Keith and Phyllis visit Olive's house

Keith is one half of the group 'Comfort Food' with my cousin, Joe.  They graciously played a benefit concert last October at the Olive McLorn home.  It was a great day and everyone enjoyed their music so much.  Keith was intrigued by the home and all he learned about Olive.  When I saw him at the family reunion in Kansas City he mentioned that he would like to bring his Mom up to visit the house.  It turns out that Keith's Mom, Phyllis, and Olive had a lot in common.  In fact, their lives intersected at at least one point!  (more on that later)

Keith and Phyllis came over to Julie's house the evening they arrived and we all enjoyed listening to Keith practice some songs in the living room.

The next day we met for lunch at Take Root Cafe before going to tour the Olive McLorn house.  So glad Julie was able to join in for lunch.

Julie, Phyllis, and Keith

First stop at Olive's house was the sitting room and photo albums from the trunk.  Phyllis was recognizing many places in the photos because Phyllis herself grew up in the International sector of Shanghai as her father was an engineer building roads with the Chinese government.  Clearly we could see that her family and Olive & David had run in the same circles.

Then an incredible thing happened... Phyllis quietly pointed to a photo in the album and said, "That's my Mother."  What??  We all jumped up we were so stunned!  Phyllis pointed to one particular photo and said, "yes, that is my mother in this photo."

This photo makes me smile... Keith getting a good, close look
at the photo his Mom had just pointed out...

"Yup," Keith confirmed.  "That is my grandmother in the photo!"  Isn't that incredible?  It still gives me goosebumps.  :)

We learned a lot from Phyllis because she was able to tell us where many photos were taken and who they were of (tennis group, ladies club, etc.)  What an experience to sit with her and go through these photos together.

Then it was time for the tour of the house.  Phyllis is an art historian with an emphasis in Chinese art, so the house was quite interesting to her.

It was heartwarming to see Phyllis and Keith
enjoy the house as much as we all do.

I think this dress really caught Phyllis's heart.

I have to say the signs that were so lovingly placed on Phyllis's walker touched my heart deeply.  I had to take a photo because I was so moved by them.  Beautiful.

This one says "Awake, put on thy strength."

And this one says "Tender mercies are holding you.  Love, your son."

Okay, that one did me in.  Keith, you are a wonderful son and I am proud to know you. And Phyllis was a delight to meet and spend the day with.  Her resilience and determination had a lasting impact on me.  Although she has great difficulty walking, she made her way up the flight of steps to the second floor because she wanted to experience the whole house.  It is something I won't soon forget.

I really love this photo of Phyllis and her son, Keith.