My Mom was an identical twin.
Doris Laverne & Dorothy Fern a person so nice, God made her twice is what my cousin always says! Doris was
MY aunt. When I call on my childhood memories, Doris was somehow larger than life with her red hair, huge smile and laugh-oh her laugh! She'd throw her head back and her laugh seemed to come from the depths of her soul and would fill the room with joy. Doris was a lefty (she and Mom were mirror image twins) and I am a lefty so we could color next to each other for what seemed like hours on end. When she visited she always had time for me, she made me feel special. When I was 5 she arrived with Bob Huckert who became MY uncle.
Bob was a brilliant match for the vivaciousness that surrounded Doris. Bob was level headed as a former Air Force man, farmer and a true gentleman. He could weave words into stories that were a delight to anyone who was within earshot of him. You never knew how much was true and what parts were embellished but it didn't matter. Bob made my Dad laugh and brought
a twinkle to his eyes like no one else could. When I was young and we would head to the Texas panhandle for a visit, Dad would get up early and head out to the farm with him checking sugar beets and cattle. As Mom and Dad aged, it was Mom who would be up early and head out with Bob. As Bob grew older he began trucking, my parents lived right off I40 in Oklahoma and Bob would often stop for conversation and a steak at Montana Mikes. He'd often bring Doris along to spend time with Mom while Dad would occasionally head to his destination with him.
We said bye to Doris in May 2021. Bob and my Mom continued to talk regularly until about a year ago when dementia snuck in and took their memories of one another away. A couple of weeks ago, my cousin reached out to let me know Bob had joined Doris. Bob, the last of my maternal aunts & uncles gone. I'm pretty sure that God has heard "amen" more times since Bob arrived then he had heard in all the previous centuries combined!
I hopped on Facetime to let our girls know. They unanimously agreed that when the funeral time/date was announced they would find a way to be there. When I got the information we quickly began making plans for what I imagine was likely our last family road trip. I hopped online and rented a vehicle that would accommodate our now "adults only" family + luggage and reserved an AirBNB so we could spend time together in a house instead of hotel rooms.
Our trip went something like this-pack the car, pick up Melissa, drive, pick up Anna, drive, pick up Jessica, drive, eat cheeseburgers, drive, see 'the little green house' in Weatherford and eat ice cream, drive, drive, honk as we crossed the border into Texas, drive some more and finally arrive. Eat some dinner, shower & settle in, sleep. Wake up early and head to Buff's for coffee and time with my cousin who inherited her Mom's laugh. Hugs were generous and the conversation flowed like we had never stopped. Back to the AirBNB to get ready for the funeral, arrive at the church, visit with family, say bye to Bob, drive a half hour to the cemetary, dinner with family then goodbyes with love and hugs promising to see each other soon...Braums for banana splits (incredibly made by Tyler) when what to our eyes should appear but Drenda & Shane. More conversation and laughs. Back to the house where we played Wavelength-next time your family gathers try it. We laughed so hard we had tears running down our cheeks! The next morning was a more solemn breakfast as my cousin was already on the road. The trip home looked like this-Walmart for spray paint, Cadillac Ranch, Buccees, Friedas in Weatherford, Stillwater, Siloam Springs and home.
On second thought, maybe just maybe there will be another family road trip to Colorado someday bringing along a couple of boys AND another car!!!
.jpg)
