March 4th

Today is the day of the big parade. I hope you did not forget. All of the bands are going to line up downtown and march forth. March 4th.......

My mother told me that joke with the comment that it was the only joke that she learned from her mother.

My mother's mother. My grandmother. Louise Heising was born around 1896 and died in 1989. She was German. She spoke German. Children were to be seen and not heard. She raised six of them. Four boys and two girls. My mom was the youngest. Grandma was a good cook, but since they were poor she did not have much to work with. They caught, cleaned, and ate rabbits. My mom used to talk about digging dandelion greens in the front yard for the vegetable to go with dinner. Grandma made maple syrup from scratch and baked a lamb cake every Easter. They attended church every Sunday at Concordia Lutheran Church in Kirkwood, MO.

My Grandma tried to kill herself when I was a boy. My parents never told us very much about that. She was depressed I guess and got tired of it all. I don't think that she ever worked outside the home or drove a car. She liked to bowl. That is all I know about my grandma. That's not very much.

But, she left a joke. Today is March 4th. That makes me happy. I tell her joke every year. Friends, today is the day. Don't miss the parade.

It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.