Laughin' and Cryin' Stuff

Hey, Y'all,
Well, some of the best times people can have is when families get together, especially when they are loving and caring for each other. We had some of those enjoyable hours this week, when we got to see family from Illinois. The reason for their being here was the result of a sad occasion of the passing of Whitney's maternal grandmother. We were surely aching for her and her family. Daniel and Whitney and their four children had come down for the funeral and decided to stop by this way for a couple of days. We were so glad to be able to spend some time with them.

Here are some pictures to share with you all.

Grandma Carol sitting at children's table thoroughly enjoying herself

Yum! Good lasagna, Grandma!

Daniel, Whitney, Andrew (Enjoying lunch, too)

Grandpa Daryl, Julia, Amy and Matthew

Uncle Daniel holding baby Josiah (Andrew and Julia's new son)

The Cousins all together in the back yard (aren't they adorable?)

 Well, those are the pictures I took while we were all together. There was a lot of laughter and good fun, as there always is when we get together. Memories were made and hugs were shared.

It is important to laugh a lot every day and I do so, even when I am alone. It helps to keep me on an even keel, and I think it is much easier to be a laugher than a grumbler. I know for sure it makes life easier. It would be easy to become depressed. Oh, yeah, speaking of being depressed, I promised to take part in a sad songs blogfest today. 

My mom was always singing sad songs when she was having what was one of her "blue" days. I think she must have suffered from days of depression. We all grew up (my four brothers and my sister, and I) hearing and learning the sad songs she sang.

One of the songs was "Please, Mr. Conductor" and was about a young boy (or man) traveling on a train and trying to make it to his mother's bedside before she died. He didn't have the money for a ticket, and was pleading with the conductor not to put him off of the train. I don't know if he made it home or not. 

Another was the story of two little children whose mother and father were gone and they were barefoot and hungry sitting on the steps of the church and the church warden found them the next morning, dead, and the song ends with, "the angels found room for them to dwell with their mama that night."

Then there was the song that tells of a little girl who is calling on the telephone to speak to her mama who is under neath the golden stair in heaven. (Back then there were telephone operators that spoke to the person using the telephone) The operator spoke to the girl and pretending to be the mama said, "yes, dear heart, I'll soon be home, kiss your mommy, kiss me darling, through the telephone."

Don't forget about the song that tells of a little boy who is dying, and he tells his mama to give his toys to his playmates, but "put my little shoes away." Dubby, (my hubby who passed away nearly two years ago) used to say his mom would sing that song, too, when he was a little boy and he would cry and say, "Mama, don't sing that song."

One of mama's favorite songs was about the Little Mary Fagin, who worked in a pencil factory and was killed by the foreman. 

Another sad song was about the miner that got trapped in a coal mine and died there. I think his name was Floyd Collins. 

Well, folks that is about it for today.  On Sunday, I will be writing my first post for the A to Z challenge. I am looking forward to it. I am going to attempt to write a serialized story. It will definitely be a challenge for me, since I don't have a skeletonized plan for it. It will be WAIG story. (Woven As I Go). 

This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. Bye for now. More later.