A Tribute
to Senora and William Turner
My Parents
And the mother and father of nine children
The midi that's playing is "Sleepy Lagoon" one of my mom's favorite songs that she sang to us all the time. Both of my parents loved music and they loved to dance. This rubbed off on all of us. They often walked around the house singing and Mom taught us many of the old songs from the 40's.
As the years went by, just about all of us learned to play an instrument of some kind, even if it was just the radio.
(l to r) Lana, Sherri, me, Hugh, Cheyrl, Elaine, Dain, Debbie. Our dear brother, Larry, passed away at the age of 49. He was a big-hearted sensitive person and a fun brother.
Dad was a master sergeant in the Air Force and so we travelled a LOT! By the time I was 18, I calculated that we'd moved an average of twice a year. That was the average. Some years we even moved 3 times.
Our life was anything but dull. I hated going to a new school every year. But when I grew up, I realized that the life I now lead in humanitarian and Christian work, would never have been possible if I hadn't had that kind of background.
This is a poem that I got in March, 1997 after hearing about my Mom's "graduation" to the next world...
Blue Rain
Blue rain runs down my window pane,
as I feel that you are here again
Soothing me from grief and pain,
saying "It'll be alright."
I hear outside my window sill
the soft cry of a whip-poor-wil
and lie here thinking of you still
In the quiet of the night.
The smells of home, the feeling of you, Mom,
I know it won't be long till I see you.
Your life so hard, the days dragged on,
but in your mother's heart you knew,
That though no gold would be your own,
your treasured children grew.
Mom and Dad, we miss you so; we miss those Christmas days,
Your whistled tune of "Sleepy Lagoon", we miss your funny ways. You did your best and now you rest--together still and deep.
But Heaven has you in her arms, you'll soon awake from sleep. And together we will be again as love replaces pain, And all the tears of yesteryears forgotten in the rain. --Linda
