GOOD STORY ABOUT A MOTHER'S GRIEF
This picture proudly, once again, hangs in my home.
It belongs to Roddie but he has allowed me to keep it for
him until he is once again ready for it.
It's a picture of Daddy in white and Uncle Emel.
But let me share the story that goes with this picture,
the same one that fascinated Roddie so much that
he begged Momma for the picture when he was young.
WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER, I ASKED DADDY IF
I COULD GO THROUGH ALL HIS OLD PICTURES
AND PUT SOME TYPE OF ORGANIZATION TO THEM.
HE BRUSHED ME OFF AND SAID HE DIDN'T CARE.
I GUESS EVEN THEN I WAS A BUDDING SCRAPBOOKER.
WHILE PLAYING IN ALL THOSE OLD PICTURES
I CAME ACROSS A 5X7 OF THIS SAME PICTURE ABOVE
BUT DIDN'T KNOW THE ONE ABOVE EXISTED.
HOWEVER, THE SMALL ONE WAS DIFFERENT FROM THIS ONE.
THE SMALLER ONE HAD A PICTURE OF A LITTLE GIRL
STANDING ON THE SIDE OF DADDY.
I DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THE GIRL SO I BROUGHT IT TO DADDY
AND ASKED HIM WHO SHE WAS.
HE NONCHALANTLY TOLD ME THAT WAS HIS SISTER
OLIVIA.
OLIVIA, OLIVIA? DIDN'T KNOW HER...
HE TOLD ME THAT NOT LONG AFTER THE PICTURE
WAS TAKEN SHE WAS HIT IN THE BACK WITH A SWING.
SHE BECAME SICK AND DIED.
WELL, THIS FREAKED ME OUT, AN AUNT THAT
I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT?
HE WOULDN'T GIVE ME MORE INFORMATION.
I WENT ON AND GREW UP.
WHILE PACKING MOMMA TO MOVE INTO HER TRAILER,
I CAME ACROSS THIS PICTURE ABOVE.
I IMMEDIATELY LOVED IT AND RECOGNIZED IT
BUT NOTICED THE LITTLE GIRL WAS MISSING.
IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT THE PICTURE
YOU CAN SEE THAT THE LEFT SIDE IS BLURRED OUT.
I WAS SO UPSET ABOUT THE FACT THAT SHE WASN'T THERE.
I QUESTIONED MOMMA AND TOLD HER HOW
I REMEMBER THE OTHER PICTURE AND THERE SHOULD
BE A GIRL NAMED OLIVIA IN THIS PICTURE.
THEN MOMMA SHARED WITH ME THE TRUE STORY
OF OLIVIA...
SHE DIED OF A HIGH FEVER, NOT SURE IF
SHE HAD A RUPTURED APPENDIX OR RUPTURED
HER KIDNEY WHEN SHE FELL OF THE SWING.
HOWEVER, HER MOMMA WENT INTO A SEVERE
DEPRESSION AFTER HER DEATH BLAMING
HERSELF FOR THE LOSS OF THE LITTLE
GIRL WHO WAS, MOM THOUGHT 11.
THE ONLY WAY SHE COULD GET OVER IT
WAS TO PRETEND SHE NEVER EXISTED
SO SHE GOT RID OF EVERY PICTURE OF OLIVIA.
TOOK HER OFF OF EVERY PICTURE THAT EXISTED.
FORBID ANYONE FROM SPEAKING OF HER.
ONLY IN THIS WAY COULD SHE GO ON WITH
HER LIFE AND RAISE HER OTHER CHILDREN.
I SEARCHED FOR THE 5X7 PICTURE AND WAS
NEVER ABLE TO FIND IT AGAIN.
MOM THOUGHT THAT DADDY HAD GOTTEN
RID OF IT AFTER I FOUND IT.
Can you imagine how painful it must be to loose
a child that it would be easier to pretend
she never existed!
After Roddie heard this story he begged for
the picture, and mom never could tell Roddie no.
He hung this picture in his room
the whole time he was growing up
and told the story many, many times.
Some of you may have heard it from him
or me.
However it still blows my mind and wanted to share it again.
love to all!,
Wow, I never, ever knew anything about this until now. Yes, I can see where the loss, and worst, guilt of losing a child, is unbearable and how else do you ever get over something like that? At least she thought about the other children suffering with, not only the loss of a sister, but, in a way, a Mother as well.
ReplyDeleteCrazy Shit, there!!! Thanks for the story and the opportunity to see this picture. Now I know why I'm so darn cute...I look like Daddy....Shut Up Peter!!!
I KNEW ABOUT THAT PICTURE BUT THANKS FOR BLOGGING IT. IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE I SAW IT AND I REMEMBER SEEING OLIVIA IN THE ORIGINAL ONCE OR TWICE. I JUST WONDER WHO AND HOW SHE WAS TAKEN OFF. LIL DO YOU REMEMBER SEEING HER IN THE PICTURE? I REMEMBER SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT HER, MAYBE SHE WAS KIND OF LEANING ON DAD OR HOLDING HIS HAND OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. DO YOU REMEMBER? IF I WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED ABOUT HER ONE OF MY GIRLS WOULD HAVE BEEN OLIVIA BUT AS I SAID THE MEMORY RETURNED WHEN I SAW THE PICTURE AGAIN. I WAS A YOUNG GIRL WHEN I SAW THIS PIC FOR THE FIRST TIME AND MOM TELLING ME THE STORY.
ReplyDeleteL YLL
RONNIE
WOW, thanks Lilly for such a great blog. I remember seeing that picture. And I remember being told that Daddy once had a sister who died. But I never knew how she died. I not sure if I remember the name “Olivia.” But it sounds familiar. But I never put these two together. I sure wish some one could come up with that smaller picture though. I sure would like to have a copy of that.
ReplyDeleteThanks again for such a great blog and even greater story.
L-U-A,
Peter
I searched for the original and just can't find it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, a few months ago I was in contact with my nannie, ( ta-ta)
and I asked her if I could come one day with my scanner and look and scan some of her old pictures, she told me yes and so it may be time to get to her home,
if anyone has a copy of the original, she'll have it but she hasn't been well lately so I need to do that soon,
Maybe I'll go down on Friday on my way to GM.
Ronnie you may be remembering not daddy holding her hand but that mom said daddy was mad that he had to take the picture, as seen on his face.
momma said he kept telling his momma that he was going to pee on himself if she didn't let him go.
momma insists his foot is crooked in the picture because he had peed on himself but I never heard that from Daddy, only momma.
Lil, this is a very interesting story. Olivia is a beautiful name. I hope Aunt Ta Ta has a picture of her. I can totally understand your Grandmother not wanting to continue to endure the pain but it would have been nice for her to hide a picture of Olivia for years later so she would have part of her left to share with the family.
ReplyDeleteokay my curiosity got the best of my so I called Nannie.
ReplyDeleteShe said no pictures of Olivia, all those were lost in the storm in GRAND ISLE!??? what in the heck is she talking about?
but she may have some pictures of her sister, Rita that died when she was 9!!!!
Rita, I don't even know about Rita!!!!
Isn't it weird that we don't know so much about our own Daddy!!!!
Anywho, I told her me and momma are coming on Friday and I want to see and hear all these stories and maybe it'll even spark some memories in momma....
I'm wondering if Rita and Olivia are one in the same but she didn't make it seem like that, she made it seem they were two separate sisters.
Hopefully I'll get some scanned pictures to share with you all.
She made it sound like she has been waiting for me to come because she found some old pictures for me...
now I am pumped!!!!!
RITA!!!!!!!!!!!!! I NEVER HEARD OF RITA. I AN ALSO WONDERING IF OLIVIA AND RITA ARE ONE IN THE SAME?? IF YOU REMEMBER NOT SO LONG AGO RANDY CHERAMIE WAS IN A PLAY WRITTEN BY GLENN PITRE ABOUT THE GRAND ISLE HURRICANE. THERE WAS A COMMERCIAL ON TV ABOUT IT AND UNCLE DAIZE WAS PART OF IT. THEY REINACTED THE HURRICANE (CAN'T REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE PLAY) WITH RANDY PLAYING THE PART OF UNCLE DAIZE.
ReplyDeleteSEEMS LIKE WE ARE LEARNING MORE AND MORE ABOUT OUR FAMILY. I AM WONDERING ALSO WHAT EXACTLY HAPPENED BETWEEN THE COLLINS FAMILY AND THE CHERAMIE FAMILY. I KNOW WHEN MOM AND DAD STARTED SEEING EACH OTHER THE TWO FAMILIES WERE NOT TALKING. THAT IS WHY MOM AND DAD ELOPED BECAUSE THEY KNEW THE TWO FAMILIES WOULD NOT ALLOW THEM TO MARRY. HEY LIL ASK TATA IF YOU GET A CHANCE. I MIGHT GO OVER WITH YOU'LL FRIDAY.
oh she would love to see you also!!!
ReplyDeleteI told her we would be there at around 1:00 and she sounded really excited.
Also all who are following, Tedi is performing dances she learned this week on Friday at 4:15 at the GM gym.
Abby is coming with me and I believe Lisa is coming also.
If you guys can make it I just know she will be so excited to have her own cheering team!!!
WOW, SO INSITFUL!!! YOU KNOW, LIL, I HAVE NO MEMORIES!! I EITHER NEED ALHIZEMERS MEDICATION NOW OR AM BLOCKING SOMETHING OUT!!! WHO KNOWS????
ReplyDeleteLOVE YOU ALL,
TIFF
I love this family .... they may lose you , they may forget you , but if you're theirs, THEY WILL FIND YOU! For the record ... I've got four and only four kids ... none have disappeared ... one tried like hell to get away but she hasn't succeeded yet. One wanted to run away but didn't and I believe one from time to time doesn't want us but only when he's forced to take a bath. He's coming around.
ReplyDeleteNOW TIF YOU WANT US ALL TO BELIEVE YOU HAVE NO MEMORY BUT I KNOW BETTER! HOW CAN YOU FORGET
ReplyDelete"I'M LEAVING ON A JET PLANE
DON'T KNOW IF I'LL BE BACK AGAIN"
TELL ME YOU DON'T REMEMBER YOU AND LIL WRITING THAT SONG AND SINGING IT WITH A BROOM STICK AS A MICROPHONE!
L U
MOM
ANON, AND WE LOVE YOU TOO BUT PLEASE WATCH THOSE KIDS CARFULLY ESPECIALLY AMAZONE, JR!!
GOTTA LOVE THEM!
GRANNY
Mikie, that is so funny!!! You just make me laugh...I thought it was the way you LOOKED that made me laugh all these years, but know I realize it's your humor...Ah, I feel so much better now!!
ReplyDeleteLove ya,
Aunt C
NOW, NOW "SNOT NOSE C"! BE NICE TO YOUR NEPHEW-IN-LAW! AFTER ALL, HE IS THE ONLY ONE THAT NEVER CALL YOU "SNOT NOSE C"!
ReplyDeleteGOTTA LOVE HIM (HE'S HERE TO STAY)