I just wrote an entire blog post and lost it! I’m thinking OH SH**! It has to be here somewhere. If it is I cannot find it. Please tell me this has happened to you. I remember when computers were new (I must be really old) and I lost things all the time! Then I discovered “ctrl Z” – it changed my life. OK, starting again.

We were the Westminster Wildcats. I was a wildcat from 1960 to 1973 with a brief stint at boarding school where I cried myself to sleep from homesickness. At Christmas, my brother told my parents they were heartless if they made me go back – bless him. So back to Westminster I went even though it was not the right school for me in general. It was the 1960’s and racial tension was high in Atlanta, so I guess my parents thought the price tag was worth it. I think it was a hardship to pay those two tuitions and I appreciate them making it happen.

Lower school (aka elementary) was great. I loved my friends, my teachers and was thankful to be in the “middle’ class, not the dumb class or the smart class. Tracking is dreadful – I doubt they do that anymore. But more on all this below. The alumni office does something cool for 50th reunions. They make a book with a submission from each class member, with pictures. I picked up the papers from the bottom of a stack this morning and saw that the deadline is TODAY! So I got to writing, which you will find below. It’s not the most cohesive of writing because I was answering a few of the 17 questions posed on the questionnaire.

One of the questions is:

What is a message that sums up your life?

Are you kidding? I skipped that one. But how about you? Maybe something comes immediately to mind – if so please share in the comment section below. I would love to see that. One of the examples said, “Live to hunt and hunt to live.” Uhh…no.

Remembering lower, middle and high school, brings a flood of emotions as I’m sure it does for you. Some good, some absolutely awful. Middle and high school is where the academics took a giant step up and I was not prepared for that. My social life was way more interesting and fun. I was also pretty convinced I didn’t measure up. It took me years to realize that not studying and failing was a lot more palatable than studying hard and still failing. I had such a fear of that that I just didn’t try at all. I still have nightmares of taking tests on books that I hadn’t read!

I think I needed a more creative approach but that wasn’t really an option so I struggled through. It wasn’t until college that I realized I was actually pretty smart. I just needed to learn how to study. Flashcards became my best friend. I’ve been a lifelong learner ever since. Hopefully your school memories are weighted to the happy side.

So, what you will find below is what I sent in for the book, along with some of the pics I sent.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!! May this holiday season and 2023 bring you peace, fun and family.

WESTMINSTER REUNION

I took a circuitous route after high school to UGA and Georgia State. I took time off whenever an opportunity arose. I took a semester to campaign for Jimmy Carter in Ohio (an important state he took!). In fact, it was an election party where I met my husband. He was the only one in the Republican room. And…he’s from Ohio. Another semester off was spent on the beach of Siesta Key with Laura Heery, while she went to New College. I got married the semester before I graduated.

Jay and I have had the adventure of 43 years together. Four sons in 6 years kept us busy and entertained! We just had our sixth grandchild last week, William Weston Crouse (another baby is due in April). Our sons are all married to amazing women and are spread out from LA to Detroit to Asheville to Charleston. There are too many pets to mention!

Jay and I were married in Atlanta and lived there for 6 years, then made the move to Sarasota, Florida. The boys loved growing up at the beach and enjoyed wearing shorts year round. After 32 years there, and one hurricane too many, we moved to Charleston, SC where one of our sons lives. Jay does ministry work for the Anglican Diocese of SC. He has a passion for getting men back to church and he leads men on a pilgrimage to Israel every fall. He’s been 12 times! I’ve been twice and will return on a couples trip next spring. Walking the ground that Jesus walked has been a highlight of my life.

Although I got to enjoy the luxury of being a stay-at-home Mom, I stayed busy with fundraisers, school activities, and having fun with friends, like the book club that I’ve been in for 35 years. When the boys were starting the college search, I was trained and practiced as an educational consultant, helping families navigate the college process. After we sent our youngest off to college, we got the unexpected gift to have our 14-year-old niece come live with us, due to a hardship in her family. She stayed with us through high school and now loves being a graphic designer in NYC. During that time, I realized a lifelong dream of becoming a nurse. I got my RN shortly before turning 60! Definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done but fascinating. I’ve enjoyed volunteering in clinics and going on medical mission trips. I don’t seem to have much time for hobbies but I would say any type of needlework (needlepoint, quilting, knitting) and I write a blog (not nearly often enough) – inthegreen.co.

What I love most about this stage of life is the variety. Having all the kids and grandkids in one place is wild, chaotic and an absolute blast. We have lots of similar-aged cousins who find playing with each other glorious. But having a quiet night at home with my husband, watching a Christmas movie is a welcome respite. Our son, Edward, has two restaurants in Charleston* for which I am the bookkeeper and that has been an interesting new passion for me. Ask me about Quickbooks!

My proudest accomplishment is also my biggest blessing, and that is how our four sons are as adults. They are so different, yet so interesting and each making a positive difference in the world. Their wives are doing the same. All great parents too. Plus they love getting together. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Westminster was quite a challenge for me academically. It took getting to college for me to realize I was smart 😊 But I have lifelong friends who I text/Zoom/vacation with on a regular basis. Elizabeth Appleby, Margaret Howell, Fay Howell, Laura Heery, Luck Gambrell, Eloise Black, Louise Wilcox and Hariett Ellis are my BFFs.

Mrs. Dean will remain my favorite teacher! Her kind and gentle way was unwavering. And I think she liked me too – haha. I got to have her for my 5th grade homeroom teacher and then again for English in 9th grade. I also had great respect for Mrs. Thurmond who taught biology. She was the first to make learning interesting for me. She was also really “hard.” She expected a lot of us and it encouraged me to rise to the challenge.

It took me a while but I have come to appreciate the education I got at Westminster. We were fortunate enough to give our sons private school educations all the way though college and I think it has given them the confidence and security to reach for their dreams and attain them.

*Come visit in Charleston:

babas on cannon

babas on meeting

Babasoncannon.com