| From jrhome.org Letters from Homekids and Friends July and August have been busy months for my family. We’ve put over 5,000 miles on our car traveling to Louisville , KY for a family funeral and to North Carolina for a beach vacation. This has been followed by our annual trip to Tiffin with part of my family (husband, Mark and younger son, Daniel). Mark and Daniel started coming along with me about four years ago. (With my rusty memory, I think I’ve been back for twelve years.) My brother, Wayne has been coming back much longer, and his wife Barbara has become part of the festivities as well. Paul Morrison also visited Tiffin the year that Wayne served as president of the alumni association. What a wonderful weekend this was for us. There will be so many memories to share with people I know. It’s always a mixture of happinessas well as sadness, and I leave each year hoping that everyone can return next year, but know that time is catching up with a lot of Home Kids. It’s so hard to explain the special magic that occurs when Home Kids and their families get together – you have to experience it first hand to sense the strong feelings, attachments, memories and emotions that envelope the unique individuals who are there. Things that will remain in my mind and heart from this special time: Seeing the Home Kids’ kids that I have gotten to know over the last few years:Lisa Dittus Weaver (minus Jimmy this year); Linda and Sherry; Jack Peacock; Rhoda Bressler; and, Colleen (whose last name escapes me). There are others I recognize each year, but time always seems so short and we’re running everywhere – there’s always a hug, even if names aren’t always remembered. Corky, Dot Peacock, Dot Moore, Earl and Louise, Eleanor and Leroy, Susie and Noralee, Lulu, Jim Voigt, and many others are people I look forward to seeing. I was determined this year to be out and around Tiffin and see more sites not just related to the Home. Last year Lisa introduced me to the beautiful glassware at Crystal Traditions. Friday morning, we (Mark, Daniel, Lisa and me) went by the store and were fortunate to see not just the sales area, but also meet the glasscutter, Aiden, who gave us a demonstration of his skilled craft. He is a one of a kind glasscutter in the U.S. and comes from County Cork . He studied years ago with Waterford Glass and has far surpassed what their workers can do because he handles crafting glass from beginning to end. Very little of his work is “production” (except mainly the annual Christmas ornament) – most is one of a kind and many things are custom ordered. Be sure to go by next year - maybe the glass blower will be there as well. They have a web site you can visit. The Dittus “clan” always includes a good representation from Arkansas andNorth Carolina . We were very happy the Seneca Museum was open on Friday. A large group of us visited and were especially pleased with the room devoted to the “Home”. I was especially thrilled to see a photograph of my Dad’s (Andrew Morrison) graduating class of 1935 on the wall. I don’t think I’ve been inside the museum for at least eight years – it usually seems to be closed when we are there. Also, in the basement hanging on the far back wall is an oil painting that is part of my family history – Col. William Crawford is portrayed being burned at the stake during the French/Indian War – he was part of my Mom’s family history and was married to one of her ancestor’s daughters. If you happen to visit the museum next year, while you are walking through be sure to look up at the ceilings – there are beautiful, unusual light fixtures scattered throughout the building. The museum is being updated and renovated and I encourage donations to be sent their way. Lisa, Ashley and I split off from the group and made a trip to the “Shake Shack” on S. Washington Street (near six corners). What delicious ice cream – it’s a great local spot to visit. Townees are curious when they see out of state tags. They especially like accents they don’t usually hear. On the way back to the Quality Inn, we decided to stop at the Ritz Theater and succeeded in talking our way in for a tour. We’ve always seen it from the outside and heard stories about Home Kids going there, but now had the opportunity to see the interior. (I’m sure pleased that I’ve gotten over being shy - the gift of gab sometimes works in mysterious ways.) We took several photos and got a bit of a history from one of the people who works there. Beautiful murals, painted plaster embellishments, antique light fixtures and chandeliers are still there and are beautifully maintained. (I’ll send photos I’ve taken of the Ritz to the Jr. Order web site.) The guide told us she often hears stories about people going there for their first dates. I’ve heard some Home Kids tried to sneak in, and others worked very hard to earn money for cab fare from the Home and for tickets. What an opportunity – I hope the theater will be open for tours next year for Homecoming. The corn roast is another activity I look forward to, as well as the Memorial Service. There is something about grilled corn at the park that doesn’t match the taste of corn I have at home. The setting and Home Kids and their Tagalongs encourage people to talk and reminisce. Someone with a good movie camera and/or tape recorder needs to be at all the “events” to record stories told (and re-told). The memorial service was very well organized and a photographer from the Advertiser-Tribune was there. You can see her photos on the newspaper web site. Something new we did this year, after obtaining permission from management at the hotel, we had a small bonfire behind the Quality Inn on Friday and Saturday evenings. Although we had to brave the mosquitos, it made for another setting for talking and laughter. After the dance Saturday night, a car was pulled up forty feet from the fire and music from the 1940s and 1950s was played on the radio while a few light-hearted souls danced in the parking lot. Brave hearted souls sang along with most of the music. Impromptu fun can often be the best. We scrounged logs and kindling from along the river and worked to remember how to start a good fire (and put it out at the end for safety). A very special experience this year was the chance to meet Preston and Yolanda Wallace from Texas . It was his first time back in sixty-three years. (I hope this is correct.) Hearing his stories about being a Home Kid, and his life after the Home was fascinating – they are both very beautiful people and we hope they return next year. I need to start carrying a pen and pad when I talk to folks over the weekend. I met a Home Kid (now in his eighties) in church who had to leave when he was sixteen because the Council supporting him “folded”. He left with a pair of new sneakers and parlayed them with a truck driver to take him to Dayton where he enlisted in the Navy. The church is still a place to enjoy solitude and memories. The stained glass windows are beautiful and I especially like the one in the balcony with the Bible verse that begins “Suffer the little children to come unto me…” I still remember (Genevieve) Micky Mellott (one of my Dad’s classmates) telling me that she used to occasionally roll marbles down the stairs of the balcony. Someone else told me she would sometimes hide in one of the lockers in the basement so she didn’t have to attend services. There are many other stories to be collected and told. Perhaps next year the new ramp and elevator will be finished to enable people with disabilities to more easily enjoy the sanctuary. This was a sad year for my family because my Dad (Andrew Morrison) was one of the names read from the list of people who have died in the last year. He always told us (Fay, Wayne, Paul, me) stories about being at the Home. Mom (Fay) and Dad attended Homecoming for many years, driving from their home in Vienna , Va. He last attended in 2000 because he was becoming increasingly disabled from Parkinson’s disease, but he always wanted to hear about our experiences at Homecoming when we returned to Virginia . Things that I witness over and over again during Homecoming weekend are the many kindnesses (small and large) that are expressed and given, both in words and deed. There are many “mitzvahs” (good deeds) going on during the weekend. The best “mitzvahs” are ones that are done discreetly and with a good heart and with no intention of being displayed or broadcast to others. I see hugs and good words, pats on the back, helping hands when someone is unsteady on their feet, devotion from caring adult children who bring their Home Kid parents, cards being signed to be sent to inspire persons who are ill or who have lost loved ones, donations being made, and the list goes on and on. Kindness and loyalty are two traits that are evident, and, of course, not being on time, but being EARLY. And, the importance of family can be seen everywhere you look. I also have to remark about the hotel staff at the Quality Inn- they work very hard to make the Home Kids feel welcome and take care of problems as they occur. The new mattresses and bedcovers were mentioned by a lot of people. It’s hard work when we “descend” on them each year, but some of them make a point to work Homecoming weekend so they can see people they enjoy. Skipping to the banquet (because I missed the picnic), many people were pleased with Joe Buckley’s slide collection. It was fun seeing old and new photos that brought back memories of past friends and cottage mates. Hearing Leroy McDonald’s account of how he and Eleanor (Home Kid) became life mates was heart warming, and, an appropriate homage because it was their 47th anniversary. Maybe next year, there can be more about the romances that continued (or grew from) the Home. The good-natured silliness and laughter at the After Glow makes leaving a bit easier, and maybe some day I’ll be able to make it to the infamous bean fest on Monday. (Our son, Daniel has to be back in Virginia on Monday because school starts the next day.) I think that after writing all of this, I feel like is should be titled something like “Ramblings with Marjorie” – please excuse grammatical errors and other mistakes because I wrote this quickly on September 4th in an effort to capture things I experienced before my aging brain loses the information. Thanks to everyone who works hard to make the weekend a success and to those who work in between to keep the Junior Home Association going. You have enriched my life in more ways than you’ll ever know. (Please visit the Junior Home web site to see photos that I’ve emailed from the weekend. Lots of others photographers will send their as well.) See you next year in Tiffin . With Home Kid love and affection, Marjorie Morrison (9/4/07)
NOTE: See Marjorie's Homecoming photos in the Photo Gallery
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