Memories of my Mother

Jamál (Beauty), 19 ‘Alá’ (Loftiness), 173 BE - Sunday, March 19, 2017 CE about 12:32 PM Pacific Daylight Time 

My mother was born 96 years ago  today on a farm in Oklahoma. Mom grew up in a farming community. She met and married my father sometime during World War II. Dad was stationed at Nellis in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Mom worked at a maid at the county hospital here in Las Vegas. The hospital she worked at is now University Medical Center located on West Charleston Avenue. 

After my parents divorce Mom worked as a waitress at Bob's Grill in Blackwell, Oklahoma. We lived in a house on West College in Blackwell and I attended the grade school just down the street from where we lived. In Blackwell, we attended both the First Southern Baptist Church and the First Southern Baptist mission, which was located in the Smelter Heights. Eventually we moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma, where I graduated from  high school. 

We eventually moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. In Las Vegas, Mom worked at the Showboat Hotel Casino as a waitress in the coffee shop and later in the employees dining room. It was in Las Vegas that Mom and I heard about the Baha'I Faith and declared our belief in Baha'u'llah. Mom ascended into the Abha Kingdom on February 29, 2012. 

I Graduated from Shawnee High School in 1966

‘Idál (Justice), 8 Rahmat (Mercy), 166 BE – Tuesday, June 30, 2009 about 8:39 PM Pacific Time

I graduated from Shawnee High School in 1966. I haven't thought about Shawnee, Oklahoma, in a long time. However, this evening when I checked my yahoo.com e-mail there was a message about a Pizza Party for the class of 1966.

I doubt that I can go, so I'm going to have to send my regrets within the next couple of days. I would love to go and see my high school classmates, so before I can actually say either no or yes I'm going to have to take a hard look at the finances.

My gut feeling tells me I won't be able to go and my gut feeling is usually right. Still, it won't hurt to say some prayers before I make the final decision and let my classmates know I won't be there. I don't like to make any decision without praying about it; not that I haven't made decisions without prayer, but I have more regrets about the decisions if I don't pray before making them.

At 62, I've came to realize that regrets are wasted efforts, wasted thoughts. So I pray before coming to a final decision, even if my gut feeling tells me I can or can't do something. Prayer will reinforce the gut feeling or open a path.