Update from Sue on Tuesday Evening, September 30, 2014

 "I had lots of therapy, all three kinds - physical, occupational, and speech--all therapy of  encouragement.  All the therapists agree I've much  improved since I arrived here.  (I think they confer.)  

Ding (my beautiful son, Chris) came by yesterday evening and visited with me while I was having dinner with Jack.  And of course Rose comes every day.  Scott forwarded a copy of Brayden's report card, which I am extremely proud of.  I'll see if Sis will post it later.  Perhaps Jalen doesn't have his yet.  

I start early every ay but sleep fairly well.  I didn't nap today, and there's no ballgame until the Cards and LA Dodgers play Friday at 5:30.  There is a PBS movie I may watch tonight.  

Update from Sue

Rose and I forgot my password for Blogger, so I am sending her this update in an email.  She will post it to the Family Gazette.

I've had dinner with Jack for the last three nights.  He is the friend I first made here in January 2011.  We get lots of teasing.  We were joined one night by Sandra, my roommate,  but she went home yesterday.  Shelly, Chris's wife, joined us last night, so we had a new face.  Sandra was also an avid Cardinal fan, and we plan to keep in touch.  I feel I've made a real friend.

I don't get much therapy on the weekends, and feel I could do more.  Rose wheelchair "walks" in the halls here with me, and even other patients have commented on how much more sturdy I've become. I'm trying.

Pete and Janet called yesterday with their Saturday call.  Everything is good in Idaho.  Those were great pictures Rose stole from Face Book and posted here.  Pete and Janet's daughter Nancy would love to take the Turn Bo Tour after hearing about it from Pete and daughter Merri.   I hope she gets to.

I'm going to watch the ballgame this afternoon.  It starts at 3:10, and I believe I'll stay awake for this one.  I know this isn't a crucial one but will enjoy it anyway. 

Margaret

Kelly and Nancy

Pete and Janet's beautiful "kids." Another Facebook find.

Brett and Madison

Brett is Sabrina and Dave's son, Margaret's grandson. Madison is his girlfriend. I lifted this gorgeous photo off Facebook.

Bray at Soccer Today

Selfie

New Haircut

Go Cardinals

Rose and I  just sat in the garden after my therapy sessions and lunch.   My roommate and I are looking forward to the ballgame tonight and we're both Cardinal fans or it's we just don't like the Cubs.  She's more up on the happenings in the Series and quicker than the local

Playing Soccer and at Sky Zone

Sunday and I'm still here at  BJEC and have a great room mate.  We're both baseball fans but the Cards aren't on TV today  so we're both disappointed.  [Rose just called to tell me the schedule changed, and the game is tonight.]   We're are in line for and excited about the play-off games and then the World Series.

Erica, Amanda, Lynn, Connor Abbott

Sam and Catrina at Mizzou Football Game

Nathan and Nicole, Stephanie and Dan, Jacob and Annie

Brayden and Tristan

Stephanie's Eulogy for her Mother - September 11, 2014

EULOGY FOR MOM

Stephanie Abbott Schmitt

September 11, 2014

I didn't know I was going to be doing this until about two minutes before Reverend Purdy started speaking so I don't really have anything prepared but I will say this.  On March 28th, in Marshfield in the year of 1938, a woman was born.  She was wonderful little girl, she loved her mom, she loved her sisters and her brothers, she loved her dad, she loved her life in Marshfield. She grew up and met a man named Norman and after just a very short time, just a couple of weeks actually, they got married and started a family of their own.

They traveled.  I was born shortly after they got married right in St. Charles.  My siblings were a little luckier.  They were born in exotic places like Plattsburgh, New York and Mountain Home, Idaho, and Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma. But one thing Mom never ever lost was her love, the love for her family that always shone.  Her love for adventure - she loved to travel.  She always swore that there was gypsy in thier blood. They came over from the old country and there was Romani gypsy in their blood and she loved to go.

She loved to go.  She loved to travel all over this world.  We went to Turkey and to Germany and traveled all over this country.  If somebody said go, Mom was the first one in the car and she was ready.  You didn't even have to have a destination.  All you had to do was get into the car, start the engine and if you saw a road, drive down it.  That's how Mom lived her life, her whole life.
She loved life, she embraced life.  But the part of life she loved most was her family:  her husband, her children, her grandchildren, her sisters, her brothers - Lord how she loved us all.  And when the time came that she had to part with Dad a part of Mom, a part of that spark, a part of that light, a part of that life was extinguished, and it never came back.

Sixteen months ago Mom came to live with me because they determined she couldn't stay by herself anymore.  It was a really hard thing for her to do and I know that.  She was with me for 16 months and two days, and I celebrated every month.  It wasn't always easy and the reason was because Mom and I are so much alike. We're both a little hard headed and we’re both a little stubborn but one thing I will say is that it was the greatest honor I have ever had was taking caring of my Mom for those 16 months.  I fought.  I fought very hard because they didn't want me to do it. They told me no, she can't do that.  She has to be in a nursing home and she has to be in a nursing home where the doors are locked because of that gypsy blood in Mom.  If you put her somewhere that she didn't want to be she tried to get away. She was always trying to run away.  She ran away from my house one time. No Lie!  She grabbed her purse and her coat and up the driveway she went.  She wasn't even supposed to be walking. And pretty soon here she came back and she said "I'm sorry, Stef."   I said, "What made you come back Mom?" and she said "Nobody would stop and give me a ride."  You have to understand I live on a dead end gravel road; there is nobody to give her a ride but if somebody would have come by she would've had her thumb out and she would've said “Where are we going now?”

She loved adventure and she loved life. She loved her children and her grandchildren but I have to say she loved Dad the most.  As much as she loved all of us, Dad was the spark in her heart, the light in her eyes, and when he died she missed him terribly.  She told me Friday she was ready to go, she was ready - she's been ready a long time.  Reverend Purdy said eventually the good memories would outweigh the sadness  but that never happened with Mom.  Every day she was sad because she missed my dad so much. But now as I said the morning she has my dad and together they are walking through eternity.  Together they are in that mansion.

Pastor Larry said something that stuck with me on Monday.  He said for us it is such a long time, but in eternity there is no time.  So for them we are all there together at the same time.  And that was such a profound thing because I thought “so Dad didn't have to wait.  We have to wait but Dad didn't have to.”  Mom won't have to.  When we get there it will be like she just got there and Dad just got there and her mom just got there and Jessica just got there and everyone who has gone before.  We’re all there at the same time because in eternity there is no time.  What a great thing. What a wonderful gift.
There's one other thing. In death there is no sting because of the gift that Christ gave us.  In death there is no sting. There is no sting for Mom.  The sting is in the hurt that we feel as we're left behind and we have to wait for our time to join the ones that have gone before us.  It's going to be a long wait but we have to do it the way Mom would have wanted:  full of life, love and adventure because that's what she was all about.  She was about life, love and adventure.

Randy, she was so proud of you, her son, the pastor.  And then there was Catrina.  Why do you know, Catrina knows more about insurance than anyone else in this whole world?  Why, every insurance company would be just gifted to have her.  And then there's Sabrina "Does anybody know how many people she has under her?", "Anybody know how high up in Hussmann she really is?"  And she would work those things into any conversation.  You could be playing a game of Yahtzee, which by the way, we played a lot of.  Some nights there would be 26, 24, who knew how many games we were going to play as long as there was a bowl of popcorn and a margarita on the table and a Yahtzee scorepad she was happy.  She worked those things into the conversation because she was so very proud. She was.  She loved her family.  Not only was she proud of her blood family but all of her in-laws, her sons-in-law, her daughter-in-law, and her grandchildren.  She told me how much she loved her grandchildren.  The one thing you can take away is that Mom loved all of you dearly.  She's going to be missed but now she's happy.  She's happy.  And that's something she hasn't been in a very long time.  I love you Mom.

AUDIO RECORDING OF SERVICE FOR MARGARET ANNE ABBOTT September 11, 2014

Sabrina, Margaret' daughter, resent the recording in an mp3 format.  It played for me.  About three-quarters through the service, Stephanie gave an extremely moving and wondrous eulogy.

The link:  https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/100700988/Margaret%20Funeral.mp3

Thank you, Sabrina.

AUDIO RECORDING OF MARGARET ANNE'S SERVICE September 11, 2014

Sabrina sent the link to the audio recording of her mother's service.  Many of us had expressed the desire to hear it, especially Stephanie's eloquent eulogy.  Thank you, Sabrina.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/sob4rglkzmmnbcw/Track01.cda?dl=0

P.S.  Kyle Langston sent me a note that he could not open the file.  Then Sabrina posted a comment about formatting.  She says she could open the file with Windows Media Player, which I do not have. Sabrina is preparing a transcription of Stephanie's eulogy.  I will post it here soon.

Pete and Merri

A Sad and Blessed Event--the Celebration of the Life of our Sister, Margaret Anne

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A SAD ANNOUNCEMENT

Our sister, Margaret Ann, died yesterday (Monday, September 8, 2014) afternoon at the age of 76.  Loving wife of the late Norman V. Abbott, beloved daughter of the late James and Margaret "Marie" (Madden) Felin; devoted mother of Stephanie (Walter "Dan") Schmitt, Sabrina (Dave) Smith, Randy (Lynn) Abbott, and Carina (Robbie) King; cherished grandmother of Nathan (Nicole) Schmitt, Jacob (Annie) Schmitt, Lauren (Josh) Barrett, Alex Smith, Brett Smith, Erica Abbott, Amanda Abbott, Connor Abbott, Andrew (Sara) King, Matthew King, Sam King, and Lizzie King; treasured great-grandmother of Tristan Barrett, Gavin Barrett, and Brayden Barrett; also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends; dear sister of Rose Holt, Sue Boaz, Pete (Janet) Felin, Joe (Mary) Felin, and Donald (Vita) Felin.  She is preceded in death by her granddaughter Jessica Schmitt, and brothers Robert "Bob" Felin and Bernie Felin.

Memorials may be made to Alzheimer's Association of St. Louis.

Visitation will be at Baue Funeral Home, 311 Wood Street, O'Fallon, MO  63366 from 4:00 pm - 8:30 pm, Wednesday, September 10, 2014.

Service will be at the same place, at 12:00 pm, Thursday, September 11, 2014.

Burial will be at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, 2900 Sheridan Road, St. Louis, M 63125.

Sue's Phone

Sue is very happy to have a working phone once again.  Her number is the same, 314 452-3685, and she keeps it close at hand.  We found a big-button Snapfone for her that should be easier for her to use.  She is still not up to using her Apple Air computer, but that time is coming.  She has a wonderful bunch of physical therapists who are working with her to regain strength and stamina.  She is still very weak and requires a lot of rest.  Cardinals baseball is one of her great joys, especially when they are doing so well.

Chris, Shelly, and two members of her family are in Milwaukee for three days where they will get to see the Brewers and Cards duke it out for first place.  Sue talked to Chris on her new cell this morning and told him to wave, that she would be watching.

Snapfone

I do not know how the internet works, but this morning Snapfone placed an ad here.  Just yesterday, after a long search, I ordered a replacement phone for Sue.  Her old cell phone was lost several weeks ago, and she hasn't been up to using one since.  Until now.

Shirley and I found this Snapfone online with big buttons, an emergency call feature, and none of the fancy stuff (camera, internet) that most phones come with.  No one at ATT, Best Buy, and two Cell Phone Repair stores had ever heard of a big button cell phone.

It is a good sign that Sue is clamoring for her cell phone and now even wants her computer back.

On another note, we replaced our ATT U-Verse recently with cable and TIVO.  Over the two-plus years we had U-Verse, we had frequent outages, probably two-dozen technician calls, with--the final straw--a demand for $250 to rewire the entire house.

Hooking up cable and then TIVO took hours, many calls to the TIVO help line, and working through a whole lot of misinformation.  Now, we have a system that works reliably and costs considerably less.  The day I took the ugly cable boxes to UPS for shipping back to ATT was one happy day.  Not only were they ugly and bulky, they didn't work well at all.  TIVO works, the boxes are about a third the size of the U-Verse boxes, most wiring hidden in the living room cabinet, but TIVO has some ways to go to achieve anywhere near the excellence of Apple's designs.

I predict TIVO will advertise on this blog shortly.