Mother's Day
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Despite the alleged “curse” on the land, the church had been built and they would be able to say, Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors, see all the people, (or however the nursery rhyme did go).
And, the day was Mother’s Day. Sadly, it had to be recalled that it was five years to the day that Edred had died. He would have been twenty that June 19th. Collette wondered how his mother was fairing that day. To lose a son at only fourteen, was something that Collette could not quite comprehend. And this year, Mrs. Pretzel had joined him.
But life did continue on, as it always did. And at church, Collette was pleased to find that she and OLeif had been given the best Sunday School room, by far. Two sets of white-paned windows looked out onto the yellow daisy field and the skies, where storms came tumbling. The clouds were perfect patchworks of gray and blue and white. And Collette surely would have been distracted watching them during the sermon if it hadn’t been for the fact that she worked in the nursery with Rose that hour.
Afterwards, there was smoked turkey, rolls, and salad which Curly and Izzy had made and a violet-blue hydrangea for Denae, who loved it. A “balloon plant”, as OLeif called it. They had some laughs over The Importance of Being Earnest after Denae had talked with Kitts and Mrs. South on the phone over the course of the afternoon. And there was key lime pie and discussion for how the week would come along, with concerts and performances and Relevance and Kitts coming up from Texas.
Back at the house, there was barbecue and some more good laughs over Friendly Persuasion. Mom received a glass jar of glowing fireflies from OLeif and Collette (which turned on and off with a switch inside the lid), a weed whipper from the kids (which was coming in the mail), there was perfume from Dad (Armani Code), and a music player to attach under the cup cabinet in the kitchen. And the gray drizzle kept on into the night.
“When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it’s too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it’s been good to know ya.
“The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.