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MY SUMMER PLACE YOUNG AGAIN

Being educated in a Catholic girls’ school and living with In the 80s, my husband Bob bought a
various relatives over several years after my mother died, refurbished 1966 Ford Mustang. When we
summer in Hawaii always meant freedom to me. There was took it out for our first ride, we turned on
the May Day Parade, the 50th State Fair, King Kamehameha the old radio and The Mamas & the Papas
Day and just being able to be at the beach on any day. came on, singing California Dreaming.
For three minutes we were young again!
One particular summer was especially memorable to me.
Judy and Bob Worth
When I was 15, my dad moved my brother and me
A SPECIAL PHONE CALL
into a cute little house he had rented. A childhood Karen
friend with whom I’d lost contact happened to live Meredith-Lindholm It was a windy day in January 2006. My
in a neighborhood close to our new home. I had son Rob called. “Mom,” he says, “Dorre and
I are moving to Austin, Texas.”
the most wonderful summer that year. I was happy to reconnect “What? Where?” says I, grabbing a John
Denver album. Thank God, I’m a Country
with her and make new friends, to spend time at the Boy streamed out.
Now in 2017, we’re happy to be Deep in the
beach and the pool, to swim at the pond and get Heart of Texas! Yee haw!

together in the evenings to sing popular songs with Sheilah Mayson Kleinman

our friends who played the guitar and ukulele. The MIGHTY LIKE A ROSE

year was 1960, and A Summer Place was the #1 song. Someone picked me up and stood me on
a tall chair in the center of the stage.
For me, this was my “summer place.” The date was February 21, 1933, and
we were in Nickerson, Nebraska. I had
Karen Meredith-Lindholm just celebrated my third birthday, and my
grandmother coached me in learning a
YOU JUST CAN’T BEAT AN OLD ELVIS TUNE song – my first solo – to sing for church.
Mother was my piano accompanist, and
In the summer of 1970, my boyfriend Wayne took me she started the introduction.
to a park in Bowie, MD. We sat by a lovely pond on I was not afraid or nervous until I saw all
a moonlight night and with guitar in hand, Wayne of the people staring at me. A huge lump
sang Elvis’ The Wonder of You. Then, on one knee, he formed in my throat as I stared back at
asked me to marry him. The knot was tied January them. I looked wistfully at my mother, and
1, 1971 and that song became a special one as the her smile coaxed me to open my mouth.
decades passed. The sweet pure song began.
Suddenly, I saw my daddy enter the room.
Fast forward almost 40 years. Wayne and I opted He had a smile that was as big as the entire
outdoors. That made me smile, too, and I
for a Caribbean cruise to celebrate our milestone confidently continued my song.
The song ended with great applause! The
anniversary. On boarding the ship, we headed people liked my singing, and I was so happy.
The song is not very popular today, but if
to the sun deck to enjoy a buffet lunch while I hear it, my mind wanders back to 1933
and my meaningful experience, because
awaiting our room. To our delight, a group of cruise Vernanne and Wayne Alvarez I watched as my daddy died in a freak
musicians set up by the pool near our table. Of all accident two days later. The song was
Mighty Like a Rose.
the songs to start with, they performed Elvis’ The Wonder of You. We both teared up!
Meg Miller
In March of 2017, Wayne was scheduled for a serious surgery. As I turned onto Sun
City Boulevard and headed to join him at Scott & White, the first song on the radio ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG
was – you guessed it – The Wonder of You. I sobbed all the way to 195. It was a gift
from above to feel Wayne’s presence so close: ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG

When no one else can understand me, when everything I do is wrong
You give me hope and consolation, you give me strength to carry on.
And you’re always there to lend a hand in everything I do.
That’s the wonder, the wonder of you.

Vernanne Alvarez

48 | SUNRAYS JUNE 2017
48 | SUNRAYS JUNE 2017