Cousin Mary!

Two weeks from today my cousin Mary who is 84 is coming to visit from Hondo, Texas. It is a little town just outside of San Antonio. We are excited to have her come! While she is here she will be able to meet her family for the first time. You are probally wondering what I mean, so let me give you the story of how we (and by we I mean my sister Katie) happened to find Cousin Mary!

This story takes place in the 1930's when times were hard for everyone. Mary was 5 years old. If families were unable to care for their children they could be given away to people that would be able to care for them. Thank heavens that doesn't still happen or my mom would have sold me to the gypsies along time ago. My great-grandmother's sister had just died of tuberculois, so the kids were sent away. Mary was adopted into a family that had just lost a little girl the same age. Unfortunatley, contact was lost for many, many years. Grandma Vera, eventually located her and would write her letters weekly until Grandma died in 1986. Again, contact was lost until a year and half ago.

My sister Katie started doing geneology work and was reading through Grandma's journals (she had a journal for every year of her life and she faithfully wrote in it daily, listing the prices of things she purchased and what was happening in the world at that time). As Katie was reading she kept coming across grandma saying she had wrote or received a letter from her niece Mary. She dis some research and found the back story I mentioned above. The next step was the temple work, but she needed a copy of the death certificate. She couldn't find it, so wondered if she was still alive. Googled her name and found someone with the same name at the last known address. She picked up the phone and called. It was her!! (Katie is in green.)

My other sister Kayleen had just moved to Houston which was only a 3 1/2 hour drive to Hondo so plans were made for Kayleen, her husband Corey and son Landon to drive there and visit. While they were visiting she was showing Kayleen some letters that Grandma had wrote to her and one caught Kayleen's eye. It was dated May 11, 1977 (Corey was born on that day) and in it talked about how Grandma just found out she was going to be getting a second great-neice that would be born in September. Kayleen started crying, and said "Mary, do you know who she is talking about?" Mary had no idea, so Kayleen told her, "I am that baby that was born in September!" Thirty years later, with the help of Grandma on the other side, our families were finally re-united.

Since that day, my parents, my sister Katie and myself have all gone down to Hondo to meet Mary. Which what a spitfire that woman is! She says whatever she is thinking! She didn't like my hairstyle, nor how my sister did the zig-zag part. She said she had a extra comb she could send home with her. She has a 93 year old boyfriend, Victor. She has two best friends, EdWinnie and Geri that all take care of each other. They sit out on their patio at night drinking beer and the local radio dj stops by to talk and get the next days show topic. She adores my nephew Landon and made him a special birthday cake when we went. And now in two weeks she will be here to visit! On sunday we will have an open house so that my Grandma LaVerda (yes, that is her name) and her siblings Alden, Melvina and Cousin Dot (man my family has weird names no wonder my full name is Kristin Kristine! ) can come and meet her. Though we will have to stand by and protect her, LaVerda can be overwhelming! We are so happy to have her in our lives!! (The one on the left is Geri, Landon and then Cousin Mary.)