THE 229TH POTW
Sara Gardner Blow
My life started in a small wooden framed house in South Alabama. My parents already had 6 children but lost a daughter at 7 years of age during the onslaught of malaria fever in 1934. My sister was 6 and the youngest. They did not expect to have any more children, Mama was 42 when I was born on April 1st. My eldest brother was joining the Navy but my other 3 brothers and sister were all living at home. Daddy was a farmer in those days and it was tough to make a living but with the boys there, they struggled through it.
Some years ago all of us took 2 vans and made a tour of our old stomping grounds and they showed me the house where I was born. How it was still standing I have no idea, but there it was in an overgrown wilderness surrounded by china berry trees. It was then I realized why I had a fondness for the smell of china berry blooms, almost like lilac.
My years of schooling took place at Blue Springs High School, from 1-12. It was a two-story wooden building with elementary on first floor and the thrill of going upstairs when you reached 7th grade!! I knew everyone in my school by name, maybe about 350 students in all. Our education was not the best since most of our teachers were local people. I had a really good English and Algebra teacher and learned more from her than anyone. I had a passion for literature and writing. I was also very good at drawing and was made Art Editor of our school paper during my last 2 years.
My real education came when I left my parents and home after graduation and took off to the big City of Montgomery. I was one thrilled young lady and excited about life. I took a business course through the help of a law firm where I worked part time. Life just took off after that and I had many interesting experiences in the working world. It was a time when men bosses took advantage of young girls and if you didn’t play along you found yourself being replaced without much notice. Thank God for Civil Rights!! It not only helped Blacks in the South, it helped Women.
My favorite job back then was working for the Editor of Montgomery Advertiser, Grover C. Hall, Jr. He taught me a lot of things by letting me sit in on his meetings with other people. From there, with his help, I went to work for the Legislature during the years of Governor George C. Wallace. It was a very exciting time!
During those years my first son was born and after several bad experiences with babysitters, I quit work to have another child and stay home with him. I made a promise to myself to not work again until my youngest child graduated from Kindergarten. I kept that promise. Life was a constant struggle but the years of raising my 2 sons in the country where we had a nice house on 20 acres of land in Hope Hull, 15 miles from Montgomery were the happiest in my life. I had to work full time and drive 80 miles a day but they were good boys and had a freedom of growing up in the country.
During these years my marriage had fallen apart, it seemed the longer we were together the more distant we became. We had been together 21 years when we divorced. It was not an easy decision but I had been unhappy for too many years and needed to make a change. It is always difficult when children have to deal with a broken family and I am sorry it had to be.
One door closes and another opens. I met Wilson in 1985 and we were married in 1986. We lived in Alabama after Mama died in 1989, then by 1991 Wilson had a strong desire to come back to Kansas. That was major for me, there were many years of a struggle to live in Kansas and want to be in Alabama. There were many trips back and forth. My sons had graduated from college and Stanley joined the Navy, Gus moved to Denver and got an accounting job. Then, I began losing family members. I left Wilson for 2 years to go back there and stay with my brother who had cancer. I was his caregiver, his office manager, his house keeper and errand girl. I also helped with my other family as they too were struggling with illness. My sister’s first husband had died from cancer and now her second was dying from it. At same time, another brother had heart surgery and did not recover from it. One died in February, one in March, and one in June. I lost my job at hospital. With help of loved ones there, I came back to Kansas. It was a good decision except I lost my sister within months of my return here.
It is possible to go through all those times and be the better for it. I am thankful everyday for every little joy and count it as a blessing from God. Wilson and I are settled now and have a strong love for each other. He plans to retire in July this year. We have been at this place about 20 years and love the old Kansas farmhouse called Cedar Hill. The only neighbors we have are the cows in the pasture during spring and summer. We can’t even see our other neighbors. There is nothing like life in the country and this down home Sweet Home Alabama girl has found something very similar here in Kansas and enjoy every moment God lets me remain in this world. I love being a friend and helping anyone who wants my help. My cyber world friends are about all I have as I am not very sociable, so all of you mean a lot to me. I met most of you here in Adland and I thank Bogdan for this community.
Sara