Memorial Cards

Don recently packed up several notebooks and boxes filled with Memorial Cards and asked me to deliver them to our brother, Larry.  When we don't know what to do with Mom and Dad's treasures we assumer Larry will be happy to have them.  I've spent some time looking through these notebooks and wondered, "why did Mom take the time to collect and organize all these Memorial cards?"

 I don't think she wanted them to be a reference library, a way to document dates of birth and death.  They are not organized in any orderly fashion, in fact, there are lots of duplicates in the notebooks.  She probably knew other family members would be into genealogy and there would be other ways to record just the facts about a person's life.  I think I know why she did it because I also have notebooks filled with memorial cards and newspaper clippings of obituaries.  We did it as a way to honor someone's life.  A life that touched us in one way or another.  Because of my Mom's work, I learned that Rich Riener's birthday is August 25 and that my Dad and Dan Kuhlmann's Mom both died in August.  

Look at the smile of Jeanne Seubert and the sober face of A. George Seubert, wonderful people who touched the lives of both Mom and Dad.  As I looked through these books today I thought, "there is no better way to honor a life in the memory of our minds."  Page after page, I found myself saying, "aah to this person and "ooh to that one.  To those who died too young,  Kelly Hinkleman, Michael Joseph Wren, Keath Schmidt, Darrel Alan Enneking, Tammy and Mitchell Lorentz.  There are lots of relatives, the Seuberts, the Schmidts, she even saved cards from the Wessels family.  And all those friends, just other people in Cottonwood, whose funerals she attended and probably brought a salad or helped serve the meal.  She remembered them all!

I'm drawn to Richard Riener's card.  He married one of my best high school friends, Eloise Arnzen, right after our high school graduation in 1964.  He developed cancer in 2000 and died on March 19, 2001.  Eloise has been fighting inflammatory breast cancer for six years and probably will be joining him in heaven soon.  The ebb and flow of life continues and I'm grateful for the memories today and all the people that Mom honored by taking the time to put their memorial card in a keepsake album.  

She also saved this little treasure!  I think it was her way of saying, "I love you and I'm proud of you."  And now, Larry, please continue to make her proud by storing and savings her precious notebooks.  

Good bye Hoene Hardware

Yes, it's true - after 114 years the beloved Hoene Hardware is closing its doors on Friday, May 31.  Connie and I did one last walk through and expressed our thanks and grief to Gus Hoene, Greg Nau, and Don Clark.

This store had a little bit of everything, from gift items to pesticides and garden gloves.  I remember the shelves filled with toys in the big front windows at Christmas time.  Everything was 50% off, but the shelves were not empty.  We were told that a liquidator would come next week and give them a bid for the remaining items and haul them all away.

Connie bought all their foam brushes anticipating the re-finishing of her bathroom cabinets.  Notice the pressed tin ceiling!

I had a nice visit with Gus and he told me how hard it was to come to the decision.  "The youngest generation purchasing things now days does it all from their smart phone.  They have no need to come in, touch, or compare in a store.  They read reviews and hit the order button because they know they can send it back, usually without paying extra postage.  We tried, but are not able to compete with that.  I asked him, "well, who is going to fix our broken washing machines or lay our carpet?" "that generation tries to fix their own broken things by watching YouTube videos, ordering parts, and they'll try maybe two different things and if they can't fix it, they just buy something new.  They have no qualms about sending stuff to the landfill or waiting for the repair man."

“The town went from an old wooden town, like you see in the movies, to all brick and concrete,” says Deb Clark, a fourth-generation resident of Cottonwood and co-owner of Hoene Hardware. “The buildings here now were mostly built between 1908 and 1910.” 

Businesses like Hoene Hardware still welcome neighbors and visitors alike to this community of fewer than 1,000 residents.  In the shadow of nearby grain elevators and a towering railroad trestle, a steady stream of cars and people move along the streets and sidewalks. 
“My dad’s grandfather, John Hoene, came to Cottonwood in 1899 from Greencreek, Illinois,” Clark explains. “He bought a sawmill and threshing machine, then in 1907 he decided to build the hardware store on lots across the street.  He opened for business in April 1908, and on July 20, 1908, fire destroyed downtown Cottonwood.” 
Her great-grandfather lost nearly everything, Clark says, but he bounced back selling building materials and hardware to help rebuild the town.  In 1912, he moved the store to its current location, and Hoene Hardware has been a fixture on Main Street ever since.  Visitors often comment as much on the building as on the inventory. 
“We have a pressed tin ceiling, and we always get people from the East who come in and want to buy the ceiling,” laughs Clark. 

Gus showed me a photo taken in the 1920's of Uncle John Hoene in his office and this same clock was on the wall.  "We haven't touched it since my Mom died...she was the only person who knew how to keep it ticking."

Maybe there is some meaning to being at the cemetery and then at the Hoene Hardware.  I'm tempted to write, Rest In Peace, good and faithful hometown hardware store!

Kaitlyn's Bridal Shower

This lovely lady has been busy planning her wedding....in MEXICO in May.  Friends and family took time on April 13th to honor her with a bridal shower, held at her in-laws lovely home.

Cortez and Julian love Kaitlyn, especially when she has a balloon for them. 

Heather, Yolanda's neighbor, proved to be a good sport as Connie and Joan tried to create a bridal gown out of toilet paper.  Isn't she gorgeous in this mermaid paper gown?

Obviously, we did not win the bridal gown creation contest!  Other teams were much more creative, even making a bouquet and headband for Holly.

Two special gifts, on the left Debbie Lutes creation an on the right hand embroidered pillow cases passed down from Holly, a gift from her Mother, Margie, before she got married.  

Kaitlyn showing off her ribbon bridal bouquet.

And these three - just showing off their beauty!

The best macaroons made by local bakers!

Holly gifted each of us with homemade sugar and salt scrubs in a lovely bag!  I think it's the first time I've walked away from a bridal shower with a thank you gift!  

Kati Stidham Remembered

I met Kati on a Cathedral Singles Ski Trip to McCall in January, 1994.  She and her niece, Bridget, shared a room with me at the Quaker Hill Lodge.  There were lots of giggles and a few tears during our weekend stay there.  Kati's sense of humor and ability to tell stories piqued my interest from the moment I met her.  She kept all of us awake for hours telling us how she managed to block out her desire for intimacy by saying lots of rosaries.  The rest of the weekend we joked about our "block out beads."  She cried huge tears on the bus back to Boise, obviously still grieving the loss of her 30-year marriage.  I was a bit farther along in my attempt to be single again so I became her shoulder to cry on.  We did a lot of that early on, but soon those tears turned into huge smiles for us.

I coaxed her into a Cursillo weekend in April and she met my dear friend, Maxine Hoene.  The three of us formed our own little reunion group after the weekend.  We met at 6 AM to share our faith and "close moments to Christ" until I moved to Grangeville in 1995.  

By October, I must've been considered like family because she invited me to her daughter, Samantha's wedding and we danced the night away.  Tom Hoene made sure we got out on the dance floor and we participated in the chicken dance, the Macarina, and YMCA.

Kati and her sisters, Mary, Judy, Brook and Jane

Kati and our single friends celebrating my graduation from Boise State in 1995

She humored me by going out to the Iris farm in Emmett in May, 1997.  I wanted to buy the iris for her new home in Boise.  

 Kati, Maxine, and I travelled to Washington, DC, in October, 2004

         I received an 8x10 photo in the mail after our visit with Larry Craig.  We all liked our images, but Kati really hated that Senator Craig was in it.  I've thought about trying to photo-shop him out!

My favorite picture of my dear friend, 04/17/05

My grandkids with her dog, Poika!

 We spent a few days in Victoria, BC, in May, 2006

The first night on our River Cruise 07/03/07 happened to be her 66th birthday and the captain and crew came to our table to sing happy birthday to her.  She blamed me for the breach, but we learned later that the crew knew about all passenger birthdays and hers just happened to be the first one they celebrated.  

She really liked to shop and this is one of her favorite travel outfits

Our last day in Amsterdam, culminating 16 days on a River Cruise through Germany in 2007

 Colin loved Kati's dog, Poika.  One of her best memories of Colin is that 4th of July weekend in 2008 when he told her, "you need to give Poika some water so he doesn't get dehydrated."

Another friend, Sina, and I met Kati in Vancouver, BC, in August, 2009

Just as pretty as the flowers, she is!!

We had a marvelous visit to Palo Alto in the spring of 2012. Thursday afternoon we made our way to Lytton Gardens, a retirement community, where Kati's friend from Twin Falls, Katherine Scott, now lives.  Kati and I agreed this 94 year young woman made an incredible adjustment!  When we first arrived she offered us a drink.  "I have lots of whiskey."  Her neighbors are Chinese and "very nice, but quiet."  Katherine's outlived two husbands.  "I don't think I ever want to get married again.  Who wants to wait on someone hand and foot?  If I found someone here I'd probably have to learn Chinese."  She did ask Kati if she planned to get married.  Kati explained that she might not get married even if she found the right man.  Katherine responded,  "I'm not going to get married again, why should you?"  "But I have a special friend right now and I'm a little confused about what I should do,"  Kati told this wise woman.  Her response, "don't worry about it, you have a heart big enough for all."  Ah, to be 94, witty, and so wise....  It's one of my dreams for my wisdom years.

Kalle and Christina surprised us with fabulous meals and side trips to San Francisco and Pebble Beach!

This street vendor became Kati's best friend when he agreed to write a special poem for her friend, George.  She had the uncanny ability to speak to strangers and make friends with them.

George and Kati invited me to join them for a few days in Sandpoint, Idaho in July, 2016.  George planned an evening cruise and the most wonderful places to eat.  The special words of her obituary said, "With George, Kati spent the last years of her life exactly as she wanted--enjoying family, friends, travel, and sports!"

And then they invited me to join them in Walla Walla, WA, in June, 2017.  We stayed in a funky AirBnb close to town and again George planned some outings for us - this one Whitman Mission Historical Site.  We also bought Klicker Strawberries and wandered around town tasting wine.  

Today, the day after the celebration of her life, I feel like I'm sitting in that chair all alone, looking out on the sea of my life, now empty without her.  I'm sad!  I recall the words of her nephew Michael Brennan, "you've all mentioned how much Kati loved you.  God is love and God lived in Kati. Yes, He did and I know she loved me and I loved her.  We shared all these trips, but also hours of conversation when we learned acceptance of our single life.  I drew on her human resource experience and called her before I had to terminate an employee.  She calmed me right down, over the phone, and told me what to say.  Her words gave me the confidence I needed.  She loved my Grandchildren and always listened to my stories about them.  Recently, she told me how proud she was of all of hers, especially Annie and Rachel, who were attending college on soccer scholarships.  "You know, I always wanted your Jake and my Annie to meet each other because of their love of soccer," she said.  She and George talked about plans to attend Margaret's college graduation in Scotland.  She'd do almost anything for those grandkids. 

After her funeral yesterday George handed me an envelope and letter I'd written to Kati in 1998.  Kati never knew her own strength or recognized her talents.  This letter described 20 qualities I saw in her, such as witty, compassionate, friendly, kind, sympathetic, courageous, sensitive, and faith-filled. 

The words of John O"Donohue, in his book, "Blessing the Space Between Us," fills me with hope.
When you lose someone you love,
Your life becomes strange,
The ground beneath you feels fragile,
Your thoughts make your eyes unsure;
And some dead echo drags your voice down
Where words have no confidence.
Your heart has grown heavy with loss;
And though this loss has wounded others too,
No one knows what has been taken from you
When the silence of absence deepens.

Gradually, you will learn acquaintance
With the invisible form of your departed;
And when the work of grief is done,
The wound of loss will heal
And you will have learned
To wean your eyes
From that gap in the air
And be able to enter the hearth
In your soul where your loved one
Has awaited your return
All the time.

Rest in Peace, dear friend!