Going Through Some Old Files--Nancy Kathleen Burton

Nancy Kathleen Burton in front of her home at about 18 months-2 years.  

Last night I was going through some old files that I wanted to get rid of.  Instead of finding garbage, I found some incredible treasures.  Among the diamonds, I discovered that I had photos of mom's class pictures from Afton Elementary School.  

First grade--I can't find which little girl is mom.

In her first grade picture, I couldn't find her--and then I remembered that she was sick with rheumatic fever for most of the year.  Here are the other class photographs that I found.

There is a program of a class musical for mom's 3rd grade class.  She is listed as playing the bells.  She's on the first row, second from the right--holding a ring of jingle bells.  

A close-up of mom--bells in hand.  I love the hat.

Mom, listed as Nancy K. Burton, played the piano, Strauss' "Blue Danube".

Mom's listed under "Bells" as Nancy Kay Burton.

This is mom in her 5th grade picture.  She's on the back row, 4th from the left.  

Mom's 6th grade picture.  She's in the second row, 5th from the left.

I think that the arrow points to mom, but there's no indication of the grade.  They look like they're older than 6th grade to me.  Aunt Janie thought that it was probably 7th or even 8th grade.

I can't get over the feeling that came over me as I pulled out piles of old papers and discovered all of these old photographs.  It was as if a magic quiet came over my soul.  

There was another photograph I found of mom as a bridesmaid for her best friend Jeanean Gardner's wedding.  She is sitting so still--most of my memories of mom have her in constant action:  playing the organ at church, playing the flute with me as we sit at the piano, her hands moving over the piano keys while Susan, Martha and I sang.  She bought matching rain coats and umbrellas for the three of us and taught us a dance routine for "Singing In the Rain"--a number that we did for the Ward Talent Night while we were living in Edina, MN.  (6105 Parnell Avenue, Edina MN 55424)  Mom was always moving the furniture around the house.  She was home room mother for all of us--I remember the burnt spud nut left overs that remained on the countertop after she took all the good ones for one of our class parties.  There were the chives that she brought all the way from Wyoming and planted on the side of our Minnesota home--she would go out and cut a handful to put in our breakfast scrambled eggs.  Then there were the scrambled eggs that mom made for Crook--our Siamese cat--while all of us kids had to eat oatmeal for breakfast.  I remember her rubbing a popsicle on Nathan's mumps while he slurped it down--Nate was only about a year old and she couldn't get him to keep anything cold on his neck to ease the fever and pain.  I was kind of grossed out that he would be so sticky--but the ruse worked and the fever and swelling did subside.  I still love rice baby cereal mixed with milk (though mom preferred formula with hers) for breakfast.  I also remember a night when we were sitting at the great big round table, eating "hotdog pennies" with cottage cheese for supper--while I watched through the kitchen windows as mom worked in the backyard.  Dad was gone to Georgia for work from Monday to Friday.  Mom must have been lonely--but I remember only all of the things that she did keeping the house clean.  There were evenings sitting downstairs on the cold floor while we all folded clothes that had gathered into clean mountains of colour on the folding table.  I remember the chute that dad made between floors so that we could send our dirty clothes downstairs from the upstairs bathroom.  There was also the huge blackboard on the basement wall--across from the washer and dryer.  And Thanksgiving with 30 or 40 people filling our basement--on the side with carpeting and the TV--laying around and watching TV after the huge meal.  I was sitting upstairs with mom and dad in the kitchen after a Christmas dinner with turkey and pies and whip cream--Nathan had asked for an apple before we ate and mom told him that he could have one after we ate.  While everyone was having seconds on dessert--Nathan came and asked mom if he could have an apple now.  

So many strange bits and pieces come back to me tonight.  I was talking with a doctor this morning and he asked me about mom and dad--if they were alive, in good health, etc.  I told him about dad and his work and then he asked me what mom did.  She was a mom, I told him--just what she always wanted to be.  I hadn't thought about what a unique family we had growing up--a dad who was faithful and loving--and a mom who didn't work for pay, but was happy being in our home--there when we came home from school.  

We were very lucky people.