FAMILY

My nephew, Capp Council, and his beautiful daughter, Chloe Council

Chloe is graduating this year from high school. We don't have many girls in her generation of Council kids. Most of that generation are boys and the first child of the following generation is a boy.

This is a son and a grandchild of my brother Max, who passed away in February of this year. 

Capp lived next door to Barry and me on the farm. His first wife and first child, Kim and Carrie, often came to my house to visit. I always enjoyed their company. Carrie was a precocious child, smart and talented. She was the only girl in that family until Chloe came along. 

If I still lived in Albany, GA I would like to get to know Chloe as I did Carrie, but I am far away from there now. If not for Facebook, I would not know much about my family in south Georgia. Max often called me and talked about the family there. I miss his calls. 

I was surprised yesterday when a dear cousin down in Albany called me. She is a widow now. Her husband died on Thanksgiving day last year. The anniversary of a death is always a somber time with memories pouring back to us so I imagine she and her two children will always think of their loss when they sit down to eat the Thanksgiving Turkey.

I often think about how fortunate my family was to have few deaths when Gay and I were growing up. All my grandparents had died before I was born. Only my two oldest siblings remembered them. My oldest brother, Ray, served in the United States Navy during WWII, and I am so thankful that he didn't see battle. He came home safely. However, two of my cousins died during that war. 

Clyde Council, on my father's side, died in a plane crash. On my mother's side, Henry Robison died in a plane crash believed to be hit by friendly fire in an accident. Although I never met either of these young men, I remember them on Memorial Day which we celebrate on Monday. I also remember the families that loved them. 

Memorial Day also holds another memory that is important to me. Barry and I moved to the mountains of NC on Memorial Day, 1995.  That began an adventure and wonderful life as we drew closer and spent more time together.  As I begin making plans to move away from here, I get sad thinking of the happy times we shared and will never share again. 

I hope all of you have a safe and happy holiday weekend. I hate to hear the news of accidents that seem to happen on Memorial Day when people take to the roads, rivers, and lakes. I live near a big lake and it will be busy with tourists who come here this time of year. 

Be safe and thanks for reading my words. Please leave a comment if you can or email me. I love hearing from you, my friends.