June 2001, Age 90... Jessie on left May 2009, Age 68... Wanda on right
Today on this perfect, low humity, slight breeze day, Irv and I traveled to Cedartown for the Brown Family Reunion.
As I entered the room, my cousin Debbie stopped in mid-sentence when she saw me and as quickly moved to give me a huge hug. Memory did not serve as to the last time we had spoken or were together. Her first words were... "I thought I saw a ghost when you walked in. You look just like Aunt Jessie". Those words were repeated over and over. "I know who you are, You're Jessie's daughter".
What a trip down memory lane. Jennie's sister, Mildred (the only sibling living) nudged me, "See that man coming in? That's Jerry Brown, Nelson's older brother". That meant something to me because Nelson and I kept that road between Cedartown and Atlanta hot going back and forth dating back when I was 15 and he was 17 (can you believe it). Girls dated and married early in the south.
Well, Nelson and I parted ways but at age 16 I went on a blind date with a guy who had just entered Georgia Tech. I was picked by my girlfriend because this guy, Michael was from, you guessed it... Cedartown. I married that guy three months after high school graduation at age 17 and we have three beautiful children.
Michael and I have since parted ways but his sister (my sister-in-love and dear friend), Lucretia told me she was in Cedartown recently and drove past their house. Michael's father, Hugh's adventures could be the source for a book series and Irv has heard so many funny stories about and from Hugh, himself... I wanted Irv to see the house.
I also wanted to show Irv the house where I lived in Cedartown with my grandparents, mother and uncle until 1946 when my father returned from WWII and moved Mother and I to Atlanta.
I remembered the address but wasn't sure how to find it. Our GPS wouldn't even take the street. Irv said, let's try. I said OK, we didn't own a car so walked to Main Street on Saturdays with my grandfather... turn her (I think); I know it's here somewhere. Fortunately a young man on a bicyle informed us we were only 2 blocks away. My house was two houses away from the railroad tracks. I was able to show Irv the tracks where as a child, I knew exactly what time that stream engine brought the train so I went down and picked wildflowers growing between the tracks for the engineer who always stopped the train to receive his gift and take the time to thrill a little girl with a chat.
A couple of years ago I pulled this photo of my house on the left off Google Images for my blog. Isn't it a sad house. We had such good times there and exciting. The chimney caught on fire once and my uncle had to carry me outside in a blanket.. I had the chicken pox. No damage though.Today, how pleased I was to see what someone has done with that same house. Isn't ithe house below lovely?
As we traveled to Cedartown, we passed a sign pointing to Yorkville, Georgia.
My grandfather bought a 53 acre farm there after we had moved to Atlanta. My grandmother passed away in 1952 and my grandfather stayed on the farm. Irv will be 77 years old in July, only 1 year older that my grandfather when he planted his last crop with a wooden plow behind a horse. His children insisted he shouldn't be living on the farm by himself so moved him to Atlanta the next year. He lived to be 89 years old and spent his last year bored to death walking up and down Atlanta streets except of course, when he spent the night at my house and we spent hours late into the night debating the Bible. I was the only one who would "argue" with him which he loved. He was the love of my life and son, Matthew is named for Thomas Dow Mosley.
When Papa as we called him passed away in 1963 and was buried at Holly Springs Baptist Church in Yorkville beside his beloved wife, it was so painful at my tender age of 22 that I promised myself I would never go back there but... today I took Irv there to that church and graveyard. My cousin, Lanny had visited there years ago and told me that my Aunt Elsie was buried there also which reminded me I need to try and find my cousin, Larry. Isn't it a shame how such a close family the 48 of us were to be so separated now.My Mother chose to pass over into her heavenly home at age 94, my grandfather, 89 and Aunt Elsie, 93... just a few years of longevity I have to look forward to and... live up to.
Irv and I agreed it was a wonderful day as we wandered the country roads of north Georgia and enjoyed all the old, little towns we passed through with so much history... so many stories to tell but this chapter of Wanda's story comes to a close this evening.
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