by Joe Snyder
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Kathy and I are enjoying a visit from our youngest daughter, Cindy, this week. It is a real treat for us since our last visit with her was over a year ago. Cindy lives in Niceville, Florida, which is located in the panhandle of Florida, but still nearly 800 miles distant. This is her first visit with us here in Texas and we have spent the past few days showing her around San Marcos and vicinity.
Cindy’s top priority, it seems, is shopping. So far we have hit quite a few of the 300 stores in the big outdoor mall three miles south of where we live. Having Cindy here to shop is great for Katherine as well since she loves to shop, too. However, Kathy is having a terrible time with her foot and knees and her shopping time is greatly restricted, but she stays right in there until she’s about to drop.
Since this is a rather personal column I will explain that Kathy’s artificial knees are wearing out after over 16 years and we have yet to find a surgeon who will take on the challenge of replacing them. In addition, the bones in one of her feet were broken and were slow to heal, leaving bad arthritis. She won’t like me to mention these things but she deserves so much credit for not letting her ailments get her completely down. She has more fortitude, courage and determination than anyone I’ve ever known. I’m sure I see a wheelchair in our future.
Yesterday we drove to San Antonio, about 45 miles south, where we shopped in the North Star Mall which is the largest mall we have ever seen. Our daughter, Kathy Ann, and our granddaughter Molly, accompanied us on a tour of that gigantic shopping palace that lasted nearly four hours. I was really pooped, but I visited favorite stores like Sharper Image, Discovery Channel store, Brookstone and the big book store.
Cindy spent last night in Kyle, Texas, which is just 14 miles north of us on I-35 where Kathy, Mike and Molly live. This morning Kathy took Cindy to her office at the University of Texas, in Austin, and I’m sure they will manage a little time off to shop around there. It is so good for Kathy and me to see our daughters together for even just a few days.
I must mention that Cindy is still employed by Wal-Mart, having been with the company for over 17 years. She has been a "checker" most of those years but has maintained her independence. She refuses to work Sundays and will not work at night. I admire her spirit in maintaining a degree of personal freedom, working for a firm that is not particularly known for top-notch employee relations. Cindy has also acquired Wal-Mart stock along the way and may have a rosier retirement than any of the rest of us in the Snyder family.
My biggest health problem is not my diabetes, but my deteriorating memory.
It is so good to have our little family together for even a few days. I am so proud of my wife and my daughters. After all, they have had to put up with me, Kathy most of all.
Come April 4 we will have been married 60 years!