After 38 1/2  years of marriage to her daughter and knowing her for about the same amount of time, I have a need to talk about her for a while. Everyone that knew her, will tell that she was about the most kind and giving and forgiving person they have ever known.  This is the same for me. 

     There were times that she came to my defense and not her daughter's when we lived next door to them.  She, on more than one occasion told her daughter to go back home and deal with Chuck yourself, she wasn't becoming involved.  (By the way, her daughter needed little help in dealing with Chuck.) Helen got me a Christmas present when I was dating her daughter.  Mary told her mom she wasn't sure she was going to get me a present.  That was the first year I was exposed to the traditional Harry and Gilmore Christmas parties.  The Harry party was always a week before the Gilmore party.  They always exchanged gifts with the adults and kids. It was kind of neat to shop for someone you didn't know, to try and figure out what might be appropriate.  the only thing you had to go on was a male adult (for the men) or male child (for the boys).  Not knowing who would receive the gift.  They also had a rule that you could take someone else's gift in lieu of opening one of your own.  This lead to some laughs when someone got something really neat, but the next person took it instead of opening one of their own.
Lots of fun was had during those parties.  I hate to see the Harry side of the family shrinking and going without those celebrations.    Helen was always a major contributor in those parties.


     Forgive me if I wander, different thoughts keep jumping into my mind.  One of the times I most remember about Helen was when she and John took our oldest son with them to the lake for a weekend.  Chuck tripped and fell down and hit his head.  When John and Helen brought him back on Sunday night, the bump on his head was big as an ostrich egg.  It had a big band-aid on it which emphasized it even more.  Helen started crying and apologizing profusely over the mishap.  Chuckie was in good spirits and not even conscious of the huge knot on his forehead.  He had forgotten all about it.   He just came in and started playing with Kyle and he normally would.  We told Helen that everything was ok and not to worry about it.  I really think she thought we would hate her and not ever let her watch the kids again........boy was she ever wrong!!

     Every morning Chuckie would get up and eat quite a healthy breakfast at our house and then ask to go to Grandma's and play.  He would be allowed of course.  When he got over there Grandma would be having breakfast and ask if he wanted to eat......of course he would.  Two breakfasts a day and he still stayed skinny as a rail.  I'm sure Helen knew he already ate before he came over, but she never let on.
  
    Let me know if you have any Helen stories to share.  Please use the comments or e-mail them to me thanks.  I will be adding more later............