Sukkot and the Little Midwife part 4

Mom, giving the midwife one of her famous winks!

The little Midwife learned what it was like living in a booth, or also called-a temporary dwelling. She 'lived' in about 5 different dwellings this past week. Her home, her mother's home, 2 different client’s homes, and her sisters home-often she was there late at night even after their mother passed away as they prepared for her funeral.

She learned what it is like to be living in a temporary dwelling, but not the simple one like described in the scriptures. Perhaps another year she will learn about that. But for now, she had lived without knowing where she would sleep, or while during her travels, where she would get to rest, or if she would even get to rest. And as for eating, where and when she would get to eat...

She did not get to rest as others did during this time but GOD still taught her many things, even more than she has shared with others...some of it was for her only and some of it, just too personal to share during this sad time.  Maybe someday she would be able to share it, but for now….it was in her heart…safely tucked away…

It was a long week, but she did make it thru with the LORD GOD YHWH by her side all week.

She will not forget touching her mother’s hair, and stroking her hair as she told her how much she loved her. She will not forget how that felt. She will not forget how it felt to hug her mother, or just to hold her. She will never again know how it feels for her mom to hug her back, or to look into her mother’s eyes and see the love there. Even behind the veil of Alzheimer's, she could see the love in her eyes....

Her mother had been like an innocent child the past year's, living with Alzheimer's, she had trusted all of those who cared for her so.....innocent to what was going on out in the world....tucked away safely in her own home....

Now she envisioned her mother at the feet of YESHWEH MESSIAH and GOD THE FATHER. Enjoying the fellowship with them, and those who went on before her.

She wondered if GOD would take her mother out fishing. Her mother liked to fish…She wondered if fishing was even allowed in heaven.   IF it was allowed, she figured GOD would be the one rowing the boat….

She thought- mom with GOD and relaxing in the boat out on a lake...simple sweetness of being with GOD...

Sukkot and the Little Midwife part 3.

Then on the day we call tuesday, she got a call late in the after noon about her mother. She was getting worse. She was in pain. The hospice nurse had been called to come. After gathering things she would need to spend the night and a few days with her mother, the little midwife left for her mothers house.

She would be spending the night with her mother. Tonight at sundown, a high Holy Sabbath would begin. She knew that the church family would be packing up to leave the little camp ground.  The little midwife did not dwell on this now.

The nurse came; but the little midwife did not listen like the hospice nurse did to her mother’s chest and the beating of her heart.  She had already done that this past week. She did not take her blood pressure -instead she just sat there --being a daughter.  She knew from listening before that her mother’s heart was not beating well...she had already listened to the abnormal beating of her mother’s heart….she knew by what she was hearing that her heart was failing.  She did not want to listen again...

She did not want to be a nurse today; today she just wanted to be a daughter…

For the little midwife, the nurse in her was quietly tucked away deep inside somewhere-hiding, this was to allow her to grieve. 

 The hospice nurse called to get medicine to help with her mothers pain. The little midwife watched her mother breath heavily, breath fast. She counted 46 a minute which was very fast. Her mother was in pain and struggling....

It was the middle of the night, and the hospice nurse was trying, fighting the hospice doctor, who was an angry doctor for being awakened in the middle of the night.  The hospice nurse was fighting to find a pharmacy to open up at this late hour to get the medicine the doctor who was angry -had ordered.

Finally all was done, and the medicine was on the way. It would arrive later, the midwife and her family sat beside her mothers bed, talking quietly. When it arrived they gave her some of it right away, it was to help with the pain and slow her breathing. But it did not slow her breathing. The little midwife and her sister who was also a nurse, took care to make their mother more comfortable, positioning her carefully. Then everyone but the little midwife left for the night.

The little midwife was sitting on the mattress she had pulled out to the floor, looking at her mother. The little midwife was so tired, and her flesh cried out for rest, cried out to just lay down onto the mattress on the floor and rest. She had lost so much sleep this past 7 days from births and her mothers care. She thought of the little cabin, but did not dwell on that, knowing she was where she needed to be right now.

The little midwife prayed to GOD to help her to stay up with her mother like she did at births.  She fought with her 'flesh', fought her urge to sleep and she thought, I can stay up at a birth; I have to stay up with my mom. The little midwife knew in her heart this would be the last night on earth for her mother, the Little Midwife knew this to be true.   She wanted her mother to have a familiar face to see---when she opened her eyes during the night.

She read scripture to her-from psalms. She read and read...

But thou OLORD art a shield about me, My glory and the lifter of my head....Psalm 3:3

Give ear to my words O LORD, consider my groaning. Heed the sound of my cry for help, my KING and my GOD, for to THEE do I pray. In the morning O LORD, thou wilt hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to THEE and eagerly watch...Psalm 5:1-3

then she beganto sing...

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path...

When I feel afraid, think I've lost my way

Still your there right beside me

Nothing will I fear, as long as you are near.

Please be near me to the end.

I can not forget your love for me and yet,

my heart forever is wandering

YHWH be my guide, hold me to your side,

I will love you to the end.

Then she sang the song amazing grace to her mother...

As she sang and read scripture, her mother relaxed. The little midwife asked her mother if she was in pain, and her mother said yes. So the midwife gave her mother one more dose of pain medicine, more water to drink and made sure she was positioned comfortably and then she sat beside her bed. Soon her mother would close her eyes and rest. She rested for 3 hours, and so the little midwife also rested.

The midwife never really went to sleep, as she had done with the woman in labor-she rested with out falling asleep. This was so she could lay there listening to her mother breath. Her mother was still breathing fast, but the little midwife took comfort in the sound of her mothers breathing...as long as she could hear her -she knew she was still alive.

She thought of the story her niece had told her.  Last week her niece had witnessed the midwives mother (who is the nieces grandmother) starring for a long time up into the corner of the room, without blinking. She asked her: “grandma, what are you looking at?” and after a long pause, she said: 'GOD.'  The niece said, “up in heaven,” and she answered-‘no, right here in the room.’

The little midwife knew that GOD had been telling her own heart for months now that she should prepare for her mother’s passing...that it would be happening soon.

Finally the sun was coming up, as morning came, more family came to visit. A long time family friend came too and spent over an hour visiting with the midwife.

Later the hospice nurse came to see her mother, she would give her mother her last bath...just a gentle bed bath, and make her mother comfortable with the other sisters help. During this time, the little midwife would leave to go to the doctor in town with her husband.

Before she left she bent down to her mother and whispered in her ear that she had to leave for awhile, but she would be back. She told her mother that it was ok to go see the LORD GOD while she was gone if she was ready. She told her that she loved her so very much...and she would miss her, but it was ok.

When that appointment with the doctor was over, the little midwife would go back to her mothers home. She spent another hour there and then had to leave again. More family members were on their way to sit for the day.

The little midwife bent to whisper once again in her mothers ear-telling her she loved her very much, so very much. She told her that it was ok to leave and go home to see GOD, to go see her husband, the little midwives daddy-and to see the little midwives only brother who had just passed on only 9 months before.  (he was her mothers oldest child, and only son). She reminded her mother that they and others were all waiting for her in heaven...
~she told her that if she was still here after she got back from her errand, she would see her again, but if she had to go now, before the little midwife returned to the house, it was ok... she understood, and that she loved her very much.

After the Midwife left her mothers home, her mother immediately began to stop breathing for several seconds and up to a minute. Seven minutes later after that began; she would enter eternity to spend 'forever' with the LORD GOD.  

It was not meant that the little midwife be there when she left this earth. 

She was driving in her car, something she did a lot with the work she did…  When she had left, she knew that her mother would be gone before she returned to her mother’s home. Tears flowed freely... she was very sad, but she did know that her mother had heard her words of love and encouragement, it was ok. She had spent the time with her all night, and she knew her mother was ready to die. 

The little midwife had midwifed her mother into eternity. 

When the midwife returned later to her mothers home...she looked at her mothers lifeless body on the bed, the little midwife would now know what it was like to not have parents...

The little midwife knelt beside her mothers bed, she leaned in and whispered 'oh momma'...she reached for her mothers still lifeless hand, and held it... 
....she let the tears flow as she wept...

Sukkot and the Little Midwife part 2

The little midwife sat with her mom all day, she enjoyed this time just looking at her mom, knowing in her heart that this would be one of the last days she would get to spend with her mother like this. She tried to memorize each look her mother gave, each smile...storing those memories in her heart. Her mother slept and she watched her sleep. This was the woman who raised her, who had help to make her who she was today. She had taught her many things, some she did not even know were important until this time of her life as she watched her mothers life slip away.

The woman from the hospice care service, would come and give her mother a bath...a simple thing and so personal. The little midwife would continue to sit with her mom, as she watched her sleep.

That evening the midwife would go home to a dark empty house...her husband at work, she quietly ate her supper alone...

It was night and except for the moon-it was dark, the little midwife went out to the deck and stood looking at the stars in the sky. She remembered a night almost 18 years ago, when she received the news that her father had went home to the LORD. She had stood under the same stars then, and gazed at their light.  Some things GOD made are the same for ever and ever and other things are ever changing....
~after getting ready for bed, the little midwife snuggled down into bed, closed her eyes and sighed.

Her eyes opened with the ring of the phone only 20 minutes later. Someone was ready to have her come to their home to help with the birth of their little baby. She hurried out the door into the dark cool night and drove to the couples home. It would be a long night as she helped this couple. No sleep except for a few short hours, since Wednesday night. It was now Friday night. The midwife was tired...she rested on the small love seat in the couples home, unable to even stretch out her tired legs, listening to the sounds of the mother in labor as she breathed thru each contraction. Listening to the sounds of the husband snoring she found herself wishing it was her resting and snoring right at that time. Content to rest only, she became the guardian of the birth. 
    All night long this went on...guardian....

The little midwife watched the sun come up through the windows and the house hold come to life with the dawn of the day.

Hours later, before Noon, the midwife said to the couple, it was time to go to the hospital. The little midwife drove the couple to the hospital, and there a kindly doctor took over her care. But the midwife did not leave the woman’s side. She stayed with them for hours -until they decided to take the woman for surgery....

The midwife was sad for the natural birth that would never take place, but she rejoiced for the healthy baby and mother. It was the right thing to do to bring the couple into the hospital. Sometimes you have to. 

She rejoiced for the help from the doctors and nurses. And when she knew that everyone was safe, the little midwife went home to her husband. He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. Cry for the woman and for the natural birth that did not happen, cry for her own mother -who she knew was dying...

The little midwife knew she would miss the evening service with her church family, a special one-
~she knew that for what ever reason, GOD did not have that in HIS plan for her to attend.

The husband took his midwife /wife out for dinner and after the meal was over, drove her home and held her as she drifted off to sleep...

 It was a restless sleep, but she slept.  She awoke-opening her eyes and looked around.  Where was she?  It took a moment for her to come out of the dream world and remember where she was, even who she was.  She wanted to go back to her dreams, it was safe there...and her mother had been there-and she was not dying...

She got up out of bed and slowly got ready...then she drove to the camp and the little cabin and picked up her things. No one even noticed her as she made trip after trip to carry her things to the car. No one even noticed that she had even been there. She stood in the cold cabin, listening to the gentle rain on the roof. She felt a coldness, and wondered if anyone really cared about her or if they only cared about....being 'religious'  ~~No one had called her, they knew what she was going thru this week, but yet- Here she was, alone. She thought about how sweet it would be to just lay down in there and rest allowing GODs gentle sounds of the rain ~sing her to sleep. 
Instead, she quietly drove away, the rain flowing from the heavens like her tears flowed from her eyes...she thought how she wanted to stay and hide in the cabin, away from what was happening in her life.

The rest of that day and the next several days were a blur to her.  Very little food was eaten by her and the nights were late, late nights to go home into bed.

During this time of Sukkot, the people of Israel was to remember their time in the wilderness. They were to spend time carefully building a booth, it was built under special instructions, using special materials.

The little midwife thought about her booth, it was suppose to be the cabin, but now? It was where ever she was at... 
~her booth this week was at 2 different women's homes who had given birth it was also at her mothers home...She had 3 booths she was staying at...and she was alone~

The little midwife thought how she would not get to stay in her cabin.

She thought about how her booth was ever changing- daily this week it's location changed. She was actually wandering during this week, wandering in a wilderness- like the children of Israel did for 40 years....from one booth to another...never knowing each day where she would be, where she would end up, what she would eat, when she would eat, or even if she would get to eat at all for that matter. She did not know if she would sleep, when and where she would rest her head...

She was not in a stable booth, where she could remember the wilderness~

She was in the wilderness and all alone.

Except for GOD.

She knew HE would continue to guide her...

Sukkot and the Little Midwife... part 1

“Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwellin booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (Lev.23:29-43)

This was a time when the Jews traveled to Jerusalem to worship in the temple and to offer sacrifices and offerings to the LORD. This is a time of thanksgiving as we acknowledge GOD's provision for us. It is to be a happy time, a time of celebration and of joy and rejoicing. We are to remember how GOD delivered Israel from Egypt, and for the 40 years they wandered in the wilderness and lived in tents and worshiped at the tabernacles / booths which were made as instructed by GOD in Leviticus 23:42. For 7 days you were to live in this booth, as a reminder of the days in the wilderness. Two things characterizes the feast of tabernacles from other feasts. One is the illumination of the temple and the other is the pouring of a vessel of water into a basin that was located at the base of the altar.

The Feast Of Tabernacles / Sukkot-was coming!

The little Midwife was so excited.  She would get to spend the week with her church family, and relax.  Something she rarely gets to do.  The feast is a great time of rejoicing, praising the LORD GOD YA for all HE has done and will do for her, and remembering where she has come from.  She had a dwelling place, not made as described in the WORD of GOD, but one of wood, that was rustic.  Just what her soul longed for -to be away from the world, in a simple place for the week. She looked forward to watching the stars above in the night sky (in the description of building a booth you are told to leave space to be able to see the stars thru the construction). She looked forward to the nights of sitting before a fire and listening to the night sounds of the wind in the trees, the birds and the insects.  She looked forward to those songs of the night wrapping around her as she drifted off to sleep.

 The little Midwifes husband would get to join her on the weekend.  She was happy about this as she has hardly seen him lately.   His boss at his work --has him working nights, so he sleeps during the day when the midwife is away from her home to see women in the land that are expecting a baby soon. 

This was to be a joyous week! 

The first day they were to camp, she knew she would not get there until just at sundown, which is a Holy Sabbath.  So as she worked all day, she planned to hurry and go to what would be her dwelling place for the week. That day of work, during her lunch time she took her bedding and supplies to the little wooden cabin.  Before that and after that, she went from one happy momma to the next as she gave them their special time of hearing the baby's heartbeat, and listening to each woman tell her all about their week.  She asked them how they were eating, she always makes sure they are getting the food, water and sleep they need. She even saw a new person today, pregnant with her second child, and she saw 3 women whose babies were already born, just to see how they were doing.  With everyone, all was well.  She then she saw 3 more women who are all waiting on their babies to be born-they too are all well.  The little midwife had driven hundreds of miles today....The little midwife finished her visits in time to drive back to the little cabin just as the sun was going down. 

She would not get to stay there tonight; she would need to go home to be with her husband when he came home from work.  But she could sit by the fire for a while this evening before she had to drive home.  Once the stars were out in the sky, and the large full moon was above the tree tops- it would be time for her to drive home...

The next day, day #1- the little midwife would be able to go to the little cabin in the afternoon.  She would again, not get to stay the night, but would get to enjoy the evening with the church family by the fire and once again as the stars came out and the moon rose above the tree tops, she would drive home to be there for her husband.  That evening the little midwives mother was on the midwives heart....she was a bit restless about this, as she knows GOD speaks to her this way....She asked for prayer about the work she does with helping women at birth, but she failed to ask for prayer for her mother.  That weighed heavily on her heart as she drove home... 

So on the next day, day #2, she would need to see 2 women who were waiting on their babies to be born.  Then when she was done with their visits, she could go to the little cabin in the woods and rest. She looked forward to resting but also to spending time praising GOD with her church family.

Her husband thought he would go today too. He would go and enjoy the woods and beauty of the changing trees until he had to go to work in the evening.  

 But early that morning her little phone rang, and as she listened her sister told her their mother had just had a stroke.  The midwife knew she would need to go to see her mom.  So she got up and ready, went to see her 2 ladies who were due to have a baby....trying to hurry them with their appointment because she was worried about her mother, she told them she was needing to get to her mother and what had happened to her...but the women, were as usual, enjoying their visit with the midwife, and they did not hurry....The little midwife was patient with them as she needed to be….but her heart felt divided…..

The midwife finally made it to her mommas house, she and her sisters waited for the people who help --to arrive.  They would bring a special bed and supplies to help them to take better care of their mother.  This made the little midwife very happy.  She was with her mother all day, until the evening when she went home to wait for her husband to come home from work.  She did not sleep at all, but sat up waiting....her husband comes home very late, after midnight.  That night he was working even later, and the midwife still waited.  But before he would come home, her phone rang.  Someone would have a baby tonight.  The midwife left her home and out into the cold night to help the woman have her baby.

 She thought, maybe she would not get to be at the little cabin during the next day as she wanted to.  As she sat waiting on the birth of the baby she thought how she would miss the time praising the LORD GOD with her church family.   She began singing the following song: 

~LORD we have come, to this birth where we love to sing your praises.

~We lift this mom, and the babe to you the KING of all the ages.

~Hear me LORD I pray, come YHWH come, keep this baby safe.

~And meet us here, meet us here LORD.

~We are few, we are strong when you surround us

~Meet us here, meet us here LORD. As we birth, in your name-meet us here.

She did not get back home until after the sun was up the next morning...she would lay down for a few hours, getting almost 3 hours of sleep before she would get back up to go to her mother’s home. It was now day #3 of the feast...

 So the next day the midwife went back to her mother’s house and waited for the people who gave them the bed-- to come back so they could all talk again. 

She was there all day again.  She was very tired. A few hours of sleep was not enough.  She thought of those who were at the camp, who were spending their time before GOD praising him..., she missed the special time with her church family praising GOD...  She thought about the pouring out of the vessel of water...
The little midwife knew what it was like to pour herself out like that...

MY MOM

I could not blog on a blog about being a wife and mother with out first blogging about my own mom.  And one of the blogs I would like to write about, I can not until I tell you about until I first tell you  her story.... 
so here it is...

Rosella Milliman

FORWARD:

ThiS is about my mother-Rosie.  Her name is Rosella, her actual birth name? We really are not sure, but after much research thru the years I believe it is Stella Stirlisky.  Mom says that is it.  I don’t really know for sure, as she was a foster child, and her foster parents gave her a new name-Rosella.

Mom was born in 1927, or so we believe.  She had to have been around 4-5 years old when she went to the orphanage, based on her memory (meaning what and how much she could remember) or so we believe.

The following is the story in her words that she has told me throughout the last 40+ years….

Rosella Veon (milliman)

“My dad was abusive.  He use to beat me and burn me. 

One day I got on a bus with my sister.  I was at my sister’s friends house.  I wanted to run away because my dad beat me.  The parents of my sister’s friend fed me.  They said they had to send me back home. I told them my dad will beat me or burn me.  They still sent me home.  That night I said “daddy, you know what I did today?  I went to school with my sister.”

Rosella Veon (Milliman) while living with her foster family...

"He sat me on the wood stove, he burned me.  He was drunk.

I remember there were a lot of children and my mom was holding a baby.  They came and took us all and sent us the orphanage in Mishawaka.  I have never seen my brothers or sisters again. 

It was cold when they took us from our home, and we were very poor, so they wrapped us in the newspapers to keep us warm.”

Back row:  Left to right-first two girls, unknown, third girl is Rosella Veon (milliman)
Middle row-unknown
Fron row-unknown

“It was Christmas time.  A family came to the orphanage to look for a child to take home for the holidays.  I was sitting on the steps when they went into the orphanage.  They asked about the little girl on the steps.  They took that little girl, it was me.  They took me home for the holidays.

They decided to keep me and raised me as a foster child.  The woman, my new mom, her name was Mable Veon.  The man, my new dad, his name was Harvey Veon.  My new name was Rosella Veon, and my ‘new’ birth date was to be February 14^th.

They gave me a good home.  They raised other kids too.  Other foster kids who were abused in some way by their real parents.  My new mom did not believe in abuse.  If you needed to be disciplined, she would paddle you, but not abuse you.”

Rosella Veon

“My foster brothers use to pick on me, but I didn’t let them beat me up.  I was a tough little girl.

My new dad would tell me “don’t let them bug you kid.”

The boys would try to watch us when we went to the outhouse.  They made a peek hole and once when I was sitting there, I heard them giggle so I told my mom and they got into trouble.

One time I played with my dad’s axe, and I cut my toe.  I tried to hide it because I didn’t want to get into trouble, but my mom saw it so she cleaned it up and put a bandage on it.

  In the winter we would play out on the ice on little Chaplin Lake.  I fell in once, through the ice and Don, my foster brother got me out.  We use to ice skate on the lake in the winter, and in the summer we would swim at the lake.”

Rosella at graduation

Rosella

“I graduated May 1^st, 1940 from Kosriusko County elementary school in Indiana.  I was now ready for high school.  I did graduate also from high school.

I worked at the John Deer tractor place for John Jackson.”

David Milliman

“I met a young man, David, from Burr Oak Michigan.”

Left-David Milliman  Right-Our Great Grandma Milliman (Davids Grandmother)

 Note: from Ireena- Dad was living with his grandmother, Sarah Jane (Pierson) Milliman, who raised him and his sister after their youngest sibling, a brother died at around age 3 months.  

A Young David Milliman

His mother was Violet Mae (Bixler) Milliman, his dad- Forrest Lyman Milliman.  After Violets death, one week later young Clifford died at age 3 months. They said that his mom died from complications of childbirth, and unknown reason for the little brother.  Her family could not afford an autopsy, but it is listed as a cut on her neck also-  That same week dad’s father, Forrest left the area, leaving his two children in the care of his mother, Sarah. Some of us who have done some research, believe he might have had ties with the mafia.  But as of yet, we are unable to verify that.  

Left to right-unknown, unknown, and our great grandmother Milliman

Back row-Left to right, David, all the rest except for the oldest woman in the front row- are unknown
the woman in the front with glasses is Our Great Grandmother (Davids grandmother)

 Gram-pa Forrest would return now and then, through the years, but never for a very long period.  Mom use to tell me how he would come back to visit; bring a gift for mom and dad but not us children.  That would upset mom, so she told him not to come back unless he also accepted us children.

“We dated for a while, my mother believed in a long courtship.”

Rosella in front of Davids car... taken when they were dating/

               “We liked to go to dances, square dancing 
                                   was one of our favorites."

Rosella

"Sometimes we would go to the movies."

Rosella

Rosella

Rosella

Rosella

   "He was a good man, but he did like his cigars, he would smoke them sometimes.  But he was a good man.”

Wedding day, Rosella and David

“We were married in1952 at North Winona church of the Brethern in Warsaw Indiana.”

David on the honeymoon...

Rosella feeding a sheep shortly after she was married

Rosella and David, with oldest child Franklin (back) Teresa (between Rosella and David)
and Ireena (being held by David)

 "We started our family, our first was a boy, Frank born January 21^st, 1953.  Our second was a girl, Teresa, I lost 

the next baby after falling down the stairs, then our next

 child was a girl, Ireena born June 18^th, 1962.  

     Our next two children were also girls, Lana, and then Barbara.  We also raised a number of foster children”

David -the farmer...

 Note: mom once told me over 50 foster children we with us, some just days, and others stayed for years.

The farm home we use to live at on Round Lake road, this is where we lived during
the Palm Sunday Tornado's also....

“We farmed a while at a farm in Bronson Michigan, off of Round Lake road, we called: Ol' Doc Hedgcocks farm."  

the signs by the old brick home we called
 Ol Doc hedgecocks Farm that Rosie and David  farmed....

Left to Right-Forrest Milliman, Our Grampa, and Great Grand ma Milliman, Dad's
Grandmother
and Dad (David) holding Frank his oldest son.

"Later we moved to Middle Colon Road

I also use to grow strawberries and would sell them to the Tastee Freeze restaurant in Colon to make a little extra money.  I baked bread and cinnamon rolls and sold those to bring in extra income for our family.  Once a month I would cater a meal for the Rotary Club in Burr Oak.”   


Note from Ireena: We were poor.  We gardened -raising a lot of our own food, canning and freezing it for winter.  We saved our seeds (back when that is how you did things with your plants) so I have the skills that many people have no idea about -as to how to  properly pick out seeds, and save them.  When mom would cook for the rotary club once a month, it would mean  that we would have left overs.  I think that the men from this group knew that, and always ordered a lot of food.  They paid mom for doing this- huge amounts of food.  We loved the left over’s from this meal!  
  Another way that we had meat was fishing.  Mom would often take one of us along to fish, in the spring, summer, fall and in the winter on the ice to fish.  Each person along, allowed her another pole in the water and 25 more fish to bring home.  That fed us.  That and pancakes, eggs, bread in milk, cream of wheat, oatmeal, home made bread, (white), and greasy hamburgers....fried and when done cooking, was swimming in grease.  Each sunday we would have either a roast beef or chicken.  I did not realize how poor we were until I was much older...

One of many Glad fields

 “I worked in the glad farms, in the Burr Oak and Bronson area, Michigan"

Rosie in front of the M & M grill in Colon 

 “I worked ,  at the M & M Grill in Colon Michigan."

Rosie in front of the Laundry mat

"I also worked at the laundry matt in colon Michigan"

Rosie in front of the Colon school

"...and finally for the Colon Public Schools." 

Burr Oak Grange hall

Note from Ireena: Mom was involved for many years with the

 Burr oak Grange 

and was often a leader of the Junior grange.  She was a

 leader for the 4-H club in burr Oak Michigan, and was a

 leader for the Colon Michigan Girl Scouts. One of the fun

 things I remember doing is when we would go to Burr Oak to

 the grocery store-called 'bob millers', and I would sometimes

 get a treat from him. The store was a small store, with two

 isles about 10 feet long each.  Just a little country store, with

 good fresh meat.  Not too much in it, because everyone 

raised their own food-or most everyone did.  No super

 markets... 

The Drug Store window as it appears in 2010, the store is no longer open.

Note:  Then we would make a stop up at the drug store where Bob root--the pharmacist, would let us try to blow our straw cover up on the shelf up by the ceiling, and we would get a treat if we got it to a certain spot up there.  We would have a green river or other, ice cream treat…fun for us.  The drug store had a lot of items in it.   Then down the street was a store usually called the 5 and dime...each town had one, and they would have everything else that the other two did not have.  You also had a feed mill, hardware (which had all of those hard to find things) a post office, gas station and sometimes a lumber yard in each small town. 

Rosie

“I use to knit, crochet and sew.  I would make animals for

 the police and fire departments to give out to children that

 were in accidents or having problems. I 

usually made about 1000 a year" 

Rosie's hands

"Since my stroke, I don’t remember how to knit and crochet, and my hands don’t work right now.”

Rosie years ago showing off  a fish she got while one of
her many fishing trips to the channel close to the house...

“I enjoyed mushroom hunting and fishing.  I liked to fish in

 the summer off of the channel in Colon and also ice fish in

 the winter." 

Rosie eating her favorite meal in the M & M grill 

"Now I enjoy going to church each week, and going out to lunch with my kids.  I enjoy eating a toasted cheese sandwich with tomatoes on it, and a dill pickle on the side at the M & M grill. "

Rosie sitting by the road, in a chair that she enjoyed going out to sit
in and watch the cars go by on a summer day...

“I have watched a lot of kids grow up in the town of Colon.”

David Milliman with his 'John Deer"

“I was married to a good man, and when he died, I was very sad.  But I am not alone, I have all of my family all around me and I have GOD.” 

Rosie liked to remove her teeth then
smile and wink at us like this above!

Right to Left, and also in order of our age:
Frank, Teresa, Ireena, Lana and Barb
At Lana's wedding...

“I pray every day for all of my family.”

Rosie going into the house after sitting outside under the
tree watching the traffic for a while...



Thank you for reading...

Note:  From Ireena, all of these things were told to me by my mother or my father.
I do not remember Grampa, just a vague memory, but I do remember Great Grandma (his mother) well.  I was afraid of her.  She was very old to me, and did not move around much, and wanted us to stay in one spot to play.  If we acted up, she would reach out with her cane or a stick and swat us.  I think she did that because she could not move very well in the end.  I really do not think that she was mean, I think it was just a child's memory and thoughts....as I do not have any memory of her being rough or hateful in anyway.

Dad did not like to talk about his father much, but did.  The death of his mother--the things re ported above, were told to me by him, and also some research that I did and articles and county documents that I have acquired.  I do believe that my fathers father, played a role in his wifes -my dads mother --death.  I also believe that he played a role in the baby brothers death.

the truth will be know someday...