junior/Senior prom, and so I went two years! On those nights of not so very long ago, the princess wore ballgowns of pink satin and white lace! I remember dining elegantly at "The Club" with dear friends wearing equally elegant attire, and chatting at dinner like the "grown-ups" we were suddenly becoming. My junior prom memories are filled with friends a year older who were once my neighborhood playmates. Our hairstyles coiffed in that post eighties/early ninties pouf. My senior year prom memories recall the heat of the evening... which was probably 100 degrees in the high school gym, and the decorations of course. But the memories that truely linger sweetest are the memories of my Grammy coming to attend the pre-prom festivities, my mom helping pick my dress, my collegiate friends coming to video the night, and the fun and laughter of friends who made a difference in my life!
Girlhood memories of longing for the day you finally get to wear a prom gown remind me that my expectations were probably far more romantic than the evening really was... but it will always be a night of memories! The memories are not of what I expected... but they are better sweeter more wonderful than I could have imagined! I hope tonight is a night of memories for my sweet Godchild! I hope she knows how much she is cherished and prized, and that the memories that she comes to cherish in her heart are just as precious as mine are!

Making memories... one page at a time...

I love to make colorful scrapbooks. It's the kind of hobby that you can work on a little bit or a lot. Tonight was my first night to organize a scrapbook event at church. I really hope that it's the first of many events like it... I just think that scrapping is the type of hobby any woman can enjoy. It doesn't have to be fancy or frilly. It can be a plain Jane style and still be beautiful in the eyes of the beholder. Because the reality is that a scrapbook is a reflection of the legacy of your life. Within the pages of a book, you can share what's happening in your life, who you love, who you miss, and what you enjoy doing. Today, I didn't do a lot of scrapping for myself, but I did help my friends work on their pages and that was fun!

Considering the Lilies...

I just enjoyed a wonderful walk downtown. Spring's blossoms are lingering a little and it's a wonderous thing to enjoy. I noticed "baby" oak leaves today that hung so beautifully like lace upon the tree. It makes you pause when you consider all the wonderous little miracles you see every moment of the day... not to mention those amazing senses that God has blessed us with! There's a famous verse that says that we should consider the lilies and remember not to worry... Sometimes it's hard to remember, but I think I'm going to try to enjoy the blossoms and remember that every flower has a season to bloom!

Spring has sprung and wants to turn into Summer... but winter's holding on strong...

I've been walking a lot on these beautiful spring days. I like walking up the hills and around town. So far, I've walked at least once the whole way to the other end of town, but most days, I've been out walking and wandering for an hour or two a day on these beautifully bright days. I like Springs like this in which the snow stays to cover the mud until it's time to warm up... but in a way... I'd like the spring time blooms to linger... to stay more than a day... because we've been waiting so long... and now it's here and now it's gone. Springs a little like vacation... we look forward to it... but the blooms never seem to last as long as we would like. But I guess that's what makes us enjoy the blooms so much!
Tomorrow snowflakes are supposed to appear again...and it's funny how the first snowflakes bring joy and excitement...but these ones...aren't as well received. We're ready for the next event in life...and yes...we're starting to long for the lazy hazy days of summer.

The Last Supper...

Our minister has been talking about The Last Supper for the past several weeks at church. Last Sunday, He gave us the challenge to think about if we had one meal left to eat... who would we want to spend time with... and to tell them... It was an interesting thought... as my mind thought of friends and family around our community and actually around the world whom I love and hold dear. I spend a lot of time eating with my immediate family. And of course, I would want them there... but my last meal on Earth would really be a celebration of my journey to Heaven. I think I would want dancing and laughter and chatter of friends! My Grandma used to have a photo of an imagined table in heaven... with seats enough for everyone... and a table setting fit for the King of Kings. So the thought of the Last Supper... made me think of that heavenly table and how while I don't really know where you'll be on my last day here... but some day I want to celebrate in heaven with all of you!
Today, our lesson on the Last Supper was about how the Lord called the disciples to His dinner not because they were perfect but because He loved them... Our God is an Awesome God... and I hope you know that you are invited to the most awesome, incredible, amazingly cool party in heaven...with our host the King of Kings and Lord of Lords... I'm so glad that we are incredibly blessed!

Just in case you ever wondered...

This is my first blog and it's been an interesting experience to begin to write it. I started with the title "My Blissful Beautiful life" and wrote quietly about life in general...just because I wanted to try blogging. I wanted to give my readers a couple things to read before I shared it online... My initial title was a quick choice after several attempts to name it were already taken. I liked the blog... but not the title. So I looked for something that fit my life. The idea of a trousseau fits me to a tee! If you aren't aware what a trousseau is it is a description of a single woman's dowry or hope chest and the treasures found within it. I like concept as a blog title because it's both traditional in that women have been making treasures for their own trousseaus for centuries, and by being a blog, it gives a modern twist to an ancient tradition. So this is the beginning of a shared blog... feel free to read the older posts and expect some new ones too. Hope you enjoy reading!

Sunshine and Happiness...

The sun shone brightly today! How good it feels to see some sunshine! Spring is coming after a long winter... We've had more than a month of snowy, snowy, snowy weather! I like snow, but I'm ready for a change in environment. I'm ready for spring flowers and green grass. I'm ready to see robins and bunnies. I love living here... I'm definitely a four seasons kind of girl! It's funny though... because while right now I'm excited about Spring... It's not the season that I love best... (Summer bliss of white sand in between my toes, and lavender and roses blooming...) Nor is it the season... I think of with joy... in spite of winter winds and cold... Winter's beauty is found in Christmas joy. And actually Autumn Days of red and orange are favored in my mind... perhaps because I'm an October girl and I love Applefest... Spring to me is the season of waiting... waiting for the sun to appear, waiting for the slush to go, waiting for the grass to grow, waiting for the flowers to bloom, waiting for the mud and muck to disappear...
I guess I'd rather not have to wait... Which is funny when I truly think about it, because somehow, I feel like my life is in a waiting stage. As a substitute, I wait for a telephone call. As a single chick, I'm still waiting for the Prince. I didn't expect to be such a lady in waiting... but I guess I am... And as I ponder the comparision... I am reminded that snowdrops, peonies, redbuds, and lilacs are springtime's blissful beauty... actually ones that can only be found in the waiting days of Spring. I need to enjoy the days of waiting... to see the beauty within them. I need to find the bliss of a Spring day is just as precious and unique as a dazzling Summer day at the beach. I need to enjoy the days of waiting.

In the Pink...

I love pink! It is the color of happiness for me... all the shades you can think of from the softest palest baby blush... to brilliant almost red... I love it! So the season of Valentine's just makes me happy to see all the pretty pink possibilities! Currently, I've discovered that Valentine's M&Ms are delightful, and there's a pink floral arrangement on our kitchen table that is really just plain lovely! I'm glad that God made so many shades of color, and especially glad He created pink!