A Different Family Road Trip

 

Dear Readers of The Family Curator,

Only a few weeks ago, the Winsor Women were touring Orange County on a family road trip visiting homes and haunts of my mom’s early years in California. This past week, however, my sister and I have been on a different kind of road trip — to be with Mom in a Tucson hospital following the kind of early morning phone  call that rarely brings good news.

Everything here is a witness to Mom’s dry sense of humor, strong spiritual faith, and love of family and friends. Early in the week, Mom saw the darkening sky through her hospital window and warned us to pull off the road if a monsoon hit while we were driving. Yes, Mom. Late one day, she saw the same sky turn rosy and smiled with the retiree’s refrain, “The sky’s turning pink… ” Yes, Mom. Yesterday, following surgery she whispered, “It’s a happy, crappy day.” Oh, yes Mom.

We are warmed by the good wishes from her church, family, friends, and extended community — including those bloggers and genealogists who met us at Jamboree and through The Family Curator. She loves her “fans” and the comments we have received on articles about her family and experiences. Lately she has been working on a list of “famous people I have met and had my picture taken with.” Of course, Princess Usha of Holkar tops the list.

While Mom rests, I am pulling together notes and stories for the family history she so earnestly wants to know and praying that she will soon be adding to the stories herself.  A few days before she became ill, we discovered the Chamblin-Schiffbauer connection (yes, there was a marriage) and we now have a new family with several male names to research. Maybe we can solve a few more puzzles to share with Mom very very soon.

Thank you for your good wishes and prayers,

Denise, The Family Curator