Reinke Faces Life

Dear Reader:

I told the story of how I first started to give blood in Jasper Jottings back in 2005.

http://www.jasperjottings.com/2005/jasperjottings20051023.htm

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Like the good Brother who encouraged me to give blood for the first time with the exhortation, “you’re probably not too stupid to bleed right … …

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I started giving and it seemed easy enough. I never kept track of how much I gave over the years. But it was a lot. Never thought too much about it. Just a function of habit. Have an opportunity present and I’d go bleed.

(Always thought about that forgotten Brother, and wonder if he thought we all got smarter with age?)

That ALL changed in the last five weeks.

Frau was in the ER, CCU, and various parts the hospital. She had a (still) unexplained blood loss. She required 26 pints over the 5 weeks in and out of the hospital as the various doctors tried to figure it out. The magic liquid just came every time it was called for.

Wasn’t until today, when I received an email from the Red Cross about donating blood, that it really clicked.

It was this past week end, when they gave her steroids, and the blood loss slowed to a manageable pace. (She’s on a pace that says she’ll need a pint in a month.) Not a cure by any means, BUTT (there’s always a big but), if those 26 people hadn’t made time to donate, we’d be having a completely different blog post.

Now, evidently, we have good health insurance, since no one has asked me to replace or pay for the blood she’s needed.

But, believing in the Law of Karma, I’d like to replace those 26 pints. Since I don’t have 26 to spare, it would take me a few years to satisfy that “cosmic debt”. (Even though, I’ve probably “pre paid” it.) So I’m going to ask for your help.

We don’t need a formal “directed donation” of O+. But, I would appreciate if you would donate a pint. In her name, for her: “Frau Reinke”.

p.s., don’t tell her, she’d be embarrassed at the attention and mad at me for make her the center of attention.

By way of “reward”, or “punishment” depending upon your view point, I will enter everyone who donates a pint into a raffle for an autographed copy of “CHURCH 10●19●62”. Value somewhere between zero and about $60. Contest runs between now and the last day of September. Please email or mail me some evidence of the donation. I’ll figure out some way to get a random number.

Thanks for considering this request.

fjohn

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It is often difficult to collect enough blood to meet the needs of patients during the summer months. With schools out and families on vacation, it’s important for eligible donors to come forward and give the gift of life.

All blood types are needed, especially types O negative, A negative, and B negative.

Please call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or CLICK HERE http://www.redcrossblood.org/make-donation to find a convenient donation opportunity and to schedule an appointment.

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Happy Mother’s Day!

I wish my Mother and Mother-in-law was here so I could wish them both a great day.

My Mom passed early in April. Her last years were hard on her: physically and emotionally. Her dignity was gone many years before. I know she was upset with her life in her last years.

My Mother-in-law passed 38 years ago. Way to soon. And, Frau was never the same after that. She went quickly and, while shocking, it was dignified. Wonder what would have been if she’d been permitted to stay around. Life would have been different!

Neither women tolerated fools well. Both we’re hard workers.

Both women grew up poor and that went with them throughout their life.

I have many regrets, but “Life Goes On”.

Miss you Moms!

(Interesting how “Mom” is defined in the media. Mother-in-laws probably have as big an impact on your happiness as your Mom does. THe popular phrase “If momma ain’t happy, no one is” is always applied to wives; I extended it to the Moms as well.)

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One of the interesting parts of owning a “summer home” is neighbors.

You become attached, involved, and friends.

But, only for the “summer”.

That’s defined for us from when we turn the water on to when we turn it off.

Each spring, we sort of hold our breaths while we find out if everyone survived. As one of the “younger couples” on the street, each year we dread losing a few neighbors.

“Life goes on.”

Some of the neighbors are like us and open up asap and close as late as possible.

(I wish it was year round. Virtually no people in the winter. Perfect for an ITSJ like me.)

When one of my neighbors was AWOL, I decided to break my own rules about phones — I didn’t have her email — and call. With some trepidation.

(Our “rutgers womens bball games” friends have also suffered the fate of old age and passed. We have a similar dread of the first game each season to see who didn’t make it.)

So I called fearing the worst.

But it was good news, there’s a baby on the way. So we’ll have a baby next door this summer. Great. It means life goes on. And, someone to inherit that family’s summer home.

And, maybe some one to mark when our time comes.

I informed the lady in question about the direct path to my will for children named “Ferdinand”. She thanked me for a good belly laugh.

That’s me just spreading humor around.

When I introduced myself as “her favorite author calling”, she laughingly told me that I was the only author she knew. (She’ll have to get out more.) And, she too had an excuse for not reading it over the winter. Pregnancy. Guess you have to keep your priorities straight.

She should have read the book! ROFL.

Great news!

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http://www.seefeldfuneral.com/index.cfm

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Berniece M. Reinke

(June 14, 1919 – April 21, 2010)

Berniece M. Reinke, age 90, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at Elijah’s Place in Oshkosh. Berniece was born on June 14, 1919, the daughter of the late Jerome and Amanda (Plude) Burbey. She attended school in Dunbar and graduated high school there in 1937. Berniece was married to Robert E. Faehling from May 1937 to 1946. She married Carl E. Reinke in 1947 and he preceded her in death on March 30, 2006.

Berniece was a welder in the Sturgeon Bay shipyard during World War II and later worked for Hudson Company in Oshkosh. She was also employed by Sears in Oshkosh and other locations where her husband Carl was stationed with the Air Force. Berniece was also a volunteer Gray Lady for many years.

Berniece will always be cherished and missed by her daughter, Diane (George) Clark of Oostburg; son, Robert (Evelyn) Faehling of West Bend; seven grandchildren, Michael (Jody) Clark of Monument, Colorado, Todd (Debra) Clark of Stevens Point, Kristen (Kevin) Pisula of Orlando, Florida, Tami (James) Slayton of West Bend, Michelle (Brian) Schraufnagel of West Bend, Chip (Rhonda) Faehling of Kewaskum, Robin Faehling of West Bend; and fourteen great-grandchildren. She is further survived by several nieces, nephews and friends. Berniece was preceded in death by her husband, Carl; parents; four sisters and four brothers-in-law; six brothers and six sisters-in-law; two nieces and two nephews.

Memorial service for Berniece will take place at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at Seefeld Family of Funeral Chapels, 1025 Oregon Street, Oshkosh. A time of visiting and sharing of support will take place at the funeral chapel on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. until the time of service. Please visit http://www.seefeldfuneral.com to send online condolences to the family.

The family would like to a send a special thanks to the staff of Elijah’s Place, Chaplain Vicki Marxen, and Hospice Care for the kindness and wonderful care they showed our loved one.

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It’s serendipity that I found this sad news. My Mom just died in April. She always spoke lovingly about “Bernie” and how she helped her, a “Nu Yawker”, with a newborn out on the “frontier”. Strange how fate joins, separates, and rejoins us.

Even though, I didn’t know my father’s family well, I have fond memories of Grandma Reinke and my visit with her in the nursing home when I was enroute to Fairchild AFB.

I feel a little poorer now. “No man is an island, entire of itself … any manʼs death diminishes me”. I am sorry for your loss.

I’ll try to post some pictures later. Or on my blog “Reinke Faces Life”.

(I’m top row on the right.)

It’s like the “hidden from me” pane of my JoHari window just became a little smaller. I’ve opened a special email address if any of the Oregonians want to communicate with me.

Tonight, I will say a prayer for Aunt Bernie and for all that might have been. Shoulda, coulda, and woulda! They’ll kill you. You have to declare an amnesty after a year, or you’ll drive yourself nuts. Still hard to imagine what would have been possible. Were war time marriages doomed to failure? Does this all have to be chalked up to the casualties of a long ago war?

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.” — Robert Frost

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I guess I wasn’t clear enough. Bernice was married to Carl that’s my father’s brother. That makes her my aunt-in-law.

When my Mom and Dad separated, (never divorced; Catholics), it was nasty. And, I had very little contact with my West Coast Oregon Reinke family. Whenever my East Coast Bellew family did something I didn’t like, I’d always declare I was a “Reinke”. My Mom always laughed, but I think she knew it was true. I didn’t share a lot of the East Coast’s values. Still don’t. And, I attribute my “I don’t give an <synonym for excrement>” attitude to my Reinke roots. I remember my Dad wistfully describing how when fishing season came, everyone dropped everything and went fishing. While I don’t fish, (Thanks, to Ferdie, my childhood pet goldfish who died on me!), I do like that meme. Drop everything and go relax!

ROFL!

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Went to a 90th Birthday Party today for my uncle (i.e., my Mom’s sister’s husband). It was a celebration. But it made me sad. He’s great guy. Whom I’ve never seen in a bad mood or being anything less than cheerfully helpful. He has a big family and the joint was mobbed. He’s Irish. Actually born in Ireland and came over as a lad. A Golden Glover. (Maybe that’s the secret for his attitude.) So the joint was hopping.

It made me sad, because he’s obviously aging and showing it. All my “old” relatives are aging. As am I.

I guess it’s “rage at the dying of the light” type sadness.

It was NOT supposed to end like this.

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