Tuesday, January 13

Memories of Aunt May

When Aunt May passed, I told my readers I would tell some stories about her. I am missing her phone calls and the time we spent laughing and having fun together. However, she is at peace with no more suffering and pain.

Aunt May was quite the gal. When she was about 18 years old, she took over the janitor's position at the one-room school a quarter mile up the road. Her duties included being at the school by 7am and stoking the coal furnace so the school would be warm when the teacher and children arrived. She also had to clean and oil the wooden floors to keep them shiny, which was no easy task when mud and snow was brought in. Five days a week, through rain, sleet, snow and hail, Aunt May carried out her responsiblities. No matter what happened, she was always there on time. She plodded through snow drifts as high as her hips in winter and what a struggle that must have been for her. She was a tiny woman, but she also suffered from the rare blood condition she had inherited from Grandma, who was her mother.

One morning she headed out to the school. It was pouring rain and a young man, who had seen her walking everyday as he drove to work, stopped and asked her if she would like a ride. She accepted. Before long the two were courting and in 1957, they were married. They had two children, one boy and one girl who are now adults. The girl married and had two children. The boys, who was on the autism spectrum, always lived at home. He treated his mother well and did a lot of things for her. When she lay dying in hospital, he visited her everyday before and after work.

Aunt May and Uncle Joe went through a lot of tough times. She was in and out of the hospital with her blood condition in the early years of their marriage. In 2005, Uncle Joe was diagnosed with prostrate cancer. When they looked into treatment, they found that he could be cared for sooner if they traveled to Buffalo, NY. For weeks, Aunt May went with Uncle Joe and spent days there while he had his treatments.

Through thick and thin, climbing mountains and trudging through dark valleys, Aunt May and Uncle Joe withstood the storm. He was at her side when she passed. A testament to the love the two had for each other.

In other news, we've had snow off and on for the last two days and now we are heading into a deep freeze. It is supposed to get really cold and the temperature is already plummeting. My car won't start, but hubby's van is running, so we aren't without a vehicle. Seems every winter the battery in my car dies. We just put a new one in last year.

On a more positive note, hubby took my mother to the bank and for groceries today so I could catch up on my writing assignments. He is always willing to give Mom a hand when she needs it if I have other things I have to do. I really appreciate the fact that the two of them get along so well.

Stay cozy and warm and be careful if you are driving on slippery roads. If you live in the northern US or Canada, be sure you have an emergency kit in the car and a couple of extra blankets. If you break down, do not leave your car. Last week a woman who lived near Toronto did just that. They found her a couple of days later under a pile of snow. She was alive and will recuperate, but there is no sense taking chances. ~Blessings, Mary~

17 comments:

  1. Thank you for the story of your Aunt May.Hugs my friend.

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  2. What a beautiful testment of their love for each other!!!

    It is suppose to be in the single temps. by Thursday here. Stay warm...m.

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  3. I love your Valentine look!!
    Heartwarming story about your Aunt May. Those women were real pioneers back in those days.

    I read about that woman being buried in a snowdrift for 3 days(I think it was) and when they found her she was alive! It was also on the news. A cold snap is upon us too.
    Stay warm.
    Hugs

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  4. I enjoyed the stories of Aunt May. What a special lady she was.
    It's so nice that your hubby and Mom get along well and that the is willing to help her out.
    We're in that cold section - temps are supposed to fall below 0 in the next few days. You stay warm too!

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  5. Thanks for sharing more about Aunt May, she sounds like she was a lovely lady :-)

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  6. Wonderful memories....stay warm.. and lots of love to you

    Jess

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  7. I know you are missing your Aunt May. I loved hearing the story about her.

    It is suppose to get cold here, but no snow. You stay warm!

    That is really good advice you gave about staying in your car.

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  8. I loved your aunt May story and I hope to read more-
    it is cold here too in sunny ? alberta but not quite as cold as you- we had that last week- it is snowing here right now = but according to the weather man the week here will improve
    huggles me, Meme

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  9. Hello from Australia,

    You know as I read about your Aunty May an aunty of mine came into my thoughts, so I thank you for the reminder of loved ones who have passed before me.

    Your story was so nice, full of the peace of a way of life now gone.

    Stay warm won't you - it is for us however very VERY! hot about 108deg's today.

    I will very much enjoy visiting you again

    Lee-ann

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  10. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, it's cold here today too. COLD for us!!!! One degree above the freezing mark.

    Stay warm

    I love the story Mary. I'm glad you let us have a piece of your fond memories of your Aunt May. And I truly enjoyed reading how she met Joe. How sweet how sweet.

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  11. Mary
    Thanks for giving us this insight of your Aunt. Your husband is a very thoughtful man to help with your Mom. Please keep warm and only venture out when needed. Peace

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  12. Thank you for sharing your Aunt May stories. I can picture her perfectly, trudging through those snowdrifts to reach the school in time.
    Stay inside and keep warm, my friend!

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  13. Thanks for sharing Aunt May and Uncle Joe with us. They sound a lot like my own aunt and uncle!

    God bless you!

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  14. I so enjoyed reading about Aunt May...she must have been some lady...even when she was very young...

    I worry about you dear bloggers who live up in the cold cold country...I know you are accustomed to the cold...but the danger is still there...

    stay warm..
    Mimi

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  15. Such a wonderful post about Aunt May! She was indeed quite an amazing woman and what a lovely legacy she's left behind. I know how much you're missing her but as you said, where she is, there is no pain:-)

    When I got up this morning I thought there was fog out there but it was actually frost, that's how frigid the air was. Right now it's -25c and going down to the -30's tonight...wanna go to Hawaii with me??? lol I had to go out to get my lottery tickets and it took forever to warm up the car, good thing I had it plugged in though!

    Stay warm and safe my friend. xoxo

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  16. Today -this morning (whatever you care to call it -it's 4:30 a.m. here now) and tonight are supposed to be the coldest nights of the winter here so far with temps well below zero. The ground is completely snow-covered too from Saturday's storm with more predicted later today. So very wise words indeed to those of us who live in this sector of the continent! Stay warm!
    Your post about your Aunt May -missing the phone calls -especially reminded me of my relationship with my Aunt Mary. She passed two years ago this past October and we often would talk on the phone-great visits we had that way as she lived about 180 miles from me and traveling to see her was difficult much of the time. Like you though, I still miss her very much as we had many, many things in common besides the family connection.

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  17. I enjoyed reading about Aunt May.
    Mama Bear

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