Wednesday, May 21 2008

It is a cool rainy day here on the island. I had a nice evening with Shel yesterday. We had dinner together and discussed my upcoming travels. I go to Moncton for a meeting tomorrow and to Joey's graduation and a little camping down south next week. My sister wants to go to Atlantic City, so I am going to try to fit that in. She is going a bit stir crazy since she has been "carless". But she was getting robbed every time she went to a garage, so its probably a good thing. She told me she really wanted to sell the house and move somewhere, but she is unsure about where. She wants to visit the island, but there are logistical problems due to the distance involved.
I am also supposed to travel to Phoenix for another meeting in June, but arrangements have yet to be made-more logistical problems.

My sister asked me if I had posted any of my mother's poetry. Right now, I am not sure where that stuff is.I think Joey has it. On a sad note, I was working on some family history online and found my mothers name in her sister's obit from March. Heck of a way to find that out. My aunt Amie, Alma Elizabeth Hatfield Loughran died at the end of March. I told my sister about it on the phone yesterday. It was the first we had heard of it. My aunt was in her 80's and had been ill quite some time.

I think now only my Uncle Colonel David Hatfield remains of mom's siblings. Time marches on. I do have fond memories of my Aunt Aim and my grandmother, "Nanna" Alma Chambers Hatfield visting us at the farm, and our frequent visits there to their home in Upper Darby. They were always kind to me. And my cousins, and I have written about fishing with my cousin Dave, Aunt Aime's son in Wyalusing, PA in the 1960's. It is there I hope to go with my son very soon to do a little fishing and catch-up. I haven't seen my Uncle Dave since he was off to fly a mission during the Cuban missile crisis. He is a fighter pilot and bomber pilot and a veteran of 3 wars. It wrote frequently to my mother, but now that she is gone, I have heard nothing from him. Perhaps I will try and find him. I know he had email.

These family deaths really drive home the march of time. It is ashame that the family arguments over the years still effect communication with all of us. Since my divorce, I have been essentially ostracized. My poor sister, who feels isolated is still held in some contempt for minor childhood events almost 50 years ago. I think it is an effect of the "Hatfield clan". I have really been effected in my life by people's lack of forgiveness. Its just not Christian.