Cousin Joyce visited

Last week my cousin Joyce and her husband Fred came to visit. They live in New Mexico now, after living several years in Tacoma, Washington. She is also a nurse, retired recently after her entire career in the Operating Room. Our relationship is interesting. We were in high school together at Scottland, Illinois, now Chrisman High School, in Edgar County. Our mothers were first cousins. Her mother, Lena, was a bad diabetic. Lena and Joyce's dad were sent on a trip by General Motors back in 1962; on the way home, Lena became gravely ill and died. That evening my mother and I went to see the family, and Joyce came home with us to stay until after nursing school was done for her in 1967. I was an only child, probably a brat, but Joyce and I got along well. I left for Danville for nurses training in '63 and she came up in '64. Joyce has had a lot of heart break in her life, having lost a son at age 18 to stomach cancer. Sean and my Jamie were the same age. She has a son, Greg, who is about the same age as my Sandy. Greg has 3 little kids, so she came to visit them and her big sister, Barbara and her family from Georgetown. My mother loved the visit. Joyce keyed in on Mom, and talked to her and made her laugh. There is this story about Joyce learning to do shorthand while as senior in high school. Joyce and Mom laughed so hard; well, you know what happened. After changing clothes, they could go back to studying again. I love that story. Anyway, we had a lovely visit with her and I hope she can come back again soon. Kinda like having a sister that I never had, you know. Have a good day. This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.