By Bess D. Ayllon EDITOR'S NOTE: As some of you read in my recent piece, 'Margins--Making Room for Life', my mother, Bess Ayllon, underwent heart surgery a few days ago (if you haven't read it, you can see it HERE). Thankfully, her operation was a success, she's doing much better now in her hospital room, and should be returning home in the next several days. Mom liked my post and texted me a fascinating response that I thought some might want to read, as well. So, with her permission, I attached it as a post-script to my "Margins" post and am sharing it below. Thank you, Juan. What a thoughtful and vivíd description of your surroundings, feelings and thoughts . I really appreciate your encouragement and good thoughts and memories of me and other family members and life in the past and now. I am more and more appreciative now of my own parents and their strength and values in overcoming many obstacles of near-poverty and personal family challenges, and losses of family members to illness (Dad’s first wife, Bess, from pneumonia in her early thirties, leaving four young children), oldest sister Helen’s fight and early death in her early fifties from breast cancer)and debilitating handicap from birth (Mar, oldest son with club foot and Cerebral Palsy, passed on from pneumonia at age 15). I am very thankful for their always providing food and a healthy home, in spite of little income, one of the downsides of Methodist pastors in small towns in Iowa. At least a house was usually provided, called the”Parsonage”. Of course upkeep, heating and other expenses were not included. They always had a vegetable garden and my mother spent much work -usually in hot steamy summer days- in the garden, and often with Dad as well as occasionally we kids. Then Mom was busy in the kitchen cutting up and preserving vegetables and fruits in hot steamy green Mason canning jars: quarts, pints and a few 2 quarts. I always remember with fondness and longing, at times, the real and delicious mince meat she prepared and made into pies, for Thanksgiving and Christmas, plus a few jars for the rest of the year. For entertainment, besides music, we often played board games such as dominos, checkers, Chinese checkers with marbles and a special playing board, and caroms. Lots of memories, mostly good, come to my mind now, giving a sense of some peace and strength of purpose. Maybe these are a type of “margin” that I can call to mind now and again to find more peace and strength in this hectic, challenging world. Margins that surround pictures of fortitude and faith.
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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