thoughts of family

(mom's 90th bday party, my siblings minus Larry)

My brother is very sick.

So sick that we are praying for his health to be restored.

If you have followed my blog for some time,

you may remember when my oldest sister, Simone died

and what happened to me then.

For those of you who may not remember, I will share.

I am the baby of 7 children, my oldest sibling was 23 when I was born.

I was a sick child and was spoiled way beyond the normal.

I was and still am very proud of my family.

However, us all being born in different "era's"

with different life experiences we are all very much different.

I could write a book just on that topic, I will table that.

I have never been one to worry about age.

I have always rolled with the punches knowing that

another trip around the sun was a gift.

My oldest brother died first but because he had already 

left our family and lived with his family in Brownsville,

we didn't get to see him that often.

What I remember about his death was the piercing scream

my almost 90 year old Momma bellowed.

The way she put her hand on his name at his burial site and just cried.

(my brother, Larry's burial site and his family)

When Simone died It was a totally different awakening for me.

My oldest sibling at 82 dying had me realize that we are

all getting older, none of us are getting out alive

and being the youngest, I may have to watch many of my siblings die.

We all were raised very close, everyone coming home for the holidays.

Home to the big house where we all grew up.

Through my life my family had buried our parents,

Aunts, Uncles and many good friends.

When Simone died I realized that being the baby of a large family

I will bury many of those I love,

which goes back to my Mom's words that I have said way too often lately:

THE HARDEST PART OF GROWING OLD IS WATCHING LOVED ONES DIE.

It never made more sense to me than when Simone died.

Yesterday, cousins and friends gathered not to mourn 

my cousin Jolynn but to celebrate her life.

It was a beautiful service, it was a celebration that would

have made all our parents proud.

Afterwards we gathered at her daughters home and

did what we just don't do enough of anymore.

We gathered to make the Vey Yay.

to "shoot the shit" to tell stories, catch up on family.

The reality is as we all get older, it will be in 

these instances of funerals that family gathers,

and after yesterday, I am okay with it.

I believe fully in a life after this and that 

we will be all together again one day.

Mourning and loss, I believe is for this side

and that those who go before us will be there waiting for us,

to show us where the best "vey yay" spots are.

Love to all my Cheramie and Collins families!

( below, photo taken of Collins family at Eserman 50th family reunion)

Lawrence Antill, Jr. family

It was a garage sale in Thibodaux way back in 2013...

A few young Nicholls students were having a garage sale.

One of the boys was now living in his grandfathers home

along with a few roommates. 

To clear out space and add a few dollars in their pockets,

they had cleaned out the attic of this older home.

As I heard them say they were living here while going to college,

I came across this book...

THE EPIC OF THE 101ST. AIRBORNE

"Why are you selling this??"

My nostalgic mind could not grasp how anyone

would sell this beautiful piece at a garage sale for....

50 CENTS!

"Don't do it!" I begged...

As i went through the book, I saw that the owner

of the book,

PFC Lawrence J. Antill, Jr.

Machine gunner and rifleman

Not only was the owner of this beautiful piece

from France in 1945 but also added his own

black and white photos to the picture book,

along with his own titles to what each photo meant.

I pleaded with the under 20 year old...

"Please keep this, this is your heritage..."

"Isn't there anyone in your family who would want this?"

"One day you will wish you had this book, it's your family."

He laughed, and said he didn't even know who that person was.

None of my reasonings such as 

one day he would be my age and wonder about these times

and how his family helped to shape the United States it came to be.

"You can have it"

Was his answer,

I remembered being young and didn't really think about the 

part my family played in War and the armed services.

I gave him a dollar and looked him in the eyes...

"I will buy this book and save it for you,

because one day you will regret this and I will still have it."

He took my dollar and didn't look back.

It is now over 10 years since I bought this beautiful book.

I did forget to write down the young man's name.

I have shared this story with many as well as the book.

I have treasured it lovingly all these years but 

never called it my own, I have been fostering it.

So help me out here, people.

If you are or know anyone of the 

Lawrence J. Antill, Jr. family.

Send them this blog post.

I am getting older and really would like to pass it

down to a rightful owner.

RIP MR. ANTILL AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.