Ma Wilson was born in 1914. She remembers World War 1 and tells stories of neighbors who came and took care of her and her siblings because the rest of her family was sick with the Spanish Flu. Each day, the doctor would come by and tend to the family and tell her parents who had died in the neighborhood that day. She remembers the Depression and World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. She remembers how happy they were to get electricity and indoor plumbing. She was married in 1939, raised four kids on a cotton farm in Missouri, and she knows how to do things very few people know how to do anymore. She knows how to catch, kill and fry a chicken. She knows how to make killer biscuits and gravy, and taught me to make beans and cornbread. Since she comes from The Time Before Air Conditioning, she knows the most efficient way to use fans in the window to cool off a house so everyone can sleep at night. She had her babies at home when the doctor still made house calls. Back in the day, there were not many job opportunities for women, so she kept children in her home. A local urban legend claims that Ma Wilson potty trained most of the kids in the county.
After Grandaddy died, Ma Wilson moved to Oklahoma Christian and was a dorm mother for the school for many, many years. She also put up mail in the student center and babysat on the weekends, just to stay busy. She taught the kindergarten Sunday morning Bible Class every week for well over 50 years and finally gave up her class when she turned 90. Looking at the picture of all 5 generations made me realize for the 100th time, that they just don't make people like they used to.
Now, I love my central air and flushing potties more than anyone, and I'm really, really glad I don't have to kill my supper, but I feel like our generation has paid a heavy price for our comfort. Maybe the price was too high. Only time will tell.
