Merry Christmas, Donna ...

Listening to carols this morning while I was sewing, my mind began to wander to Christmases past, and I found myself reaching for old photo albums to see what I would find. This is for you, Donna, the first of several as I post some old pictures. May these pictures warm you heart, and may that warmth spread to your whole family as you remember these wonderful moments - so that each of you is blessed!

1964

This first part is Christmas 1964 and 1965. I found only one picture to post from 1964 (there are probably more somewhere else), but I thought this one says it all. Once you were born, you were the apple of Pop's eye the rest of his life. When you were small, he would take you shopping and buy you everything you even thought you wanted! He doted on you, for sure! You gave him so much happiness.

Of course, there was another woman in his life, and I'll have a picture of her in the 1965 group of pictures!

1965

You and I had Christmas at Gammer and Pop's in 1965. We were still "single" that year.

It was the year Judy and Jerry became engaged. I think her ring was in that candy box. I'm pretty sure I have a picture, somewhere, of her holding it so we could see it, but it's not in the album I'm working from.

And here's a picture of that other woman in Pop's life - Gammer! Pop didn't need an excuse to kiss Gammer, ever, but this time I was able to get a photo of it. I think this picture sums up their entire nearly 60-years together. During the last year of Pop's life, Gammer slept in the room next to his, and she said she would wake up during the night and there was Pop, just standing there gazing at her. Such love!

And in the meantime, your soon-to-be new Daddy was having Christmas at his parents' home in Minnesota. He and I were playing a cat and mouse game over the phone, seeing who would hold out the longest in popping the question. I think I won and he popped the question, but maybe it's because I goaded him into it. :-) But it wasn't too long before we made some definite plans to stop the courting game and get onto the marriage and family game.

It wasn't at Christmas, but it was a few months after that, in April 1966, that your new grandparents traveled from Minnesota and then made a special trip through West Virginia, on their way back, so meet and hug their new granddaughter.

I think you can see in this picture of 1965 that your Dad was straining at the bit to be a father. It's obvious that he loved kids, and I think he figured if he married me, he could become a daddy right now!

Such a romantic, your dad! He had no idea, did he, how much work being a daddy could be! But such fun. I wondered some times if he didn't marry us just so he could have more kids to play with. I'll show you a picture of what I came to think of as our three kids when I post the 1970 pictures.

April came, along with your new grandparents. You can tell it's an instant match - they were just waiting for you, I think! They loved you even before they knew you.

Next will be pictures from 1966. I hope these little memories make your Christmas bright and merry!

Love,

Mom (and Dad)