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The Myers Girls

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“Well, look! There’s the Myers Girls.”

I heard it over and over again, when I took my mom to her hometown for her 60th high school reunion this year. Every place we went, someone would excitedly call out,

“Well, look! There’s the Myers girls.”

And with each joyous call came a myriad of smiles, hugs, and hellos.

The Myers girls, as they are so fondly called, are my mother and her four sisters. They all are 2 years apart, except for the youngest who allowed a little red-headed boy to sneak into the family before she came along.

the Myers girls hs reunion_cropped

Although the little red-headed boy (who now stands over 6 ft. tall) was, and still is, adored by his sisters, it’s the sisters themselves who have formed a life-long bond that has withstood the test of time throughout the last 80 years.

Living in a small town in rural Missouri, Pa Dee and Grandma Lorene raised their 6 children, along with half the town, in a 2 story craftsman, that had a wrap around front porch and a humongous front yard.

Everyone in town knew the family; in fact, if you weren’t related to them, then you were for sure a close neighbor, classmate, or well-known acquaintance.

As with other families, they’ve rejoiced together through marriage ceremonies, child rearing, holiday celebrations, and personal accomplishments. They have comforted each other during life’s hardest moments: the death of their “Daddy” (as he was lovingly referred to), the passing of a spouse, and the untimely death of a child.

“Before you were born”, as the saying goes, the Myers girls roamed the streets, played on the volleyball team, drank Coca Cola at the drugstore, worked in the cap factory, and danced to “the oldies” on the jukebox. At one time or another, they have all been involved in activities that have formed their hometown.

To hear them talk, they knew everybody and everybody’s cousin. They are the gatekeepers and historians of their little rural town, connecting the dots between one generation and the next. They remember the history of their town, and the lifestyle that seems to have sadly disappeared, and share it with us youngsters who are lucky enough to enjoy time with these precious ladies.Gramm nursing home

Although three of them have made other towns their home, their hometown will always be Winona, MO. They return yearly to attend the family reunion and the alumni reunion, and occasionally they meet together on sadder occasions, such as a funeral. But regularly, they get together and visit their 96 year-old Mother and occasionally go on day trips just…to talk to laugh to share

 

So if you’re ever in southern Missouri and you see 5 lil’ ol’ gray-headed ladies with matching shirts traipsing around town, combing through the cemeteries, or wandering around WalMart, give ’em a shout out, because it’s probably going to be

The Myers Girls.

the Myers girls_cropped2

 

 

 

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Being A Sister

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I find it therapeutic to write anything and everything that comes into my head. If it interests me, I will save it and at times go back through my random notes and reread them. I always mark my original works, because often when I reread what I’ve written, it all seems new to me again.
Recently I was going through a list labeled, “Things I know Something About”—very original, I know. The list included things like being a mom, being a wife, being a daughter, being a Christian, but one label was glaringly missing—being a sister. Was it because I didn’t remember that I was a sister, (which could happen) or has that been a relationship that had not been cultivated in too many years? This needed some pondering.

I am a sister in more than one way. I am a Christian sister to all who share my faith. I also have two sisters from my husband’s side of the family. We are sisters by law. And for a time, a dear cousin lived with my family through some rough teenage years and she became my sister by choice. But there is one sister that I didn’t choose, and she isn’t a part of a family of religious friends, nor did she come with a package in a legal covenant.

This sister is the sister that God chose for me. She is the one that was there before I was a glimmer in my momma’s eye. My first friend, my first playmate, and probably my first antagonist (although I, being the youngest, was most likely the antagonizer). Being the only two sisters, we shared many things including a bed, a room, and a brother.

Growing up, we were very different in our personalities and appearance. She was the pretty little blond girl with blue eyes, and I had brown hair and green eyes. She was more serious, I was a goof off. She was older, I was younger (still am and always will be—there I go antagonizing again!). But we had a lot of similarities, too. We both enjoyed spending vacations with our grandparents; we both know how important family is; and we both love sweets! J However, as time would dictate, we drifted apart over the years; busy with our own families, being responsible to our own duties as wife and mother, setting and accomplishing our separate goals. Nevertheless, as it should be with sisters, no matter how much time we spend apart, whenever we get together, it’s like time has stood still. Those first bonds we made together will last forever. I love you, Sister!