THE VALENTINE CARD

12-30-09...THE VALENTINE CARD

My Best Valentines Day
Oh my how we kids looked forward to Valentines Day in school. On the Friday before the big day we all got to have a party in our room and we could give and receive valentines. Each teacher would get a big box and decorate it real pretty, cut a slot in the top and we got to drop our cards in when we got to school that morning. In younger grades Mothers mostly got the cards ready for us and we never thought much about it except we were having a 'party' on a school day.
I think my third year was the one where I wanted to make my own cards out. I was starting to 'claim' (what we called it) a little boy in my class. Cutest little guy you ever laid eyes on with the sweetest smile you ever saw. Why By George my little 8 yr. Old heart fluttered every time I saw him. Trouble was all the girls in the class had the same crush on him.
I was determined that year that my Valentine to him was going to be the best Valentine he had ever received in his life. The prettiest, the most colorful, most glittering card in the store. Yep I was going to be the girl to win his heart all right. I was sure of it.
I got my bubble burst though when Mamma told me I needed to make my Valentines this year. “Clydene I'm sorry but we just couldn't buy them. We don't have enough money this year”. Oh My Gosh, I just knew my life was ruined. “Mamma I can't take home made cards to school” I wailed. “Clydene I know how you feel but it can't be helped and I said I'm sorry. Your Daddy is sorry too. Don't make him feel worse than he does about it”. That did it. I would never want to do anything to hurt my Mamma and Daddy. I just decided I wouldn't go to school that day, I'd say I was sick. Mamma saw through that one fast and another bubble broke. Mamma had gotten some red paper somewhere. I think it was on a Christmas package someone gave us. It was all shiny and beautiful. I sure wasn't very keen on the idea but I went along hoping that somehow I'd get out of having to take those cards to school. I didn't want to disappoint Mamma so I decided to just go ahead and do the best I could. With Mamma's help we cut out red hearts from the pretty paper. Daddy could take white paper and scissors an cut pretty things like magic. He'd fold the paper, make a few slits and there you go, snowflakes. I had some school glue in my book satchel. Daddy made some figures standing in a row with his magic scissors. We cut them apart and glued one on each valentine and I wrote the name of my classmate on that. We glued the snowflakes on, and I think some other stickers my Brother who was 4 got to stick on. Don't know where Mamma got those. I was beginning to feel better about my Valentines.
On the big day I proudly dropped my cards in the pretty box and waited. I can't remember how they were handed out but they were. I was looking around for someone to open mine. Someone said, “This aint no valentine Miss Hogan”. Oh no I thought, Oh My no. I wanted to get up and run away.
Miss Hogan went and took the home made valentine and said, “Why this is the most beautiful card I've ever seen Clydene. Class look, Clydene made this all by herself. Isn't it pretty”. She held it up to the light and indeed it was pretty. Everyone started ohhing and awing, and I was on Cloud nine for a while. What made it even better was the fact that the teacher announced that we would all make our cards next year, and “Now kids wont that be fun”? Oh yeaw oh boy yes it will.
That is the Valentines Day I remember most in my life, when a home made card that my whole little family was in on making was the hit of the day. (Thanks to Miss Hogan)

A TRIBUTE

12-29-09...A TRIBUTE

A tribute to Miss Whitley
and other barren women
She gathered up her partners
and down the road they trod.
Their bare feet gliding smoothly,
ore' tough terrain and sod.
No certain destination,
was even in our mind.
We just took off together,
Yep! Had plenty of time.
We anticipated our first stop,
Twas just around the bend,
and up on the next lane,
the house there on the end.
Where was a sweet old lady,
she was alone and sad,
And her lot was not to be blessed,
with kids like others had.
We knew that when we stopped there,
she'd always say “Come on in”.
And through that summer long,
we went and went again.
She served us cake and kool aide,
she called it evening tea,
Her face would light with smile
as she served my friends and me.
She claimed us all as her kid'o's
and when we'd start to go,
she'd say “now don't y'all forget me”,
we'd say “oh my no”.
That school year brought new wonders,
and I'm ashamed to say,
we forgot about that dear lady,
and when I got home one day.
Mamma told me that our friend, had quietly passed away.
We all trouped in to say good by,
when they laid her to her rest.
And vowed to her we'd never never again,
forget her, she was the best.
I still think of her often,
though more than 50 years have passed.
And now in my later years,
I can feel her pain,
when her little troupe of kid'o's.
Left to never come again.
Clydene (Thomas) Overbey