IN PRAISE OF MY MEN FOLK 02/23/00

Subject: in praise of my men folk
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000

In looking ahead to my March 7 surgery and recuperation, today I did what any right thinking woman of my generation would do - got my hair done.

John took me to the hairdresser, who has been doing my tresses for the past 40 years, gently helped me up the stairs and did not leave until he was sure I was safely tucked away in the beautician chair. When he picked me up, there was a little time for Jo and John to get to know each other. It seems that every woman I know takes to John right off and he takes to them. He settled me in the car, then headed back into the beauty parlor. Well, I was beginning to get "worried", when he reappeared about 5 minutes later - with a stack of magazines under his arm that Jo thought we'd like perusing.

When I look at John, I cannot help but think of my dear husband, Pete. Actually, his name was Raymond Lewis Lockhart, but, at his christening, his uncle took one look at him and exclaimed, "He's not a Raymond, he's a Pete!" And Pete he was, from that day forward.

I know that we are not supposed to make spiritual judgments, but I just know in my heart that my loves will someday be fully reconjoined with the loves that are my Pete. He made me feel so special, so cherished and appreciated. It has been 26 years since he died and I miss him every day - morning, noon & night. ("All I do the whole day through is dream of you.") From the day we met in 1935, it seemed we knew the other was THE one. Pete was so shy, the fellow who brought him to the party slipped one of my mother's silver teaspoons into his pocket so that Pete would have to call me again. But he was never shy with me. From the first kiss to our last in this life, he was my ardent lover and loyal best friend. I just came across an everyday Christmas gift tag - about 1 1/2 " square with a mug of holly against a red backdrop - that was on a long-ago present. The tag is anything but everyday to me: "Kay ~ So little a thing to express all the strengths that are mine through your love and affectionate understanding. Pete."

Love to all - M/G/N/AK/K

(reposted with sweet memories of its author, Katharine Reynolds Lockhart, in celebration of her May 14 centenary, by her daughter/transcriber, Elsa Lockhart Murphy aka DEEV)