Tuesday, May 29, 2018

MEMORIAL DAY WITH MY HERO....

We all speak of how to live...
"Live a good life, live with no regrets.."
But few of us talk of how to die.
It seems like a while ago when I stood in 
this very same home, in the very same room
 watching my Aunt Tim
die with such grace.
Now yesterday, I visit this sweet man,
my Uncle Luke, my Mom's brother
but so much more to me.
Yesterday on Memorial day,
at 99 years, 7 months and 28 days, he was supposed
to ride in a parade and speak in front of many
who know and love him at the Memorial Day
parade. Yet his health had his children attend
in his honor. When I told the Boo that my
Uncle Luke was not well he suggested we,
instead of boiling crawfish, go ride to GM
to see my Uncle.
See why I love him?
I had told many Uncle Luke stories and I 
think Boo wanted to meet him as well.
What a visit we had!
When we got there my cousin Liz,
whom I had been texting with the day before
said as we entered the home,
"He must know you were coming because yesterday
he slept all day and today he is awake and waiting."
I joke with what I always tell him,
"Of course, his favorite niece is here!"
We walk into the living room where there lies
this wonderful, beautiful man,
wide eyed, sharp as a tac, ready to visit.
I go to kiss him, he grabs my hand and says
"sit here on the bed, and you"
as he motions to Boo.
We take a seat on each side of him and 
he begins to talk.
I ask about what Memorial Day means to him.
I served in WWII and then was called back for
the Korean War but he won't brag of all the
things he did there, the sacrifices he and his family
made during these years.
He tells of Uncle Freddie stories,
my Dad, always bragging about others,
telling us how my Dad was the best fisherman
he ever knew. Never bragging on himself,
always others. There he lays giving us advice,
"I am here just waiting, I am in no pain, I don't
need this oxygen, that is just to make me look sick.
I have no regrets, I have lived the best life and now
I just wait, wait to die."
I try not to cry but I add
"And there are lots of people waiting for you on 
the other side, Dad, Mom, your other sisters,,,"
"The love of your life..."
He does not cry, he shakes his head yes.
Because he won't brag about himself, let me 
say a few things about what this man has done for me...
I am called Lilly or Lil by most who know me.
Some may not know Lillian is my birth name.
It is my Uncle Luke I was told as a child, who gave
me the shorter name of Lilly.
"A little bitty thing like that don't need a big name."
From that day on he has always called me Lilly or Lil.
i was a sick child, causing me to have to stay home
while my peers and siblings went to school.
My mom worked, my Dad stayed home and
cooked. Most days my Uncle Luke came and had
lunch with us. After his meal he always called,
"Mattressitis" and napped on the sofa with me in
the crook of his arm. It was years before I realized
this was not a real condition. I think I even looked for
it in my medical dictionary when I was in Nursing school.
Another thing very few will know. 
Unle Luke grew daisies on the side of his house.
A large bed of them. Because they were my favorite,
each time I visited I would cut a handful to put
in my room. Daisies stayed beautiful for so long
and i always loved fresh flowers in my room.
One day after school I see him at my home,
planting something in our flower beds.
Daisies! 
He had taken plants from his many to plant
for me in my yard so I could have them
every time I wanted them.
When I thanked him for this, almost in tears,
he joked as he always did,
"Don't thank me, this is to stop you from taking
all my own daisies!"
Every year Uncle Luke planted a garden.
Every year he planted a few plants of cucumbers
that every one knew were mine.
"Those are Lilly's. She likes big seeds, the burpless kind."
When I lived on the bayou, he hand delivered the cucumbers
traded a cup of coffee for cucumbers.
He always drank a small shot in my demitasse cups
so that I always kept his cup close to the pot,
"just in case he stopped by...."
When I moved to Thibodaux the cucumber planting 
did not stop and when I went dtb but did not go to pick
up my cucumbers, I was fussed.
Many days, I went to visit and he was at his camp,
always at his camp. I knew when he could no longer
go to the camp and agreed it was time to sell it,
I knew his days in our world were coming to an end.
I am not sure you ever get ready to say goodbye to someone
you love so much.
I talk lots, am not shy to speak in crowds
and maybe I got that from my Uncle Luke.
He has been such an important part of me
and as we decide we have taken enough of
one on one time with him as family is coming 
in now from the Memorial Day gathering,
Boo takes this picture and walks to the kitchen.
I spend a few more minutes with him.
He grabs my hand as I kiss his head
and gives me words of wisdom
"Lilly, live your life with no regrets,
do what makes you happy, be kind to all 
like you are, when you get the chance to do good, do it"
I am teary-eyed and I kiss him again,
tell him how much I love him, how important he is to me.
I tell him I am happy, at peace, living a good life.
As I make my way to the kitchen, giving room for
family that is piling in now,
there are these beautiful framed artifacts,
a rendition of each medal he himself had earned in 
his 11 years in the service.  I am in awe of just how much
he has done for our freedom as he is never one to brag of
himself.

I can't hold back tears when this beautiful sketch
done by our own Golden Meadow artist, Sharon Doucet,
of our dear Uncle Luke.
As my cousin, Cindy presents it to him,
with his children, grandchildren, great grand children 
and a few friends surround him in his living room,
she says of the sketch,
"That is your eyes, that is your smile"
I can tell he is overwhelmed by it all.
So am I.
This man known as so very many for all he has
done his whole life, his sense of humor,
is closer to the next life than any of us are ready to admit.

As the boo and I leave, as I continue to tell 
more memories to him as they come to me,
I realize something, why I began this blog in the 
manner I did,
He has shown me not only how to live,
but how to die.
How to die with grace and honor and I beam
with  pride and I thank whomever was responsible
for having this man to be my Uncle.
In a world where we are told how to live,
I gained much knowledge yesterday on
how to die.
Forever in my heart, I share this blog with you all,
in honor of my dear uncle,
LUKE CHERAMIE.

Sunday, May 13, 2018

MOTHERS DAY 2018

An unconventional Mothers Day Blog
First Happy Mothers Day to my Momma....

For the last few weeks I have been missing my Dad.
The Last three Collins Girls were raised by Daddy,
of course it was a village including my Mom
and my older sisters, but Dad had the day to day events.
Which brings me to this post that I have been thinking lots of lately.

The Boo, he works a lot... Long hours and because he is 
a Bachelor, living alone, when I go to his home I like
to help out by straightening up, helping where I can.
It is a known fact that aside from Laundry....
(I HATE Laundry)
I love housework, Love it!
So Yesterday morning, as I loaded dishwasher,
my thoughts went so far back to my younger days,
when Daddy was the day parent.

Our Home was always, always filled with People,
Sisters coming home with their own families,
friends of older siblings, fishing buddies of my Dads
sleeping anywhere they could find a spot so they
could wake up early to go fishing with the 
old Freddie Collins who always knew the best spots.

Dad loved to cook for a gang, on any given day,
we could have over 15 people over for fried fish,
french fries homemade style. He loved to cook but
he hated the cleaning part, hated it.
Our house was not a filthy one, but it was
definitely had a clutter-filled messiness.
Even back in those days, I loved cleaning and organizing,
my room was always being cleaned by me, my linens
that featured Hollie Hobbie sheets, were always being
washed.

On those nights that my parents filled the house with food 
and laughter, the kitchen was left in a mess. 
I would wait for everyone to go to bed....
and I would start my magic.
We had no dishwasher, so every dish, pot was hand washed,
dried and picked up. The cabinet tops were organized and
clutter was removed. Some summer nights I was up
late into the night doing what I loved, cleaning house.
In the days of my younger years, I would pretend
I was married with a home full of children as I cleaned.
I would pretend talk to imaginary kids, I always stood
at the sink standing on one foot with the other
hinged up on my knee, having Dad tease me
about my being a Stork.

After those long nights of cleaning, my Dad would awaken
and always pretend he was so surprised at how the
kitchen mess he went to bed to, was cleaned to perfection.
I was always tickled each morning as he almost always
said the same thing...
"AGAIN!!!! Looks like the Kitchen Fairy visited our house again!"
and I would beam, always proud of the feat I had accomplished.

And so on this Mothers Day of 2018,
I honor my Mother but I also honor my Daddy
who was our stay home parent and one of the best "Moms"
that I was always proud to call mine!
Happy Mothers Day to all you Momma's out there,
No matter what kind you are!


Pictures of that old Kitchen I Just loved, 
and the parental, working in Dad's garden.





Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Triple J lemonade stand grand opening...

It has taken me some time to write this blog
as TRIPLE J LEMONADE
had it 2018 grand opening, Saturday.
New Location, Mumsies' front yard.
The two big Grand Girls slept over on Friday to 
get ready for the big day.
They don't just sit behind the stand and pour lemonade.
No, they help their Mumsie, bake, decorate their cupcakes,
make lemonade and count their change
They are avid Entrepreneurs!

(excuse the roughness of the Mumsie, the early morning of Saturday)
As most days of my life, something happens to touch me.
Saturday was no different. I wrote a blog last year
about my sweet Motherly neighbor Mrs. Shirley,
who grandson, in the floods last year, lost
everything including all the books and toys of his
one year old daughter, Lily.
When I brought this up to the Grand Girls, Bean, especially
they wanted to donate all their earnings of last year,
every penny they were raising for spending money at Disney
to this sweet little girl. I was blown away, touched
by their kindness and as Bean said
"Mumsie, ALL HER BOOKS?"
I got it, I explained to them I would match whatever they gave.
...and what a difference that small donation made to that
young family. They wrote the best story on Facebook 
about Triple J Lemonade.
The girls thought it was not a hard decision,
I was proud of their big hearts.
The story continues this year.

Their were my little grand girls, enjoying the most beautiful day
selling their lemonade for dollars with many customers leaving tips
once Bean counted out their change, 
(always trying to teach them something lol)
When we were lucky enough to have Mrs. Shirley's daughter
visit the stand, She does not live here and was only here
because the night before, she and her sisters had gone
to a wedding the night before.
She makes her order, and reminds us that it is
"PAY IT FORWARD DAY"
She hands Bean a hundred dollar bill and wants no change.
Their Dad was their visiting at the time and we both
said, "No way, that's too much money!"
(as Bean held that bill tightly....)
Then she tells a story that leaves me unable to talk due to
being choked up with emotion.
She reminds the grand girls of the good deed they did
last year when they "paid if forward" and gave their
hard earned money to a little girl named Lily.
She is my granddaughter, and we took that Triple J money
and bought little Lily new books and some of her favorite
toys that were ruined in the flood.
Her grandmother tells my little girls,
"What y'all donation did for us, was more than what
the money bought, you girls made us see how much
good is still in the world, that money brought hope and 
happiness to my son and his family"
This may have been a little more than the grand girls could
comprehend with Bean saying while clutching that bill
"Yeah, Mumsie!"
But myself and their Dad understood it and I allowed
them to keep the money.
Thanks to all my wonderful neighbors in
GARDEN DISTRICT OF PLAQUEMINE and
others that the girls flagged down,
they made the most they have ever made before 
and never complained about the work only about how 
long it had been since a car had stopped to shop.
Another thank you to "daboo" who built the
very best stand ever.
The new location, in front yard, helped sales quite a bit.
We can't wait until schools end so we can open often.
Pay it Forward Day another success and although
they say they are NOW saving for Disney spending
I've no doubt if the opportunity comes up,
they will donate all proceeds once again with their 
big hearts all in.









the inspirational JEMMA KATE

 MY NEIGHBOR DIED... The grand girls didn't know him well but they knew him and they knew he was my friend. Last night I had the pleasur...