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letter to us; she reminded us of how loving Mother and Daddy had been and how Daddy had always made us make up by kissing each other and saying we were sorry. Evidently, this was all we needed as the meeting was flawless. Since A1 was late, we, like true Southern women, voted for Jody to preside and it could not have run more smoothly or have been more well organized. We even called on St. Mary and St. Joseph Blanchard to help us - and these two saints took over. We got everything done and ended with good spirit (and good spirits) and fun. Trish had wandered out of the house after the meeting and came back to tell us to come outside quickly " Come and see ", she said. Lo and behold! The wisteria vine was neavy and filled with the most beautiful blossoms we had ever seen. The reactions ranged from silence and tears - to loud exclamations! Both of these extremes conveyed the same profound thanksgiving that we felt in our nearts. At Daddy's funeral Father Barbier ended by saying, "Buoy, let us know from time to time that you are still with us"; and Greg at Mom's funeral said that the love that Mom spread auring her lifetime would remain with us always. How true both of them! Jo went back the next day to see the state of the vine. There was not a blossom. In retrospect we regretted that we didn't think to take a picture - but we weren't too regretful; I think we all knew that there was something here that photography could never have captured.
The day 1 got my welcome from the Superior of the Taiwan Region where I am going as a missionary, there appeared in the paper, front page of the garden secton, a small garden with Chinese wisteria - the "signs" still come.
MOM
Mom was a lady to the core; she was beautiful inside and outside and she liked us to take pride in our appearance. More than once we went round and round about my haircuts. If 1 exuberantly said to her that I got a free haircut, she would not hesitate to tell me it "looked like it was free"; she might also add, "Julie, it is not unholy to look nice." More than a few times she requested a certain attire for a certain function. Often I find myself taking special care to press my clothes or to look nice , kinda uncanny. Refinement and good grooming were real values for Mom. Mom dignified in death as wei1 as in life. When she was sick she didn't want the "granachi1dren to see me like this" - they would all loved to nave said their many things to her, but it didn't turn out that way. Robert Grace, a special person to Mom Cthey all were), spoke for all of them through Greg's magnificent eulogy. Robert said in his letter what they all would have said and what rang out clear - she gave so much love. Jim Grace had said about Mom that he had never known anyone to establish such "quality relationships" with so many individuals; Keith said of Mom that he had never known anyone to have shown "such intensity of caring" for
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