I did not marry an "Olney Man" myself, but my grandmother sure did! Edna May Reiche Olney met and fell in love with Benjamin Wilder Olney in 1927. Wilder, as he was called, was a charming man with a big wide smile and a heart to match. They were together well over 50 years. Edna was a sturdy, stubborn and loving woman. One would need those characteristics to be married to an Olney man. Their life together was up and down, sometimes frustrating but surely never boring.
You might wonder why I would choose to write a blog with such a title as this one when I am not, by definition, an Olney woman myself. Well, the Olney men in my line have been fairly well researched and written about. They were tough, adventurous, independent, and sometimes rowdy men. I can't imagine they were very easy to live with. This blog is an attempt to get to know these women and to share their stories with you. It is my hope that through this journey I will arrive at a place of compassion and understanding about my family history and what makes me who I am.
I hope you will join me.
Cheers, LYN
Posts
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Real Love
I recall a conversation with my Grandmother that scared me. When I was about 18 years old and visiting Grandma she stopped what she was doing and looked at me very seriously and proceeded to say "Lynette, be sure, very sure, about the person you marry." She said it in such a way as to make me think that maybe she had not been sure, and maybe she didn't love Grandpa. I never asked her why she felt to caution me. For years I wondered, but Grandma gave me no visible reason to doubt her love for Grandpa. Oh, he could be frustrating and for many years he was sickly. She cared for him with great concern, consistency and, for all I could tell, love. But I always had that comment in the back of my mind.
At Grandpa's funeral I was put at ease. As I signed in the comment book above me was the signature of Grandma, "Goodbye Wilder, my lover."
4 comments:
-
I love the story....this makes me ponder so many things and inspires me to consider what I could share on my own blog.
-
January 23, 2010 at 6:16 PM
-
I love stories like this! My grandparents were both, and still are, such great examples to me of what it means to be a sweet, loving, and selfless companion! We have a whole shoe box full of love letters they sent back and forth before they were married. Thank you for reminding me, I need to read them!
-
January 25, 2010 at 10:11 PM
-
Lovely to know that love outlasts all our human frailties and foibles!
-
January 28, 2010 at 3:44 PM
-
I think that you have chosen a very interesting topic for your blog. I will be interested in following it.
-
January 29, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)