March is a bittersweet month for me. My birthday is on the
15th of March and 10 days later in 2008, our third set of twins, Carson and
Dylan Chenault, were welcomed into the family. But right in the middle of
those two dates, is a sad one. On March 23, 1999, our family lost our
family clown, Doyle Wyant. Any of my family members will confess that he
was a man who had a personality that would fill up the room. When I was a
little girl, I loved our big family celebrations at my grandparent's farm in
the Beech Hills but when Uncle Doyle came home, we all had just a little more
fun. He was a storyteller, a prankster, and the God of all uncles in my
eyes (sorry Uncle Duane but I'm pretty sure you'll forgive me for that!).
I hung on his every word and felt like the most important person in the
world when he would kneel down to talk to me eye-to-eye . . . something I have
done all my life with children - he taught me this. There is nothing that
makes a child feel more important.
Last night, my
Aunt Diane, the lone girl of the Wyant brood, called me to read three letters
to me from Grandpa Miller, Aunt Betty Wyant and my dad. I cried and
laughed and then as soon as we hung up, felt an immediate pang of guilt for not
keeping up with this blog. I have a lot of excuses.....my computer
crashed and I couldn't find my blog site is the best one I can come up with.
But I'm resolved now to get back to the business of this site.
Since I started this blog, we've lost our Uncle Denny and our beloved
cousin, his son, Brent Wyant and just a few weeks ago, Grandma Wyant's last
surviving brother, Johnny Miller. Uncle John helped me compile so much of
our family history by pulling out the old family Bibles years ago. And
Brent loved reading this blog.....or at least he told me that he did.
Time to get back to it.
What better way to
get started again than to start with a forgotten letter I found in one of my
drawers from Uncle Doyle just a few weeks ago? Then I have a pile, and I mean a
pile, of letters that Uncle Duane gave me that are written by Ruth Bobe to
Uncle Doyle. The lost art of writing letters again reaches out to the
Wyants who are here to remind us of the love and richness of family that we all
spring from.
In honor of Uncle
Doyle and his amazing love and generosity that he extended to all of us, I'll
share this letter that was written to me on July 20, 1996, a little less than
three years before he died. I'm sharing it not to build myself up because
I'm fairly certain that he didn't limit his admiration to just me.....he had
the special talent of making us all feel like we were his favorite even though
I'm sure none of us were!
Dearest Melinda
(my whole life, he called me BALINDA....I have no idea why he chose this letter
to change that habit!)
Thanks for
being you. I want you to know that although you are intelligent and wise,
there is something I know you don't know. Your cousins, uncles and aunt
really admire you and love you so much. You have done a tremendous job at
cultivation loving relations. You don't know how many are "in your
corner." Something tells me I must enlighten you of this. Anyhow,
take this cash and use it however just as I'm showing you appreciation for
again helping me out.
I'll be praying
for your happiness and attempting to assist you in that. Watch it work.
Love you much,
Uncle Doyle
P.S. Thanks for
helping out an old uncle.
I have absolutely
no recollection of what I did that helped him but I do remember how he had a
habit of slipping me and many others cash for just no reason at all. I'm
sure I did nothing but this was how he was, a giver - and not expectant of
anything in return.
My guess is that
he learned this art of giving from Ruth Bobe. One of the first letters in
the pack from Uncle Duane is in her handwriting to Uncle Doyle. Its
heading says "Strictly Business."
It reads:
The last note you three boys signed was for $1200 or $400
for each of you. As time went on, you paid some, for which I respected
your efforts and conscientiousness. When Denny and Dick began rearing
their families and buying homes, I realized they were unable to pay. In
1957, I offered and insisted on loaning Duane money to go on to O.C.C. but he
refused. Later in due fairness to him, Diane and Dwight, I bought each a
bond and paid $375 for each. I intended to let them be unknown until I
was gone, but this summer Dwight needed another car, so since the bonds had
matured to $500, I gave them to them since Denny and Dick never did mention the
subject, I didn't say anything to them and I don't think either of the 3 did,
but in case you heard and inkling over the grapevine, I want you to know the
incident is a closed book from now on.
Now for your part, really I don’t know how much
you got to go to college but you have paid this much I’m sure.
·
Oct. 1952 $60
·
Nov 1952 $80
·
Dec 1957 $33
·
Mar 1965 $100
·
1966 $30
·
June 1967 $20
·
Jan 1968 $10
·
Aug 1969 $25
If you have 4 or 5
dollars more, well and good, if you don’t please tell me and I will make up the
deficit. Your help from Feb – May 1951
and during the summer of 1956 can never be paid for. We certainly rate all 6 of you kids as
top. So again I repeat don’t make any
more payments.
P.S. Rhonda, we hope you
are still getting better.
I have no idea when this was written but I do
know that Ruth Bobe was generous to the Wyant kids and grandkids as if they
were her own. I’ve heard stories that
things would have even been more difficult for the family had she, Grace and
Nelle not been their neighbors and adopted family. She valued education and set the bar for
everyone to get one because she had also been their teacher.
Is there any doubt that God sends people into
our lives for reasons and seasons? Good thing to remember as we all go about
our daily lives with others.
