Sarah Rohlfing has made a difference in the world. When Sarah Rohlfing was born, I loved her from the beginning. Sarah is my niece and she has made a difference for me.
Sarah Rohlfing was born on May 13, 1995. She is the only daughter of my brother Chris and his wife Kim. Sarah is beautiful with long dark hair and a sweet and pleasing personality. She is in 9th grade and has a lot of friends, does well in school, and is the apple of my eye.
I bought Sarah her first dress for the 4th of July the year she was born. Then I finally got to meet her on Christmas of 1995. She was there at the airport, wearing a crocheted white sweater and it was love at first site. I brought her a Santa hat and made her a bib and she had a cute little outfit on.
Her growing up years were so special. I always looked out for her and loved to buy her gifts. I spent the summer she was one in Ventura so i got to see a lot of her growing up years. Family dinners and Christmases. We went to Aunt Dorothy's to do Easter Eggs and Christmas Cookies and she and I took Sarah and Alena to the park.
When her brother was born I learned to split my love and my time between both kids. I went to Sarah's first grade and helped them plant a garden and I went to Mrs. Merritt's class and helped in the classroom. I left St. Louis a day early to attend her Christmas program at school and was there when she graduated from fifith grade.
Their family came to visit in St. Louis and we went bowling and I stayed with Sarah and Jared while their parents went to the ballgame. We named the squirrel outside my door Knocker and we had a lot of fun. One of my favorite videos they have of Sarah is at Grandma Lela's during that trip. Grandma is playing the piano and Sarah is dancing in a circle.
We have had birthday parties and she rode all the way from IL with me when I moved back to CA. We went through a two year stage when both kids would come over for a visit and stay with me and we would play and swim and hang out. She has her cousins, her friend Delaney and had her friend Danielle for a long time.
Sarah is a good girl She is fun and funny. She and my sister look and talk so much alike that sometimes you cannot tell which is which. Sarah is good at heart and solid, strong, and very mcuh loved by her parents and her brother. Not to mention the aunts, uncles and grandmas as well as cousins.
Sarah Rohlfing is not pretentious, is sweet and kind but a real kid, and is smart. She wants to be a nurse when she grows up and she does well in school. Sarah Rohlfing has and always will make a difference in my life.
Post Date 2013- Sarah is now in college and working all of the time. She is going into criminal justice and drives her truck all around town. Making great grades. She is fun, funny, and a hard worker who also knows how to have fun. I love her more than life itself and am proud to be her aunt. She is smart and has strong values, a good sense of humor, and is strong.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Mom
My top 365 includes my Mom, Lois Rohlfing. My Mom was born in Illinois. She was the third of five children. My Mom and I have enjoyed a positive relationship in our adult lives.
My Mom likes Bill O Reilly and loves to watch Fox News and Lifetime movies. She was widowed at an early age and keeps her feelings pretty much to herself. Recently on Facebook many of us commented on our memories of the day My dad died. She was left with some kids and some raising to do after that happened.
She did her best. I think my mom is the most fun when she is going out to eat or shopping. She is a mom. She did not pursue a career as most women of her generation did not. She was good to my grandma and had friends. She did not remarry after my dad died and her Al was the great love of her life in widowhood. My mom like to buy jewelry and she likes to spend time with her grandkids. She will be 80 years old this year and she is still healthy and doing well. She listens to my moaning and groaning and she is fun to hang out with.
Some of my best memories of my Mom are when I broke my arm and she came over and took care of me. We had fun. Watched movies and she was very supportive. I also remember the time she moved to California and I drove her. We stopped at Custer's Battlefield and many other places along the way. After her official retirement she obtained her police badge as a citizen cop. She still has it. She also worked part time at the theatre in Ventura and met lots of stars. My Mom worked part time for years at the Funeral Home as the hostess and the secretary. She did there what she does best. She talks to people and helped them feel better.
One of my favorite pictures of my Mom is when she and my Dad were out at the Fireman's Ball in Vandalia and she is in a pretty yellow ball gown and white gloves and holding up a cigar. I am sad for her that he died so young because I think they had a lot of fun together.
My Mom is strong and was able to persevere after my Dad's death. She moved to California at the age of 55 and started a new life over. She manages to make it work. She is kind to her neighbors and she loves her kids and grandkids. She is a role model for her strength and her perseverance. Be it Days of our Lives or Facebook, she is keeping up with the new trends and staying current with what is going on in the world.
She did her best. I think my mom is the most fun when she is going out to eat or shopping. She is a mom. She did not pursue a career as most women of her generation did not. She was good to my grandma and had friends. She did not remarry after my dad died and her Al was the great love of her life in widowhood. My mom like to buy jewelry and she likes to spend time with her grandkids. She will be 80 years old this year and she is still healthy and doing well. She listens to my moaning and groaning and she is fun to hang out with.
Some of my best memories of my Mom are when I broke my arm and she came over and took care of me. We had fun. Watched movies and she was very supportive. I also remember the time she moved to California and I drove her. We stopped at Custer's Battlefield and many other places along the way. After her official retirement she obtained her police badge as a citizen cop. She still has it. She also worked part time at the theatre in Ventura and met lots of stars. My Mom worked part time for years at the Funeral Home as the hostess and the secretary. She did there what she does best. She talks to people and helped them feel better.
One of my favorite pictures of my Mom is when she and my Dad were out at the Fireman's Ball in Vandalia and she is in a pretty yellow ball gown and white gloves and holding up a cigar. I am sad for her that he died so young because I think they had a lot of fun together.
My Mom is strong and was able to persevere after my Dad's death. She moved to California at the age of 55 and started a new life over. She manages to make it work. She is kind to her neighbors and she loves her kids and grandkids. She is a role model for her strength and her perseverance. Be it Days of our Lives or Facebook, she is keeping up with the new trends and staying current with what is going on in the world.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Aunt Dorothy
Aunt Dorothy Cheshier is another person who makes a difference. She was born in Montana and married my Uncle Cecil when she was sixteen. Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Cecil moved to California in the 1940's which is where they raised their three children. Aunt Dorothy makes a difference because she always was there for me for years when I needed support. She and Uncle Cecil were like parents to me, reaching out and taking me in and loving me so much.
But Aunt Dorothy did not just make a difference for me. She made a difference for many of the cousins in our family. She was the one who always sent cool gifts and gave such good support. She opened her home to many of us to live when we wanted to get started in California. She kept in touch with people and kept everyone connected. In addition, Aunt Dorothy loved my Grandma and would call her every
Tuesday.
Aunt Dorothy was fun too. She was fun to shop with and lots of fun to gossip with. She was also kind of opinonated and Uncle Cecil called her Norma Rae sometimes. She was positive and fun and was always there. Aunt Dorothy made a difference in my life because she took me under her wing and helped me through some really tough times. She reached out to me and she made me chicken soup and jello when I was sick and always told me how pretty I was and that I was not too fat and was important. She was instrumental in changing my perception about myself and pushing me to be my best.
Not a total cheerleader, she had opinions too and would let me know when I crossed the line.
Aunt Dorothy and my mom had a really jealous relationship and to this day I cannot determine which one fed the fire the most. I was often the subject of the tug of war between them and finally just deflated the last few years of Aunt Dorothy's life.
At her funeral in January of 2010, I saw pictures and spent time in her house and was reminded of the love and the specialness that she gave to me. She definitely made a difference in my life and the lives of others by her love, her gifts, her phone calls, and her cheerleading personality when times are down.
Regrets? I have a couple. Mainly that I did not spend enough time with her in the past couple of years and that I quite probably hurt her by my distance.
But this is about Aunt Dorothy, not me. She loved red. She loved to eat at Yolanda's in Ventura. She worked for years at the Broadway in the office. She watched the stock market show. She loved her grandkids and all of the cousins. She would stand up for what she thought was right, was a feminist in her own way, loved to shop and loved to talk and spend time with others.
Aunt Dorothy was my special sage and I will love her forever for this as will many members of the Lockart family.
But Aunt Dorothy did not just make a difference for me. She made a difference for many of the cousins in our family. She was the one who always sent cool gifts and gave such good support. She opened her home to many of us to live when we wanted to get started in California. She kept in touch with people and kept everyone connected. In addition, Aunt Dorothy loved my Grandma and would call her every
Tuesday.
Aunt Dorothy was fun too. She was fun to shop with and lots of fun to gossip with. She was also kind of opinonated and Uncle Cecil called her Norma Rae sometimes. She was positive and fun and was always there. Aunt Dorothy made a difference in my life because she took me under her wing and helped me through some really tough times. She reached out to me and she made me chicken soup and jello when I was sick and always told me how pretty I was and that I was not too fat and was important. She was instrumental in changing my perception about myself and pushing me to be my best.
Not a total cheerleader, she had opinions too and would let me know when I crossed the line.
Aunt Dorothy and my mom had a really jealous relationship and to this day I cannot determine which one fed the fire the most. I was often the subject of the tug of war between them and finally just deflated the last few years of Aunt Dorothy's life.
At her funeral in January of 2010, I saw pictures and spent time in her house and was reminded of the love and the specialness that she gave to me. She definitely made a difference in my life and the lives of others by her love, her gifts, her phone calls, and her cheerleading personality when times are down.
Regrets? I have a couple. Mainly that I did not spend enough time with her in the past couple of years and that I quite probably hurt her by my distance.
But this is about Aunt Dorothy, not me. She loved red. She loved to eat at Yolanda's in Ventura. She worked for years at the Broadway in the office. She watched the stock market show. She loved her grandkids and all of the cousins. She would stand up for what she thought was right, was a feminist in her own way, loved to shop and loved to talk and spend time with others.
Aunt Dorothy was my special sage and I will love her forever for this as will many members of the Lockart family.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Grandma
Number 1 is my Grandma, Lela Lockart. Talk about someone who made a difference in my life. Lela Lockart was born December 5, 1910. She married our grandpa when she was very young, 13 I believe. She and her mom and siblings lived in Arkansas and were pretty poor. Grandpa was twenty years older than her, a WW1 vet, and he pretty much took my Grandma at the request of her mom who could not take care of her. Some think that money was exchanged. We hope not, but nonetheless, she had her first three children by the age of 21. 15,18, and 21 I believe. Five children in all and they lived in Montana for a large part of their child years. My Mom was number three in the rotation.
They moved to Illinois where many Lockart relatives lived. Not only did my Grandma raise her five, she also parented two cousins. Her children, Roy, Dorothy, Lois, Jerry, and Mike, grew up with Vance and Jim Lockart as cousins but really as siblings.
That big farmhouse in Bluff City now belongs to my Uncle Jerry. The Farm.. that was how it was known. The farm saw many births, deaths, and priceless Christmas, Easter and family celebrations. All in all, Grandma was the center of it all. Dogs, cats, pigs, cows, a BIG garden every year. The milkhouse and the grainery.. the cistern and the root cellar. The big tree with the swing and the outhouse were all parts of our growing up years.
My Grandma was beautiful. She had soft, curly dark hair and the clearest, softest skin you can imagine. She always used Avon Vita? to soften her skin. She loved jewelry and the color red, hats, and nice clothes. She was so pretty. So loving, and so much a role model to me. She adored us. I knew and still know that there was an unconditional love from her that withstood any boundaries.
My Grandma was a hard worker. Not only did she raise all of the kids, she kept my Grandpa in check and although I don't remember him, I think he was pretty stubborn and opinionated. That side of the family had the red hair and the consitution to go along with it. She worked in restaurants for most of her life. My Grandpa died when I was four. My Uncle Mike, her son was ten. She was left to raise him by herself and I know it was tough on her.
My best memory of her as a child, one of many, was going to Robbins Restaurant with my Dad and my brother on Sunday mornings and eating breakfast. Grandma managed the kitchen and we would go back there and see her. It was so special to see her and sometimes she would sit down with us at the booth. Another great memory was when she would get up in the middle of the night and let me clean house. No matter what I wanted, she did it. She taught me to make pancakes and I would mix them up every week. I stayed at her house every week end until adolescence, and my Dad would come out and pick us up for church.
As I grew up, Grandma was still around and I became a teen ager too pre occupied to spend much time there. But as an adult, I had the privilege of spending time with her. Taking her to the eye doctor to get her cataracts out and spending the night at the Farm. Noticing that little trinkets I bought her when I was a child were still sitting on her wall. Watching her drive that big old boat car until she could no longer manuever it. She drove to California with me one year. We had a blast. One year we flew to California together and were bumped up to first class. We had a ball. Ate and drank all the way across the United States.
Grandma spent a lot of her later work years taking care of older people who could not care for themselves. Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Goodson, Mrs. Marchman. She worked so hard. I don't know if she ever knew how much she was appreciated. She loved God. Sang in church. Preached at Luster Chapel when the travelling preacher could not make it. Shimmied up a ladder to fix a shingle and got stuck on the roof when the ladder blew away. Shimmied down the drain pipe to get down. She was about 88 then.
But she was a lady from all proportions. She expected good behavior from us and when I heard, "Tracy Dee" I knew I needed to straighten up. I could devote 365 pages to my Grandma, the memories are so good and her influence so strong.
And it wasn't just me. All of us were influenced by her. Have such good memories of the farm and her love. I think she has influenced me more than anyone in the world.
Her faith, her love, and her kindness. Her non judgemental attitude and her unconditional acceptance mean the world to me. She was funny too.
Grandma died last February 12, 2009. . She had a stroke and spent her last four years in a nursing home. Still had her hair done every week and wore pretty red clothes I am sure. She got sick on Monday and was put in the hospital. Her kidneys failed on Tuesday and she fell asleep. She died early Wednesday morning at 2:30am.
Being in California and her in Illinois was so hard because I did not want her to be alone when she died. We know God was there with her. Fortuneately she had plenty of family with her that last night. That night when I went to sleep I dreamed of Grandma what seemed all night. Her dancing in pretty red dress. Her but so little and sitting in a chair in a room above the First National Bank in Vandalia. Her dying and them bringing us the red dress. So weird because I felt like she was with me all night long. I woke up that morning and called the hospital in Vandalia to be told she had passed away in the night. That night was so special to me. Esoteric almost. I felt so close to her. But i was so sad to lose her.
She loved Jesus (Oral Roberts too) and hated the Lutheran Church because they sit and stand so much. Her funeral was that week. I did not go back for it because I did not want to deal with the family dynamics. I also think that I did not go to the funeral because I wanted to keep my special memory of her and that red dress.
Every year at Christmas I would send her a poinsetta on December 5 for her birthday and for the holiday season. This year I had to order a silk one and have it taken to her gravestone. She is buried there beside my Grandpa.
Lela Lockart is one of the greatest ladies I will ever know. She was strong and kind and I never saw her ever play the victim. Even when she was sick, she was still playing strong and making sure we were ok.
I could write forever about her. My Grandma, Lela Lockart, is the greatest lady I know and one of my top,, the top of the 365.
They moved to Illinois where many Lockart relatives lived. Not only did my Grandma raise her five, she also parented two cousins. Her children, Roy, Dorothy, Lois, Jerry, and Mike, grew up with Vance and Jim Lockart as cousins but really as siblings.
That big farmhouse in Bluff City now belongs to my Uncle Jerry. The Farm.. that was how it was known. The farm saw many births, deaths, and priceless Christmas, Easter and family celebrations. All in all, Grandma was the center of it all. Dogs, cats, pigs, cows, a BIG garden every year. The milkhouse and the grainery.. the cistern and the root cellar. The big tree with the swing and the outhouse were all parts of our growing up years.
My Grandma was beautiful. She had soft, curly dark hair and the clearest, softest skin you can imagine. She always used Avon Vita? to soften her skin. She loved jewelry and the color red, hats, and nice clothes. She was so pretty. So loving, and so much a role model to me. She adored us. I knew and still know that there was an unconditional love from her that withstood any boundaries.
My Grandma was a hard worker. Not only did she raise all of the kids, she kept my Grandpa in check and although I don't remember him, I think he was pretty stubborn and opinionated. That side of the family had the red hair and the consitution to go along with it. She worked in restaurants for most of her life. My Grandpa died when I was four. My Uncle Mike, her son was ten. She was left to raise him by herself and I know it was tough on her.
My best memory of her as a child, one of many, was going to Robbins Restaurant with my Dad and my brother on Sunday mornings and eating breakfast. Grandma managed the kitchen and we would go back there and see her. It was so special to see her and sometimes she would sit down with us at the booth. Another great memory was when she would get up in the middle of the night and let me clean house. No matter what I wanted, she did it. She taught me to make pancakes and I would mix them up every week. I stayed at her house every week end until adolescence, and my Dad would come out and pick us up for church.
As I grew up, Grandma was still around and I became a teen ager too pre occupied to spend much time there. But as an adult, I had the privilege of spending time with her. Taking her to the eye doctor to get her cataracts out and spending the night at the Farm. Noticing that little trinkets I bought her when I was a child were still sitting on her wall. Watching her drive that big old boat car until she could no longer manuever it. She drove to California with me one year. We had a blast. One year we flew to California together and were bumped up to first class. We had a ball. Ate and drank all the way across the United States.
Grandma spent a lot of her later work years taking care of older people who could not care for themselves. Mrs. Allen, Mrs. Henry, Mrs. Goodson, Mrs. Marchman. She worked so hard. I don't know if she ever knew how much she was appreciated. She loved God. Sang in church. Preached at Luster Chapel when the travelling preacher could not make it. Shimmied up a ladder to fix a shingle and got stuck on the roof when the ladder blew away. Shimmied down the drain pipe to get down. She was about 88 then.
But she was a lady from all proportions. She expected good behavior from us and when I heard, "Tracy Dee" I knew I needed to straighten up. I could devote 365 pages to my Grandma, the memories are so good and her influence so strong.
And it wasn't just me. All of us were influenced by her. Have such good memories of the farm and her love. I think she has influenced me more than anyone in the world.
Her faith, her love, and her kindness. Her non judgemental attitude and her unconditional acceptance mean the world to me. She was funny too.
Grandma died last February 12, 2009. . She had a stroke and spent her last four years in a nursing home. Still had her hair done every week and wore pretty red clothes I am sure. She got sick on Monday and was put in the hospital. Her kidneys failed on Tuesday and she fell asleep. She died early Wednesday morning at 2:30am.
Being in California and her in Illinois was so hard because I did not want her to be alone when she died. We know God was there with her. Fortuneately she had plenty of family with her that last night. That night when I went to sleep I dreamed of Grandma what seemed all night. Her dancing in pretty red dress. Her but so little and sitting in a chair in a room above the First National Bank in Vandalia. Her dying and them bringing us the red dress. So weird because I felt like she was with me all night long. I woke up that morning and called the hospital in Vandalia to be told she had passed away in the night. That night was so special to me. Esoteric almost. I felt so close to her. But i was so sad to lose her.
She loved Jesus (Oral Roberts too) and hated the Lutheran Church because they sit and stand so much. Her funeral was that week. I did not go back for it because I did not want to deal with the family dynamics. I also think that I did not go to the funeral because I wanted to keep my special memory of her and that red dress.
Every year at Christmas I would send her a poinsetta on December 5 for her birthday and for the holiday season. This year I had to order a silk one and have it taken to her gravestone. She is buried there beside my Grandpa.
Lela Lockart is one of the greatest ladies I will ever know. She was strong and kind and I never saw her ever play the victim. Even when she was sick, she was still playing strong and making sure we were ok.
I could write forever about her. My Grandma, Lela Lockart, is the greatest lady I know and one of my top,, the top of the 365.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Debbie
Nestled away in a small town in Illinois is a woman of extraordinary strength and character. Debbie grew up in our small town and has been a leader there ever since. With a solid family, three beautiful children, and a faith that surpasses none.
But what makes Debbie one if my top 365's is the influence she had on me. I came to work for three years at Vandalia Middle School. We were just transitioning to a middle school and I had just left my job of 12 years at Brownstown. Coming to work with a team was a new adventure for me and somewhat difficult I can admit now. I had always run solo and suddenly needed to work with four other people. Debbie kept the light going for us during that time. Debbie kept our eye on the prize.
Debbie is kind and funny. She at that time taught geography and science. My partner in crime in initiating an advisory program, we took kids to St. Louis to see a Christmas Carol, trekked to Ramsey State Park to have a two day camp out, and created Geographish, an interdisciplinary course in English and Geography. My best teaching days were at VMS. A great principal and great colleagues. Those were my last three years as a teacher and the most creative I could imagine.
But back to Debbie. Debbie has values and lives them every day. She is real. Cares about manatees and homeless and the people next door. She is always willing to lend a hand and offer a word of support. For her there is no holding back. She has no scarcity principle when it comes to giving to others of herself. I learned from Debbie the value of patience, kindness, and family. I learned from Debbie that being the best means being yourself and giving to others.
Debbie is a great teacher. She was a great colleague. But most importantly a great role model and person with value and principle. That is why Debbie is my first post of 365 people who make a difference in the world.
But what makes Debbie one if my top 365's is the influence she had on me. I came to work for three years at Vandalia Middle School. We were just transitioning to a middle school and I had just left my job of 12 years at Brownstown. Coming to work with a team was a new adventure for me and somewhat difficult I can admit now. I had always run solo and suddenly needed to work with four other people. Debbie kept the light going for us during that time. Debbie kept our eye on the prize.
Debbie is kind and funny. She at that time taught geography and science. My partner in crime in initiating an advisory program, we took kids to St. Louis to see a Christmas Carol, trekked to Ramsey State Park to have a two day camp out, and created Geographish, an interdisciplinary course in English and Geography. My best teaching days were at VMS. A great principal and great colleagues. Those were my last three years as a teacher and the most creative I could imagine.
But back to Debbie. Debbie has values and lives them every day. She is real. Cares about manatees and homeless and the people next door. She is always willing to lend a hand and offer a word of support. For her there is no holding back. She has no scarcity principle when it comes to giving to others of herself. I learned from Debbie the value of patience, kindness, and family. I learned from Debbie that being the best means being yourself and giving to others.
Debbie is a great teacher. She was a great colleague. But most importantly a great role model and person with value and principle. That is why Debbie is my first post of 365 people who make a difference in the world.
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