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Valentines Day, 2022

 

Another 4 years have slipped by since my last post to Norma’s website on February 14, 2018.  At least I’m consistent…it had been 4 years since I previously posted to her site on February 8, 2014!  I must be “slipping!”

 

I awoke this morning with vivid memories of February 8, 2008.  It is now 14 years since Norma survived her brain aneurysm that cloudy cold morning.  The “Son” was surely shining from above those icy stratocumulus clouds that grey ice spitting late morning.

     

Norma’s helicopter airlifting her to UIC

 

I gave Praise and Thanks to God…and I thanked Norma for her FAITH and WILL to live.  She has always been quite the feisty one!  Not in a defiant and “in your face” feisty…but rather in a quiet, confident and polite way…if that is even possible.

 

For example, when Norma headed off to attend Kindergarten in 1953, it was determined by the nuns at St. Dennis Catholic School in Lockport that Norma’s December 31st birthday required she be pulled out of school for one more year.  Chronologically by the rules she was too young to start school. She absolutely loved going to St. Dennis for a few days and playing with all the other kids.  She was crushed when they pulled her out!!  Had she done something wrong?

 

So, the following year as you might guess, Norma wanted nothing to do with school as she clung to her older sister Nancy as Nancy headed to her first day of 2nd grade.  She wouldn’t let go!  While counting little heads in the classroom, Nancy’s nun discovered a tiny underage stowaway huddled next to Nancy clutching on to her for dear life. 

 

When Norma began to cry, fearing another expulsion and rejection, the nun looked at her sternly and stated, “we don’t put up with cry babies here!”  That’s all it took…Norma certainly did not consider herself to be a cry baby…so she took the extended hand and off they went to attend Norma’s first official day of Kindergarten.

 

Norma’s Kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Shirley Kiltz.  She was also the organist and lead soloist and choir director at St. Dennis Catholic Church.  She had a beautiful voice. 

 

This would be the second time Mrs. Kiltz would become Norma’s Kindergarten teacher.  One of Mrs. Kiltz’s first tasks was to ask each student to stand up and introduce themselves to their classmates.  Her instructions were quite simple, please stand and state your first, middle, and last name.

 

“Oh no!”  Norma had no middle-given name, and as each student stood and proudly announced their full given name, when it came time for feisty Norma to stand and share, she responded “My name is Norma Sweetie Pie Green!”  Wow, Norma had the coolest middle name EVER!  She had instant status and brand-new friends and from that moment on…she always loved and excelled at school.

 

I have always been extremely thankful for the nuns that decided to hold Norma back that one extra year.  For it was on October 18, 1968 that we first met while attending NIU in DeKalb.  We met in a barn working on a fraternity/sorority homecoming float.  We most likely may have never met had it not been for those nuns!  Norma would have been 1 year ahead of me. 

 

Norma and I were married at St. Dennis Catholic Church in Lockport on August 11, 1973.  Nearly 19 years after Mrs. Kiltz was her teacher, Norma asked Mrs. Kiltz to sing at our wedding…she too said “yes!”

 

However, when Norma asked Mrs. Kiltz to sing her favorite Hymn, Ave Maria, Mrs. Kiltz told her she would do her best, but in order to be able to hit all the key notes, she wouldn’t know if her voice would be strong enough until the day of our wedding…so she had a backup song.

 

During our ceremony Norma delivered flowers to the statue of The Blessed Virgin Mary and as she knelt at the alter, Mrs. Kiltz began to sing…..Ave Maria…

Ave Maria, gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Ave, ave dominus
Dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
Et benedictu
Et benedictus frutcus ventris, ventris tu Jesus

Ave Maria

Ave Maria, mater Dei

Ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Ora, ora pro nobis
Ora, ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Nunc, et in hora mortis
In hora mortis nostrae
In hora mortis, mortis nostrae
In hora mortis nostrae

Ave Maria
Amen

 

 

Ave Maria
Virgin of the sky
Sovereign of thanksgiving and loving mother
Accept the fervent prayer of everybody
Do not refuse
To this lost person of mine, love
Truce in his pain!
My lost soul turns to you

And full of repentment, humbles are your feet

It invokes you and waits for the true peace

That only you can give

Ave Maria

Ave Maria, full of thanksgiving

Maria, full of thanksgiving

Maria, full of thanksgiving

Ave Ave God

Your God

Be blessed among the women
And blessed

And blessed be the product of your womb

Your worn, Jesus

Ave Maria.

Norma's favorite version:  Youtube Link: Josh Groban singing Ave Maria

Ken's favorite version:   Youtube Link:  Aaron Neville

Thank you, Mrs. Kiltz, for helping make our special day so memorable.  Thank you for taking Norma’s hand that first official day of Kindergarten and instilling in her the love of school and the love of teaching, which ultimately led to her decision to open The Chalkboard for a nearly 40 year run to educationally impact our communities…”Nun” of which may have happened had it not been for those nuns!

For anyone who may be reading this post on this Valentines Day, I hope you will take pause to reflect....reflect on all the special connections and life changing experiences you have had in your life that made a significant impact on who and where you are today, and who is with you.  One thing for certain is this:  God is ALWAYS with us....at ALL times.   Peace

Love and Hugs.

 Norma and Ken.

Click any thumbnail to see larger photo

Norma The Flowergirl Mom Ireland's
98th Birthday		 With Cousin
Andy Richter

           

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