The King and Queen.....With Love from Princess Amelia

Princess Amelia here..........thanks for coming back to hear my story.  As you know from previous blogs, I love my mom and dad very very much.  There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss their guidance.  I never miss their love because I feel their love around me all the time.  In everything I do.  


When the Queen was seventy years old, the family pretty much knew that any Christmas could be the LAST Christmas with her.  And what we didn't know was that this one Christmas in particular, WAS her last with us.  I wanted it to be special.  I made a book for her.  Several months in advance, I had all of her family and friends write something for her and send it to me.  I then printed them out or cut them out and pasted them in a book.  


Page one:  Laugh some every day;  Sing your own song in your own special way;   Dance to your own music;  These are just some of the little "tools" I wanted the Queen to remember daily.  


Page two:  I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I have enjoyed making it.  Love, (the worthless one) & Shellie.  Not sure why I added his name to it.  He didn't put an ounce of thought or effort into it.  Oh well.


The next several pages were letters written to her by her brother Mel and wife; their kids, her best friends at the time and growing up; Brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.  I stuck little pieces here and there to remind her that I wanted her heart to be happy as well.


A little goodie.....Dream with your heart; Believe in miracles;  Live in peace and peace will live in you.  I wanted her to have as much inspiration as possible for the remainder of her life.  Only positives.  I wanted the last days of her life to be nothing but good; happy; and wholesome.  Smile often just for the fun of it.  God's love forever shines.


It was really nice to hear some of the stories about how the Queen made her way into the hearts of the King and his family. In my book, I have a "Thank You" page.  And although this book was for the Queen, these thank you's also go to the King.  


Thank you...for letting me eat meals with the prisoners.  It taught me that good people make mistakes too.


Thank you...for letting me run barefoot and in my swimsuit all year long.  It taught me freedom to make some decisions on my own even at a young age.


Thank you...for letting me "hang out" at the courthouse.  It taught me to get to know people and to respect my elders.


Thank you...for letting me run away from home.  It taught me that there is no place like home.


Thank you...for letting me spend so much time with Frannie, the lady across the street.  She taught me to appreciate things in life that we sometimes take for granted.


Thank you...for letting me send postcards to the swimming pool when we went on vacation.  It taught me that it's okay to miss the things you love.  And the people you love.


Thank you...for laughing when I cry and crying when I laugh.


Thank you...for being there for me when I needed you the most but also for being there for me when I needed you the least.


Thank you...for being my absolute best friend in life.  I love you with all my heart.


Next, I inserted several pages of cards that were sent...with the original notes or letters inside them.  As I flip through the book, I see that she added cards from Easter, from her birthday..........things that meant a lot to her.


Then comes the typed pages.  Folded up.  Because the person that wrote them, didn't want everybody to read them.  At least not yet.  


Dear Mom.....


Never forget to take some time and remember all the good things that have happened in your life.  There are so many times that I will never forget. Like
going to Attle to shop before Christmas.  We wanted to find a restaurant and you said "no" to one because it had too many cars in the parking lot and when I suggested another one, you said "no" because it had too few cars in the parking lot!  Sometimes I wonder HOW we ever got to eat a meal.  Neither of us would make the decision WHERE to eat.


Going to Cannle before Christmas and having tea at that Frog place.  Ashley loved that place.  She would get all excited when all of us women would head north.  I miss that. All the times we would go to decorate at the cemetery and play "pick me" with Jeannie or "red rover."  You know grandma and dad were looking down on us and laughing.


Remember driving around the hometown at 0400 hrs. one night amazed at how many people in town leave their lights on all over their house?  When we least expected it, there was a man walking in the middle of the street and it scared us both half to death!!  Or driving to Nebraska for a family reunion and Perry had you and Petunia convinced that there was a UFO ahead of us.  


And of course, we can never forget that fateful question the in-house drunk asked you..."Queen, what's a furburger?"  You can thank Hal for that one.  I thought the King was going to come unglued and I am sure the in-house drunk didn't close both eyes that night.  


Some stories I will never forget hearing about:  You leaving Petunia's house and forgetting me (as a baby) sleeping on her bed.  She came running after you.  SHE didn't even want me!  And another...the card in my baby book that your grandma wrote to you saying Matilda wanted to trade me for a watermelon.  It's a wonder I have ANY self-esteem at all!  -_-  And speaking of watermelons!  Remember Mel having a spiked watermelon in his refrigerator and letting me eat it and eat it and eat it because I wanted some and he didn't want YOU to know that he had spiked it??


I vividly remember when Marta and Manny came home to talk to you and the King about her pregnancy and what they had planned to do.  I was told to go to the front room and to stay there.  I knew something bad was going to happen so I listened around the corner and as soon as I heard that she was going to have a BABY, I high tailed it upstairs.  I didn't want to be a witness to anything!!


Growing up in the castle was probably my best memory.  I know that I had a unique childhood.  How many people can say they had a JAIL in the back of their house?  I loved that.  The only drawback to living there was the bats.  Every time I see or hear Lawrence Welk, I think of the night that bat was flying around in the living room.  Herc and Matilda ran out the door of the house and I ran through the kitchen at a dead run telling you there was a bat.  I didn't look back but I could tell you were right on my heels.  And I still don't know how someone can trip over a box the size of a refrigerator!  -_-


When dad died, I remember going to grandma's house and falling on the couch beside her and crying my eyes out.  She hugged me so tightly and told me that it should have been her and not dad.  And it wasn't but a few short months before we lost her.  That was such a tough year for all of us.


So far, the saddest time of my life is when we lost our beloved Ashley.  To this day it breaks my heart as I know it does yours.  When I got to Marta and Manny's house that night, all I wanted was my mom.  You were the only thing I had to make me feel better and it was a great comfort to me to be able to be with you through that.  I wish I had some memory of Marla, mom.  I feel bad that I don't.  I hear stories about her and wish that I had something of her to hold onto.  I was so young.  I admire you for the strength you had to have to get through that. 


Every time I travel someplace, I always hear you saying "you're just like your dad.  You have to take a different road every time."  You'll be happy to know, when I come to visit, I take the same road every time.  -_-  I always remember Ashley's favorite "driving" story.  Her and Pamela told dad that they threw the pillow out the window and dad got so angry.  I can still hear Ashley laugh about that.


So many laughs we had when you stayed with us in G-town.  Oscar the cat crawling up the heater vent and trying to crawl out during our dinner.  You always said that you would never be able to get to the basement if there was a tornado but when push came to shove, you beat me, the in-house drunk AND the little girl I was babysitting.  It's a wonder you even stayed with us after the time the in-house drunk yelled at you when we lived in that apartment.  One MORE time you flew down a flight of stairs!!


Food has always been a common denominator with our family.  Hal and I getting into it at the hometown cafe; Matilda and I getting into it at Hardee's  and Herc and his bridezilla getting into it at McDonald's. Maybe that food thing isn't a good thing after all???  But we can't forget the comment cards.  Don't fret mom.  I STILL fill all those out.  Remember when we waited in line at the drive thru at Burger King for thirty minutes, waiting for our breakfast?  I never DID receive a coupon for that!!  And speaking of......we were in that town for the garage sales.  Remember the little red car with the big ole chair shoved in the back of it?  


Remember when you, me and Freddy went to get ice cream up north?  You turned on the wrong side of the median to get out of town and you thought the cops were following us so you pulled into the cemetery and hid.  You told Freddy not to tell anyone and the first thing he did when we returned was to tell his dad and grandpa that we were hiding from the cops!


The worthless one's favorite story to tell about you is about the first weekend we came up after we were married and we went to church.  Dottie asked us if we would like to have a dinner at her house.  We went to Herc's after church and called you and before long, you had pulled a complete buffet out of your little pantry.


I will close this now.  Didn't think it would be quite this long.  I hope you're still awake.  I hope the deer don't run you over when you go get your mail and I am glad that you have a pet bird to walk with you... even if he does go by the name of Grandpa!!


Love you mom,


Your most amusing daughter, Amelia <3


Wow, that really IS long!  I hope YOU'RE still awake!  I have never regretted making this book for her.  And I'm glad I found it.  Well.....I should give the credit to my Prince.  He is the one that found it.  After about three weeks of me looking everywhere.  It's amazing what you find in the china hutch that's buried in the back of your closet!  -_-  I hope you enjoyed my little tribute to the King and Queen (even if it looks like it leaned more toward the Queen).  


I love sharing these intimate times of my life with you.  It almost takes me back to that time.  Childhood...the best time of my life.