I've been having
trouble coming up with a Christmas story to write about. It's not that my
mother didn't talk about Christmas, and I have plenty of Christmas memories
myself, but no particular story comes to mind.
I think that my
dilemma is that life is not really made up of stories. In order to have a
story, you have to have a sequence of events that leads up to a climax. There
has to be continuity, and drama, and the story needs to make a point: something
that illustrates a quality of the people involved, but life is not like that,
not really.
Our lives are more
like a stream of random events that we react to in various ways. Our
"stories" really have no beginnings or ends, except for birth and
death, and I expect even those events are kind of arbitrary. The way we react to
the events of our lives reflects or shapes our personalities, depending on how
you look at it, and we are all a complicated combination of everything we've experienced,
and learned up to this or some point in our lives.
Stories are
something we make up. We pick out episodes in our or in other's lives that we
think are significant or entertaining. I love stories. I love telling them and
I love hearing them, but they don't always reflect my real life, or the lives
of the characters in my stories.
I talk to one of my
cousins a lot about our family, and he reacts to the stories I write, and we
don't always agree on my spin. For instance, I loved and idolized my Uncle
Tom when I was little, and I enjoy telling stories about him that illustrate
what a remarkable person he was. I have stories about how he helped take care
of another cousin of ours, Lahoma - the "First Chickasaw Princess," after
her mother's divorce (See post of Oct. 5, 2011); how he played a trick on one
of his coworkers on a construction crew and how his victim got even by getting
the other guys to hold Tom down while they shaved his head; how he was a Golden
Gloves champion; how he tried to teach me how to box, and so on.
After reading a
long bio I wrote about Uncle Tom, my cousin pointed out to me that he was really
irresponsible, egotistical, and he had a volatile temper. I can't really deny those facts, but it doesn't change my opinion of Uncle Tom, and I
continue to spin my stories about him to reflect my admiration.
We also have an
aunt about whom our opinions differ. In her case my cousin liked her, and I didn't. Well actually I liked her until my mother told me that she was cruel to her stepson, and I have several stories
about her that illustrate how selfish and mean she was. My cousin, on the other
hand says that our aunt was nice to him and he refuses to change his opinion of
her because of my stories. He says that they merely reflect my opinion, and my
mother's.
On the other hand,
sometimes there is no story. There's no dramatic event that you can build a
story around to express your feelings. Again I'll refer back to my cousin. I've
been trying to collect stories about my mother's brothers and sisters that
represent their personalities and how they related to each other, so I asked
for his help in coming up with stories about his mother, my Aunt Oteka. Other
than supplying a few extra details for stories I already knew, the only thing
he contributed was a description. He said that his mother was
"sweet."
On that we are in
total agreement. Aunt Oteka was sweet. She made me feel good just to be around
her. She was a kind and caring wife and mother. She was funny, and thoughtful.
She was active in her community. She volunteered at the hospital and the
church. She many friends. As my mother used to say, "Everybody loved
Oteka."
That brings me back
to Christmas. Aunt Oteka loved Christmas. She loved the decorations, the
presents, the music. She loved having her family around her, and while I still
can't make a story out of it, I think Aunt Oteka's love for Christmas does
illustrate who she was, and what she meant to me.
I'm going to let
you read a letter Aunt Oteka wrote to me in 1963 telling me about her
Christmas. She had recently been in a serious auto accident that year and had been in
a coma for over a month. She came out of it with the same enthusiasm, the same
sweetness as before:
Dear Robin:
I got to talk to Sam this afternoon - that's
always good but I must admit the only disappointment on the call was not
getting to talk with you & HRH Kaliterio too.
(Sam was a nickname
Aunt Oteka gave my mother while she was helping take care of her after the
accident. HRH stands for "Her Royal Highness." My mother, Wenonah,
and Aunt Kaliteyo started putting HRH in front of their names after watching
the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. "Kaliterio" is just a
silly way of saying Aunt Kaliteyo's name. Aunt Oteka and her husband Thurman
lived in Odessa, Texas, and her two sisters, my mother Wenonah and Aunt
Kaliteyo, lived in Oklahoma City. Oteka's son Steve and I were away at College
at the time.)
I called on purpose on Sun. so we could all
have a good session. Anyway I sent my Howdy personally and I'll just try and
complete one letter and ask you to accept another apology for me being as late
as usual.
Everyone, I think, is ready for Xmas but me
and this old Santa Claus is about to have a nervous breakdown because she can't
go Xmas shopping, can't think of anything to send someone to town for &
can't even decorate the house. The Dr. says I must be patient that this will
take time. I think I've given it plenty of time already & having to spend
most of my time in bed when I'd rather be enjoying the Xmas season is just
plain disgusting!
I have something simply wonderful to tell
you! About 6:30 tonight in come the Grigsbys, the Moffits, the Momans, Handleys
and Brownings - all of them were singing Jingle Bells, wishing me a Merry Xmas
& bringing me such a beautiful package. They made me open it before Xmas.
I did and it was the AM - FM radio I have wanted for so long. They all of
course telling me I could have all the Xmas music now, etc. Robin, this is a
group of my friends that we have all been together during the Xmas season every
year. This year they didn't have their annual Xmas bridge party because they
would have had to replace Thurman & I to have the 3 foursomes it takes
& they told me they absolutely refused to replace me ever! I have really
wanted an FM so I could always have beautiful music thru the day and especially
this year I have missed the Xmas music - I admit all this but I sincerely want
to say that I have the most wonderful family & the most wonderful friends
in the whole world! It means so very much to me, it's very hard to describe and
to express how I feel but the card they brought me expresses the way I feel
about my friends, beautifully. I want all of you to hear the card & be
happy about it with me so here goes -
"Once in a while a friend is found who
proves right from the start,
To be the special kind of friend who really
warms the heart.
Once in a while a friendship's made that's
really lasting, too,
And that's the kind of friendship I have
known since I met you!"
I just can hardly describe all of this -
They plugged in my radio, the first thing I heard was an orchestra doing the
Messiah, but we all heard at my front door, another Xmas song - sure enough
there was a big group out there, singing for me! I knew most of them, some were
Scouts that I'd known from Tenderfoot to Eagle. The bunch were from St. Paul's.
They sang about 5 or 6 long songs & it was so very cold out there I
couldn't see how or why they would. I had gotten up when I heard them and made
it to the front door so I could see them. They threw me kisses & waved.
Thurman went out & took pictures of the group so I could keep it. You just
can't imagine how very happy I am tonite Robin & always will be because of
the many wonderful things that have happened. I have so very many wonderful
friends and I am so very grateful -
Mon. AM:
HRH Kaliterio called last nite - sure was
good getting to tell her about my wonderful day. I missed not getting to talk
to you again but you will have sweet little Molly's pictures I hope by Xmas.
I'll close so the postman can at least start this on its way. Sure hope all of
you have a very Merry Xmas!
Lots of love,
Oteka
I had driven down
to see Aunt Oteka on Thanksgiving with Aunt Kaliteyo and we took Molly my new
puppy along. Here's a picture of Aunt Oteka playing with Molly.
Aunt Oteka, 1963
PS: I guess this
turned into a story after all, but I will stick to my thesis. There wasn't any single
event that made Aunt Oteka special. It was every day of her life!
Thank you, Robin. You are so right about Oteka and so was Dad. She was indeed "sweet" and one of the most loving ladies I've ever known. There is not a day I don't think of her and miss her voice, her laugh, her love of family, and her joy at Christmastime. I remember she would get the hiccups every time she was stuck with the Old Maid! She was a tremendously positive influence in my life. I'm so happy, grateful and blessed to be her granddaughter.
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