Joys and Curses of Small Town Living

This week has been tough for my family and me.  On
Monday we buried yet another family member, my uncle and my mom’s youngest
brother.  My mom has lost 4 siblings in the last year.  Where there
once was 10 of them, now there’s only 3.  Regular visits to the funeral
home certainly serve to put you in touch with your own mortality..:)

One upside to an event like this is the opportunity to
see family members, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.  It was
great to see my Aunt Helen (she’s my mom’s sister-in-law) who lost her husband,
my Uncle Robert, last year. Aunt Helen is 80-something (only my grandmother knew
her true age, and Granny took that secret to the grave with her) and is quite
spry and alert. I hope I’m in as good shape when I hit my 80s.

We gathered at yet another aunt and uncle’s house after
the funeral, and Helen proceeded to my Uncle J.M.’s chair. Anyone who knows my
Uncle J.M. knows to stay clear of that chair — he’s the only one who’s allowed
to sit there.  I warned Aunt Helen that she had better
watch out, as she
was sitting in the king’s chair.  She replied, "Well, I guess it’ll become
the queen’s chair now!"  Uncle J.M. sat on the back porch for the duration
of her visit..LOL

Another upside to this whole scenario is the kindness
and thoughtfulness of neighbors and strangers alike during this time.  Most
striking is the East Texas tradition (perhaps it’s indigenous to small towns
only or just to Texas) when, during a funeral procession,  passing cars (on
both sides of a highway) pull to the shoulder of the road or the outermost lane
and come to a complete stop as a funeral procession passes by.  I’m not
quite sure of the origins of the tradition, only that it’s something that people
have always done in this part of the country as a sign of respect for the
deceased and the family members of the deceased.

I can’t imagine motorists doing this on the freeway
system in Houston or Dallas, and when I did this when I lived in Western MA, my
former spouse thought I was crazy because he felt it was sure way to get us
killed on the highway.

Aaah, it’s part of the joys and curses of small town
Texas living..:)