Michigan Visitors and Road Trip!

This week started off with a visit from Aunt Rose and cousin, Doreen.  I was so excited for them to come visit and for us to take a road trip to West Virginia.  Otto had to work and so I was hanging out at home.  While I was waiting for them to get here, I baked some biscotti to have with coffee later and I cooked up some basil and garlic chicken, steamed veggies and a new recipe for risotto for dinner and finally they arrived!  Well, first things first, right?  I open a bottle of wine and get out glasses for us and Aunt Rose says, 'just a little for me', so I pulled out one of Nana's red wine glasses to pour her wine and what does she say? 'Hey, these are my glasses, where'd you get these?'  I told her they were Nana's and she said, 'she took them from me'.  Oy!  We laughed and laughed.  Doreen said that she always does that to her to!  I just love to hear Aunt Rosie laugh, she brings such joy to the room with her smile and hilarious stories that include her sisters, especially Nana, Dad, Aunt Joann, her kids and her husband and love, Uncle Red!

We had such an amazing time starting with our stop at the local Dunkin' Donuts on the way out to the stop at the Dunkin' Donuts right out of Shinnston for the ride home! Yep, twice in one day!

Here we are West Virginia!

Aunt Rose said she used to bring Aunt Joann here
as well as the other theater, The Metropolitan

Aunt Rose was a wealth of information and once in West Virginia remembered a lot of old sights on High Street and led us right to Pleasant Street and University Ave where Grandpa Sam had the "Shoe Hospital".  She shared stories of happiness as well as sadness and tragedy.  Grandpa Sam used to repair the boots of the CCC workers back when Roosevelt was in office. And did you know when the Marino's were little back in Italy, Nana's mother had a young boy, Sam Olivito, a ripe old 17, make Nana's first pair of shoes.  Once the shoes were done and our Grandpa told our Great Grandmother how much they were she refused to pay for them and Nana didn't get her new shoes to come to America.  But, 15 years later, that shoemaker became her husband!

Me and Aunt Rose in front of the shop on the corner of
Pleasant Street and University Ave.

 After walking around the shop and checking out the other buildings in the area, Aunt Rose told the heart-wrenching story of our cousin who fell to his death out a second story window from the building that was across the street from the shop.  He was managing the building which was a night club on the first floor and apartments on the second.  He found out about some illegal activity going on and was going to the police, but someone got to him first.  It seems his death was ruled a suicide but Aunt Rose says she saw him in the hospital and he looked like he put up a fight, his knuckles were bruised and face was beaten. So the family thinks he was beat up and thrown out the window.  So sad!

The building that our cousin managed

As the day went on, Aunt Rose told us story after story and led us to Uncle Red's home town of Star City, just up from WV University.
She took us to the street where Uncle Red lived, but couldn't remember exactly which house was his.  She remembered streets and the town very well and led us right to the church they used to go to and the mausoleum that her brother and my great uncle, Frank was buried.  We were searching for the glass company that Uncle Red had worked back in the late 20's and she led us down to the river and said it was by the RR tracks.  But, we couldn't find anything so we asked the local fire captain who sent us to the glass factory in Star City, but after talking to the owner realized that wasn't the right one.  When Aunt Rose shared that President Kennedy bought their glassware there, the owner instantly knew that it was the Morgantown Glass Company that he worked for and unfortunately it, and the other glass company, Seneca had closed down years ago.  He told us there was an antique shop in Morgantown that sold some of the glass that was made from the factories so we headed there.  We looked around and shopped for just the right item that would bring Doreen the joy of knowing it was made in the factory that her father once was a glass blower for.  She chose a beautiful vase that she will proudly fill with flowers and have sitting on her kitchen table.  Aww!  The Seneca center had pictures of workers from the 20's and 30's about the time Uncle Red worked there.  It showed many young men and the technique of glass blowing, it was amazing.

Aunt Rose outside the Seneca Center and antique shop
where we shopped for glassware

Well, our day was just getting started.  From here, we stopped for a sandwich then headed to Shinnston to visit the grave of my great grandma and grandpa.  When Otto and I were here a few months ago, we were at the right cemetary, but the wrong location and it only took a little reminder from my cousin, Donald, one of Aunt Mary's 12 kids to steer us in the right direction.  Oh yeah, on to that story.  So, we are driving in Shinnston and Aunt Rose says, up that hill is where Aunt Mary used to live, so U-turn and up we go.  Doreen remembered that the street dead-ended right at the house, but she hadn't been here since she was 12.  After a few turns here and there, I said 'was it Highland St?' and Aunt Rose, said 'yes' that is it!  So, there we were, right in front of the house Aunt Mary raised her 12 children.

Aunt Rose and Doreen at the grave

Nana's parents.  My great grandpa Frank and great grandma Nancy

Me and Aunt Rose - she brought some red silk roses, she
said they were her mother's favorite flowers.  A few of her
children still live local and come visit and decorate the grave.

 While we were taking pictures of the house, Aunt Rose says 'Donald's house should be right here, he has blue glass rocks in the front'.  And sure enough, he was home and we stopped in for a visit.  We had planned to meet another cousin, Mary Margaret, but when we called she wasn't home, but Donald said she was stopping by so we got to see her as well.





Donald and his wife, Mary May live in the house next door to where he grew up as a child.  Doreen remembers the garden and the horses in the fields out back.  Donald built the house in '72 right where the garden that fed the family used to sit. He filled us in on all the family in the area and who was doing what.  Donald is now retired, he was the Chief of Police in Shinnston.

It is certainly a different way of life for those that live in this small town.  And it was evident when Aunt Rose told them to come to Michigan to visit and Mary May said they don't leave Shinnston often as Donald doesn't like to travel.
Mary Margaret finally  showed up, she had served Meals on Wheels for lunch, then headed to visit a friend's brother in the VA hospital.  She is certainly a busy lady.  Her husband, Joe just retired from the mines.  It was so cool to see her, I believe I met her and her husband when they came to see Nana one time.  She remembers our dad and has fond memories of Nana as well.

Me, Donald (Aunt Mary's son), Aunt Rose
and Donald's wife, Mary May

Aunt Rosie and Mary Margaret (Aunt Mary's daughter)

I took this picture of a picture - Aunt Mary is in the middle
surrounded by her twelve (12) children

We had left the house at 9:30 and it was now 6 pm, I was exhausted, and there was Aunt Rose still wanting to go visit Aunt Ida, her brother Frank's wife who is in a nursing home in Bridgeport (20 miles away).  Wow,  really?  So, off we go to see Aunt Ida!  Okay, that is a story in itself.  I've got my GPS and Tomya tells us to turn on this gravel road, Gypsy Hallow or something or other and we drive and drive and the road narrows and Dor keeps asking are you sure, are you sure?  So we get to a fork in the road and Tomya tells us, 'left and go straight'!  Really, there was nothing there but overgrown weeds, so Dor turns around and says 'I'm gonna try my lady to get us out of here'  and what does her 'lady' tell us, 'make a legal U-turn and head straight on Gypsy Hallow'  so much for our 'ladies'!  We had a good laugh!  We ended up replanning the route and got to the nursing home about 30 minutes later.  We visited with Aunt Ida, who has Alzheimers, for a little while.  She offered us some root beer and told us about her 'colleagues' and her day 'teaching the teachers'.  She talked about the visitors that may come for the 4th of July and family that still keeps her house and pictures tidy.  She spoke highly of Uncle Red and how much she loved him and shed a tear for her Frank, it was hard watching that look of sadness turn to empty eyes when you know that she is only a little bit of what she once was since this disease has taken over.  I could see the look in Aunt Rose's eyes, it was time to go.  Aunt Rose talked of the times that she and Uncle Red had with Frank and Ida as they were close.  It was hard for Doreen too, as she remembers her Aunt in a much different light.  As for me, I felt sorrow, but mostly that I hadn't the opportunity to know my Nana's sister in law, a wonderful educator before the Alzheimers.

Aunt Rose and Aunt Ida

And so, our road trip was winding down.  We left the nursing home and plugged in our destination into both our GPS's.  But, as fate would have it I told Dor to take a wrong turn and we ended up on the wrong highway up by Cooper's Rock State Park, where we intended to make it to see earlier but decided against it.  It was right then that Doreen and I made plans for her and Frank and Otto and I to go camping at Cooper's Rock State Park in September.  There's a story here too, isn't there always?  Uncle Red build the guard rail at the Cooper's Rock lookout point when he was with the CCC back in the day.  And, that my friends and family is the end of my story.

When we moved to Pennsylvania it never occurred to me the connection I would make with my cousin again.  God is so good and has given me the opportunity to meet cousins and renew relationships as well as see the places where my great grandparents, grandparents and family lived, worked and made their mark in this world!

Transformation

Cape San Blaus, FL (2009)

It's funny, well not really, but I have to laugh at how God works in my life.  I've been catching up on my devotions this morning, spending an extended amount of 'quiet time' as I've been a little distracted and unfocused lately.

I really wanted to sit and listen to the spirit, be quiet and see what the Lord is telling me today.  I picked up 'Longing for the Holy', the bible study our group just finished, and reread the last chapter about teaching us to see God in everyday life, in all we do.  Anyway, there is a section that talks about practicing the presence of God, another on cultivating a sense of wonder and lastly learning to ponder, so I read them again and really focused on the words, the meaning, what it means to me.  Then, I moved on to my daily scripture reading, Mark 11:11-26, it was about Jesus arriving at the temple and being confronted with a spectacle that makes him boil with anger.   Merchants and money changers are doing business in the temple's outer court.  But, what does Jesus do?  Nothing.  Why did He push the pause button on his anger and not unleash it at the merchants?  He know it wasn't the right moment to speak to them.  He had a sense of timing, His Father's timing.

In 'Longing for the Holy' there is a paragraph that explains how Jesus is the most powerful example of the deep wisdom that can be gained as we ponder.  He was on the receiving end of hatred, jealousy and anger.  He carried those and held them in his heart and never passed these on to others.  He held them in His heart until they were transformed into forgiveness, compassion and love.  Just as He did that day at the temple.  He held in His anger and did not lash out at the people.  He let the anger and hatred turn into forgiveness, compassion and love.

I can't help but notice the connection between these two today.  Two totally different books, not meant to be read at the same time or day, but still somehow they are connected.  This is God's way of getting my attention.  I've learned over the years not to be surprised at this, but sometimes I still am.  I have to chuckle at God, continually convincing me that He is in control, not me.  He sends me what I need when I need it. No joke, but still I laugh.  A little giggle under my breath, because He loves me so much, he constantly sends me these reminders.

So, today I sat and contemplated, I took time to ponder on some things and let them settle in my heart.  I prayed today for patience and for the strength so these troubles and tension  may be transformed into forgiveness, compassion and love.