February 19th in Reedley
One month ago today, I spent the morning in Reedley, California with my children and some of our good friends. We visited four generations of their family. The oldest is about one hundred years older than the youngest.
February 19th is the anniversary of Executive Order 9066 signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt. More than 100,000 Japanese Americans were “relocated” to camps during WWII. Some of my friends’ family were removed from their homes and sent to camps. Aunt Thelma, who is almost 102 now, was one of those people.
I met Aunt Thelma four years earlier at a weekly card game. I realized that she was short, but she was full of life. Life’s circumstances had not appeared to diminish her enthusiasm for life.
Thelma helped raise her niece and nephew, so Thelma is closer than an aunt.
All the relatives seem closer when they are around Aunt Thelma. (I feel closer when I am around her too.)
Even my son wanted to discuss Thelma’s energy afterwards. He explained that usually young people visit old people to make them feel better, but this time it was different. It seemed that all the younger people visited the old person so that the young people could feel better.
It seemed that way.
For more photos, see the gallery.
Thank you!