Gertrude A. Thome

 I feel so thankful and privelaged that I was able to spend all of my life with my great-grandma. I feel even more grateful that my daughter was able to be with her great-great-grandma, and it was so great to see them together. She had a big heart and as long as you were working hard, she would help you however she could. I have had many great moments with my great-grandma in all of the different stages of my life. There was one time my family and I visited her in Brownsville, and I was so sun burnt that I could not even open my eyes. She went in her yard and picked some aloe leaves and lathered my eyes with it.I was good to go after that.
One thing that I have adapted from my grandma is the love of writing cards. I have every card that my grandmother has sent me whether it was for getting good grades, Halloween, or birthdays. I love receiving the cards from her because she just wanted us to do well and know she cared. Even when we moved down to Arkansas,she would write to  me to see how everyone was doing. These are things that make me smile.  My grandma has been there for me in so many ways, and I will be forever grateful. She is resourceful, smart, generous, and an awesome grandmother. I hope that I can be as successful in my life as she was. 

My whole life is a memory of her.  She has truly been a part of my daily life my whole life.  I keep skipping from one memory to the next in my head and heart and that is a blessing.  I cannot even focus on one in particular because they are all good.  I guess my favorite memory is the many, many conversations over coffee sitting at the table together....We were both talkers and it went on for hours : ) 

   The years have passed so quickly.  Seems like a short time ago the Chuck and Maggie Herold tribe were piled into a station wagon and headed to the Thome household on Christmas eve.  Aunt Gert loved to entertain, year after year especially at Christmastime.     
   And the times she hired me to "clean her house",  boy was she hard up to "give" away cash (I think she actually had most of the chores ready to be finished before I even got there-like the dishwasher being filled...all I need do is "turn it on").  Oh, I know, she was just trying to help me out by letting me think I was helping her and paying me for the pleasure.
  How amazing for her to know the joy of being the heart of five generations, what an honor and blessing that must have been for her.   Knowing the amazing feeling I have known from being one link in a 4 generation family, I can only imagine how amazing it must feel to be not only part of 5 generations but to be the "heart" of it, well/ I can only imagine.  
   Until we meet again, rest in peace Aunt Gert.  Thank you for the memories.