Once the missions group starting arriving in the baggage area, Stuart was busy welcoming all of them home. His status as a registered therapy dog allows him to enter the airport. He positioned himself on Lyn’s lap for the drive home. We were excited to have her home. Things will be soon back to normal around our house – no more “camp conditions,” the term I use to describe how we live when Lyn is gone.
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A few weeks ago I wrote about some events that happened around Father’s Day at our house. I pointed out the fact that over the years I have given nicknames to several young ladies. Our daughter, Michelle, was first to assume the nickname, “Trouble,” but she is slowly redeeming herself. She came down from Noblesville to have lunch with me during my two weeks of camp conditions.
“Little Trouble” – Diana, who is our grandson’s girlfriend – helped around the house during camp conditions. She had made plans to visit her mother in Atlanta. A couple of days before Lyn’s return I took Little Trouble to the Greyhound station. She commented to me that was the first time she had ever been allowed to ride in the front seat of my car. Stuart always claims shotgun, but he was catching up on some naps and didn’t make the trip to the bus depot.
The third “Trouble” is a young gal named Daphne, who is the granddaughter of one of fellow Southport High School classmate Sharon David. Sharon, Daphne and her older sister, Sophie, went to lunch with me a few weeks ago and then stopped at my house so they could meet Lyn and our chickens. They even got to meet a few of the horses that are in a pasture across the fence from us at the Southport Equestrian Center.
A few days after they visited I got an envelope in the mail, and inside it were three smaller envelopes. The first one that I read was a thank-you card from Sharon. The other two were also cards of thanks from the girls. I got a little emotional when reading the cards.
Over the last few weeks all three of my Troubles have come together to make me smile and be proud to have them in my life. As I was writing this I caught myself thinking out loud and saying to myself, “You can never have too much “trouble” in your life.
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The origin of local streets names will be discussed when the Perry Township/Southport Historical Society meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 24, at the Perry Township Education Center, 6548 Orinoco Ave. Guest are welcome to attend and share any knowledge they may have on the subject.
Shonk is a 1960 graduate of Southport High School, a ’63 grad of Indiana Central College (now the University of Indianapolis) and a retired bus driver from Beech Grove Schools