So here I am in Oklahoma. I have had such a great time! I am so overwhelmed with the Spirit. I have such a love for my family and my ancestors who have lived before me. I have had a full heart and a lump in my throat ever since I arrived at my Aunt Anna Marie’s house. I have learned so much talking with her and with my dad. My grandfather didn’t like to talk about his family. He didn’t like to talk about his life at all. It has been so nice to dive into my family history and find out about their lives and what they went through. I have such love for these people who I don’t even know. I feel a connection to them that I just can’t explain. One day I will get to meet them and hug them and know if they have accepted the gospel. I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for putting me in a position that I am able to do so. What a blessing it is to serve others this way.
I loved watching my dad talk to his aunt today. I especially loved seeing him talk about his sister Bonnie. I could see the love in his eyes and the void in his heart he feels as he misses her. I remember Bonnie as being so fun! She was always laughing and being silly. When I think of her, I can picture her dancing and being silly. She always had so much energy and was always having fun. I don’t remember ever seeing her without a huge smile on her face.
I have loved being with Uncle Harold and Aunt Anna Marie. Anna Marie is so full of love! I don’t think she can hug me enough or tell me she loves me too many times. What I love about her is that she is so sincere. Her home is so warm and welcoming. I feel so comfortable here. I know we are welcome. When we got off the plane, she was standing right outside the door from the terminal and pushed her way in front of everyone else to hug us. Uncle Harold is so sweet! He is right there to do anything for us. He seems so glad were have come and wants to make our stay comfortable. I think he is loving having us here and loving being the host. His breakfasts are great!
April 5, 2008
What a day! We have had so much fun! I don’t even know where to start! This morning was nice and relaxing. We just woke up when we wanted and had breakfast together. We slowly pulled out pictures and papers as we talked. I was so excited that I started to get worried on how I was going to get copies of everything. I guess I am a photo hoarder. I want copies of everything! I think it was mostly my normal bout of anxiety about how everything is going to work out. Shortly after breakfast, Harold started to feel pretty crummy. Because of his chemo he goes in and out of feeling well. Anna Marie thought she better stay with him and make sure he was okay. She gave Dad the key to the car and we took to get photos scanned. It was fun to talk to Dad about how the trip was going and the such. We of course got a coke along the way. I loved having someone with me who understood the importance of the big gulp! Anyhow, it didn’t take long to scan and print the photos. I only chose about 25 to copy at that point. It sounds silly but after that, I was calm and was able to gather info without worrying that I would be able to get everything. I guess it is the importance of the photos and being able to document everything I could get my hands in only three short days, that gave me the anxiety.
When we got back home, we continued to pull out papers and photos. We had the living room floor of her immaculate house covered! I had brought her a genealogy wall chart as a gift for having us out. I sat and filled it out for her the best I could. I wish we could go further back! But we had three and sometimes four generations filled out on each line for her. Now that I have a couple more names back, I may be able to find more info as I research. I pray I can find more names for her! I just look forward to the day we break through the brick wall of Peter Alfred Couron!
This evening Anna Marie invited her family to come over so we could meet them. We had a great time! Everyone was so friendly and willing to talk. I will document later everyone who was there. I love talking with Marianne (Walter Cecil’s daughter) and also with Anna Marie’s daughter Donna. They were so kind and friendly. They loved sharing their family stories and were equally kind about listening to ours and learning about our family. What an awesome unique opportunity. It was so relaxing because I wasn’t worried about who was or wasn’t having a good time. I wasn’t worried about what my child was doing or getting into. It was just a fun, relaxing evening. Anna Marie’s family is so lucky to have her. She is such a wonderful grandma. I think they call her GiGi. I’ll have to ask her.
April 6, 2008
What a wonderful day! I was kind of embarrassed this morning because I slept so much later than everyone else. No one cared and we weren’t in any sort of hurry but I just felt kind of dumb. When everyone was ready for the day, we took off to see the Oklahoma City bombing memorial. I guess all I expected was some sort of plaque or small monument. It was huge! It spanned two whole city blocks. It was beautifully constructed. I was so impressed. I took plenty of pictures. I was most impressed by the monument of Christ titled “And Jesus Wept”. When we walked up to it, Dad turned to me and said, “I’m sure He did!”
After the memorial, we went to the Cemetery where great grandma Couron (Mary Loretta Beeson-Couron) was buried. Walter Cecil Couron and Mary Loretta Couron were also buried there. I took photos of the headstones. Dad crouched down by his grandmothers headstone with the Rosary beads AnnaMarie gave him for a great photo. It put Anna Marie in tears to see that those beads meant so much to him.
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