For those of you who know me, you know that my mom was divorced when I was young. Her x-husband (my biological father) was never a part of our lives. When Brett and I had been married about a year we got a surprise visit from my mom. She came to UT to tell us that Mike (the father) had taken his life. During that time I called his family and spoke to them, but that was about as far as it went.
Well, this year our family is having a reunion in Texas and it just so happens that Mike's family lives there. I contacted my grandmother (Grandma Nelda) and told her we would like to meet her. We scheduled July 1st to meet her and the family. Last week, Tuesday night, my Grandma Bowers called me and asked me if I had heard from Texas. I said, no but if you're asking that then there must be something wrong. She said, "well Nelda went to the doctor last week and found out she had cancer". I said, "OK, well then I will give her a call". She said "Well, she died last night." I was a little shocked. I was on the other line with my sister Lori so I let her know. After a few phone calls and finding out when the services were, I called Brett. He said I should go if we could make it work. So, instead of swimming like I should have, I went straight home. Brett was working on getting the best flight for me. After a few phone calls and a gracious uncle, we booked a flight to Texas.
I arrived in Texas at 1:30 pm Texas time. I got my luggage and then went and got my rental car. I took a wrong road, but didn't go far as I didn't want to get lost. I called Aunt Denise and she helped me get to the road I needed to and I was on my way to Gilmer. The drive was absolutely beautiful. I told Brett I want to move to Texas. It is so amazingly beautiful there. I arrived in Gilmer at about 5:30 or so, maybe a little earlier. I went to Uncle Larry's and Aunt Denise's house. We visited for a few minutes and then we went to the funeral home. I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect. I was afraid they wouldn't want to meet me, but I knew I needed to be there. When I walked in with Aunt Denise Mike's cousin Ricky noticed me right off. He gave me a hug and then the introductions began. It was a very tender moment for me. I shed a few tears and then payed my respects to Grandma Nelda. She looked beautiful. I stayed at the funeral home with the family until Denise and Larry came back at about 8:30. I felt like I took a little bit of the attention away from Nelda as so many people were surprised that I had come. It had been 28 years since they had seen me. Much has happened in 28 years.
Thursday afternoon we went to the funeral. It was just a small graveside service. It was very different than one that we would have in our religion, but we paid our respects. I took pictures of some headstones and then laid a rose on Grandma Nelda's casket.
We left the cemetery and I took Aunt Denise home. I changed my clothes and went to Grandma's house. Jeanette and her husband were there along with Scott, my cousin and Robin, a nephew of Nelda's. I visited just for a small time and left as I was starving.
This trip was a blessing to me. I was able to visit Grandpa Bowers' grave and take some pictures of the house I remember visiting most with Grandma and Grandpa. I have such a history in East Texas. I miss being there already, but I know that my place is here. There is just a lot of love there.
