Grandma was great and never spoke an unkind word ever! On Thanksgiving celebrations she made the most wonderful turkey dinner and my grandfather carved it up with an electric knife. I have yet to figure out how to make that turkey turn out as well and juicy as grandmother made it. Represented in this photo is Grandma Dippel surrounded by her great grandchildren, left to right Chris, Jennifer, Goldie Dippel, Tommy, Stephanie, and Melissa.
Les has told me so many stories about the things his Mom did for him. I know that as a single mother she took the time to take him to the zoo more times than he can remember. That she always had time for him, she took him to church every Sunday even though I am sure he would rather fly his kites LOL. So many of the qualities I love about my husband Les was taught to him by his mother. Life is so short and it is over before you know it but she will always live on in the lives of her children and grandchildren. Her stories and values that she taught on will continue. I am sure she is in heaven watching over all of her loved ones.
These are the lyrics to Carol's tribute song, "In The Morning Light lyrics (Yanni)"
I wake up to see you
Standing in the morning light.
I reach out to touch you,
But all that I get
Is a memory, and yet, I feel you are near
But my vision's not clear.
Yet I have your image always in view,
I'm forever thinking of you.
I feel you watching me
Quietly in the morning light.
I try to find some peace of mind
In knowing you're where
You don't have a care.
I take comfort that You no longer have
To keep living in a world full of pain,
But I ache to see you again.
On rainy days I sit and think of our lost years,
The times we spent apart just fill my eyes with tears,
But fields of wild flowers and yellow butterflies
Remind me of you and make me smile.
I walk in to your room
And stand there in the morning light.
I cherish the memories:
Your robe on a hook,
The pictures you took.
I can smell your perfume
On the clothes in your room.
Everything I see makes your loss hard to bear,
I see you everywhere.
I live now in a still world
Listening in the morning light.
I strain to hear a familiar voice
But all that I hear
Is the sound of my tears.
Then from a far place
Comes the slightest trace
Of your voice saying,
"I'm all right, you see, and I always will be."
In the last few days, mom was still talking to us in the hospital. Sometimes it seemed like she was talking outloud from dreams, but then it would be mixed with actual conversation. We couldn't help but wonder what she was actually experiencing. We heard he say hello to her mom & dad. She was telling us about being on a boat with other people and they were all waiting for the boat to move. Sometimes the boat would spin too. She also told me about someone helping her named Daryl. She clearly spelled the name D-A-R-Y-L repeatedly to me. I kept trying to recall if we knew anyone named Daryl, and drew a complete blank. Then it ocurred to me that perhaps Daryl was there to help take her to the next place and that was so comforting. As the hours went on the next couple of days, mom became more quiet, but we continued to hear her tell us, "I love you." A couple of days after she told me about Daryl, I was playing the game Words With Friends and drew the letters shown in this picture. It was as if Daryl wanted to remind me that he was there with her, helping to take her to God. I love you, mom.
There is no doubt that my mother shaped my life and my values. I recall a time, 8 years old, when I rode my bike through broken glass at Coast-to-Coast's entry in Greenville IL and ended up with a flat tire. I was so mad. I went into the store and complained and they told me it was my fault. Wounded by that I complained to mom and she got me to admit I saw the broken glass before I rode through it. Mom told me "It is your fault that you rode your bike through broken glass". At the time I was upset because Coast-to-Coast should have cleaned it up but later in life I realized that mom taught me an important lesson. Be responsible for your own actions. That was my mom and I appreciate today that she taught me that lesson.
Without a doubt, one of the greatest days of my life was the day I married Steve. Mom really had a hard time with long car trips because her legs would give her fits, but somehow she did manage to make the trip from Keyesport, IL to Metamora, IL. It meant so much to me that she was there to share this special day with us.
When I was about 7 years old, I was part of a very exclusive dance group called, The Sunshine Girls. We would go to various locations performing dance routines and spreading sunshine : ) We couldn't afford fancy dance costumes but mom made us all 'elephant pants'. At the time, bell bottoms were pretty popular, but the elephant pant leg was even wider. The fabric she selected was a very happy yellow color which had this waffle texture stripe that ran vertically down the legs so when we were doing our dance moves, our pants would make a swishy sound. Boy oh boy, I loved those pants. Even now, all these years later, any time I wear something yellow I recall those yellow elephant pants mom so lovingly made us and once again I feel like a Sunshine Girl : ) Good times. Thanks mom!
Years ago in little league I played short stop for the Greenville Gentry's. I wanted so much to be a pitcher and practiced for 1.5 summers non-stop pitch after pitch putting balls in the marked off strike zone on the brick wall at our apartment. I approached my little league coach at the time and asked for the opportunity but never got it. When I shared that with mom she went and talked to the coach on my behalf. At the next practice I was called to pitch to my team for practice hitting. Well I never even came close to becoming the next St. Louis Cardinal's Bog Gibson or for that matter get to pitch in a little league game. I just remember to this day that it was mom who believed in me enough to make sure I had the chance to be a pitcher. That was the essence of my mother. She was always there for me.
