The Past Comes Back to Bless Me

I know I haven’t written any blogs in awhile, but you already know my whole life from my past blogs, and nothing new has been happening, other than my cruises to Alaska and Nova Scotia. At that, I was very sick returning from Nova Scotia, so I don’t really have good memories about it. Then there are my health problems, added with the COVID situation, so all I can honestly write about are very physical altercations I have with my irritating hair every single day. My bangs are way past my eyes now, so I’m sure I’ll soon be eating it with my meals. Still, I am very high risk and don’t dare mix with anyone who hasn’t been COVID tested and declared negative. None in my hair salon has been tested. Yes, I have, and I am negative. I plan on keeping it negative, too.

Within the month, however, I had three wonderful surprises, all of which I delight in still today when I think of them. First, I have been selfishly pining for my senior high school annual since the day I gave it up. I had a picture of my first car in it and numerous sweet comments from, and pictures of, my graduating class. I had given it to my best friend, Sheryl Booth, when she developed Ovarian Cancer in the early nineties. She had told she had lost hers. Sheryl was an avid PN-G Indian. She attended all the football games long before she had a son play on the team. Sheryl lost her battle with the disease on January 18,1996. After grieving for a few years, I wanted to ask her family if that annual was something they would want to keep in honor of her memory, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It just would sound so selfish of me to ask for it back. Well, earlier this month, I began to look for one of her sisters, Cindy, who used to live in Katy, Texas. I found a number and called it, but didn’t receive a call back for so long I thought that I had struck out.. Then, magically, one night Cindy called. After catching up, I learned that they didn’t have the annual and had no idea what happened to any of Sheryl’s annuals. The excitement of the call ended in disappointment, though It was so good to hear from Cindy. She said she wished I had gotten in touch sooner. I know she was right. Still, unbelievably, she and her sister, Peggy, ordered me a new 1967 PN-G annual and had it shipped to me. God bless them

The second gift from my past was finding the Spanish and French teacher whose room was right across from mine when I taught at Smithson Valley High School. I needed a language expert for the BeakSpeak 3 book I am writing. After much ado, I found her! It was great to speak to her over the phone, it’s been so long. She left SVHS to teach in San Antonio long before I retired in ’02. She’s been retired from teaching for some time and now works for her husband’s business. I’m withholding her name to respect her privacy. Anyway, she was more than willing to help me out with my book and, in fact, has already started doing just that.

My third surprise came from a student I once taught who lived near me in Alvin, Texas. His name is Joe Garza, who was, and remains, the kindness, and most respectful of all my students in Alvin. He was always very special to me. Joe found me on Facebook not long ago, then texted me Friday week to say he and his family were vacationing in Comal Park on Canyon Lake. We arranged to meet in the Dairy Queen parking lot this last Tuesday before he left for home, and had a short reunion, six-feet apart, with masks on. It was so great to get to see him again and to find out what became of his parents, to learn whom he married, what kind of job he has, how many children he has and what they are all doing. I’m glad to know he lives in Friendswood and that he will be coming back to Canyon Lake in the future. When this virus is finally no longer a threat, I’d like to get to meet his family and have a real reunion.

I wanted to share these blessings with you. I’ll never forget May of 2020.