BETTY HUFFSTUTTER, SITTING ON STAIRS IN 1930S...
BETTY'S GRANDPARENTS, FRANK AND ELLA HAWTHORNE, were not my grandparents, but they were very special. Grandmother Hawthorne was, as I remember her, truly one of the sweetest women on earth. She never differentiated between relatives; Grandma always treated me with the same kindness as all who were her immediate relatives. It was not until I became a young man and sensed the true quality of character did I reckognize the difference between toleration and sincere love and care. Grandmother passed away while I was overseas. When Uncle Jim passed away in 1984, his death marked what had been a psuedo relationship between his daughter and me. The last time I saw Betty was at Uncle Jim's funeral. She did, however, send my daughter, about 12 at the time, a postcard telling her how much she and her husband were enjoying their trip. Death often reveals the truth about how important money really is to some individuals. Betty's husband delivered a trunk load of rusty tools to our home and told me that was my inheritance. I thanked him and sorted through the wrenches until I found one with a Milwaukee logo. No, I did not inherit so much as a brass button off of his old railroad uniforms. Life is full of surprises, but as one ages, one finds that nothing really surprises one any longer.
BETTY HUFFSTUTTER, SITTING ON STAIRS IN 1930S...
BETTY'S GRANDPARENTS, FRANK AND ELLA HAWTHORNE, were not my grandparents, but they were very special. Grandmother Hawthorne was, as I remember her, truly one of the sweetest women on earth. She never differentiated between relatives; Grandma always treated me with the same kindness as all who were her immediate relatives. It was not until I became a young man and sensed the true quality of character did I reckognize the difference between toleration and sincere love and care. Grandmother passed away while I was overseas. When Uncle Jim passed away in 1984, his death marked what had been a psuedo relationship between his daughter and me. The last time I saw Betty was at Uncle Jim's funeral. She did, however, send my daughter, about 12 at the time, a postcard telling her how much she and her husband were enjoying their trip. Death often reveals the truth about how important money really is to some individuals. Betty's husband delivered a trunk load of rusty tools to our home and told me that was my inheritance. I thanked him and sorted through the wrenches until I found one with a Milwaukee logo. No, I did not inherit so much as a brass button off of his old railroad uniforms. Life is full of surprises, but as one ages, one finds that nothing really surprises one any longer.