I’ve had so much fun this week in Hilton Head hanging out with Mason. He knows more about lizards than anyone I know. And he’s always careful to release them to go back home to their families, as he tells me.
When my sister and I were in junior high and our mother was teaching school there, a terrible thing happened to one of her students. Her family lost everything in a home fire! Mom knew how hard it would be for a junior high student to change schools in the middle of the year so she arranged for her to move in with us. There was no money involved, just love. My sister and I were used to having extra people stay with us. It might be family members down on their luck, or grandparents who could no longer maintain their homes, or long distant friends who often came to visit. So a young girl moving in with us was a treat. She came from a family with eleven children, and you’d think to loose one for a little while would be a welcomed change. After all, that would be one less mouth to feed, a little less laundry to wash, and one less voice you’d hear arguing with siblings. But it was just the opposite! Even with all those other children around, she was missed terribly. It was the love of her parents that gave them the courage to allow her to stay with us for awhile so she could finish out the school year and start fresh in the fall at her new school. Mother and her teacher friends arranged for clothes to be given to her and, of course, my sister and I were more than happy to share our things as well. Her name was Darlene Adams, and with so many sisters and 2 older brothers, she knew exactly how to get along with all of us without any jealousy. She admired Mom so much and appreciated what she was doing for her that when Saturday’s came and we had our chores to do, she willingly joined in and made it so much fun. The time flew by.  She was always laughing about something and had us laughing, too.
Her name was LaDonna, and she surely lived up to her name, which in Italian means “The Lady”. She went through life abiding by the rules. She didn’t break the speed limit or  eat food past its date. She worried way more than she should have about her three boys or as the announcement of her third son said “My Three Sons”. This is her fourth birthday she in heaven. How does a young woman who exercises, eats right and has everything to live for die so young? She never took drugs or smoked, like the saying goes, “life isn’t fair”.
