VANCE AND DOROTHY DOBSON -- DAY 7

Dorothy and Vance Dobson, 1984

Mother and Daddy’s wedding anniversary was December 7, and this date had a special place in our advent celebration. In her reflections on Christmas, Mother wrote:

“Just before Christmas in 1947 Vance Dobson and I were married, and he began decorating outside. He made shapes, wreaths, and cut different pictures out of plywood. Once there was a horse and sleigh, once a Madonna and child. Over the years, many different star shapes were used. The wreaths changed through the years, too, and the lights that he put up were never in the same pattern. I still did all the inside decorating with lights in the windows and two trees.”

Daddy passed on the day after Thanksgiving 1986, and for the next four Christmases, their grandson Shann Profitt put up the outdoor lights for Mother. It’s no comment on Shann’s generous efforts to say that it just wasn’t the same. Times change, and there’s nothing we can do but accept and move on.

Our last Christmas reunion in the family home was in 1990.

[Brother Chuck took this photo of our parents, Dorothy and Vance, in 1984. I have submitted it to the Lewiston Tribune for their "Blast from the Past" feature. It will probably be published next week.] KW