My Friend Kathryn

My Friend Kathryn

Welcome to Christianity Oasis. This is My Friend Kathryn from our Sojourn With Luz Leigh Collection. We hope you enjoy this enlightening reading and it helps you on your own be-YOU-tiful Christian walk.

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Sojourn With Luz Leigh

My Friend Kathryn

Written by Luz Leigh - November 04, 2001

In the late 1980s our neighborhood changed. A lady moved in with our neighbor Thomas (affectionately called "Uncle Tom" by our children). Uncle Tom was a bachelor, set in his ways. Before you begin to wonder why he is having a lady move in with him, let me set the record straight. The new lady on the block was Uncle Tom's sister, Kathryn. When it was decided that Kathryn would be moving in with him, Thomas jokingly told my husband "that sister of mine is moving over here ... thinks she's going to change me. She's got another think coming." Well, I am sure by that point in their lives, both Kathryn and Thomas knew no one would be changing either of them, least of all his sister Kathryn. She just loved him, cared for him and they put up with each other until Thomas's death in 1988. One day I shall attempt to write about Thomas and what a good neighbor he was.

When we moved into our new home in 1973, Thomas and his widowed mother, Mrs. Josie, were already living on the little short street, with no name. Jack and I had known them for many years. Mrs. Josie was the cook in our lunchroom at school. Her son Gene and Jack had been friends years earlier and I had been in high school with her youngest son, Jerry. My children quickly fell in love with the "new to them" neighbors. If I had to be away from home for a short time and the children were left alone, I knew that Mrs. Josie was watching them like a mother bear. When she died suddenly following a heart attack in July 1973, we felt as though we had lost a family member.

THEN, along came Kathryn. She was always busy ... taking care of Uncle Tom, her flowers, her neighbors. For a number of years she drove a van for the Grandpersons Center, delivering meals to the elderly, disabled or otherwise needy folks in our area. My kids thought it odd that someone of retirement age would take on a job of that nature. But, as they became more familiar with "Miss Kathryn," they recognized this as her nature, serve where you can. When elderly or disabled folks needed someone to help out, either during the day or staying overnight, they called on Kathryn. As recent as the summer of 2001, she drove almost to the Louisiana state line to spend time with a former sister-in-law who was recuperating from surgery. When a death occurred in a family within the community, chances are a covered dish of some delicious homemade delicacy would be prepared by Kathryn and delivered to the grieving family. And, family gatherings? As I watched her load up the food she had prepared, I always wondered in anyone else was bringing anything. Wedding shower and baby showers found her preparing her popular dishes.

Recently one evening just before dark, Jennifer was at my house when she heard Miss Kathryn's car drive up. Heather commented on the lateness of the hour, possibly 7:00 p.m., and that Miss Kathryn was just coming home. I told her this was early; sometimes she leaves this late.

This past spring she planted a tomato bush (Nicholas called it a tomato tree) that produced lots of cherry-size tomatoes. Each week when my grandson Tommy showed up at my house, Miss Kathryn would invite him over to pick the tomatoes. He was allowed to take home all he could pick. During the week Kathryn spent much time trying to keep the birds from the tomatoes so Tommy would have plenty to pick. He soon learned that on Saturday he was to go across the street and "help" Miss Kathryn. She was always so gentle with him, cautioning him to "be careful, don't fall and hurt yourself" since he always stood on the concrete retaining wall around the tomato plant.

Just about the time the tomatoes played out, Kathryn began her war with the crows. She has several pecan trees in her yard, but one is her special tree. It was just loaded with pecans this year, to the point she had one of her family members prop up some of the limbs so they wouldn't break. Well, the pesky crows delighted in coming to that particular tree each morning. And, just as faithful as the crows were, so was Kathryn. She did her best to fight off those greedy birds. She told us early in the fall that when the pecans were ready to pick, Tommy was to come over and pick some. Kathryn shared pecans with her family, picked some for herself, and shared with my family. (Probably shared with others of whom I am not aware. That's her way.)

Most of the time when Nicholas and I would join her at the pecan tree, he would pick up a few pecans. Then he wanted to climb the tree, as most little boys are prone to do. Again, she cautioned him to be careful, but allowed him to climb.

When word reached me through the grapevine that Kathryn would be moving later this fall, I tried not to accept it. I am selfish, in that I want her for my neighbor for a long time to come. But, I am coming to understand her need to move to an assisted living facility. She has spent so many years preparing food, caring for the sick, running errands, etc., that now it is time for someone to help her. In late October 2001, we stood under her favorite pecan tree and I, with tears in my eyes, told her I didn't want her to move. She hugged me, smiled and said she understood. Since I knew the future was set and nothing would change the fact I would be getting a new neighbor soon, I asked if she would give me something small from her home to remember her by. How could I ever forget someone so dear to me and my family? A few days later she gave me a coffee mug decorated with geese on it, saying I could drink from it, put something in it or just set it on a shelf. We decided that the cup would be the "silly goose" cup in memory of all our happy times together. She also gave me two of her cookbooks. I know they are good ones; they're the kind that are dogged-eared, with notes written on the cover, recipes marked. You know the kind - used cookbooks, not just something taking up space on a bookshelf. She also gave me two glass dishes that she used on special occasions. Nothing could have pleased me more.

Kathryn has been a part of our life since Bryon was about three years old. She always asks about him. She watched Patsy and Tommy learn to walk while sitting in her recliner with her eye on our front yard. It is comforting to know that she is watching out for us as if we were her children and grandchildren. We never have to watch the weather report in the winter to know when a frost or freeze is expected. We just watch for Miss Kathryn to cover those special plants she has in her yard. When she does leave the neighborhood, guess whose plants will probably freeze? Right, those Hardees across the street.

God has been good to me in so many ways. One of His greatest blessings has been to have Kathryn as my neighbor, but mostly to have her as my friend.

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