ALENE - Under the Mapes Series

Foreword

I have several very dear friends who have put up with me for thirty to forty years or more and this tribute in no way diminishes the love and respect I have for the part they have played in my life. The encouragement that they have given me through the years in both tough times and good times cannot be measured in words so I will not try. My undying love to each of you.

Prelude

Friends are like-minded. They share with one another from the heart. Friends know each other well and promote each others welfare. Friends do not gossip or spread tales about you but keep your secrets and dreams close to their hearts. 

Alene

When you talk about jewels of great price and lights that shine brightly dispelling darkness and bringing clarity, Alene, was a person in my life I thought of just that way.  I only knew her about the last ten years before she passed, at 93, into eternal life which I am sure she is enjoying immensely.

When we first met I was president of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in Lowell.  Alene had been a member of the GFWC since her youth and she was now back from many years retirement in Florida. Since the GFWC year ended July 1 and our club didn’t have summer meetings, we were celebrating our year-end banquet in May at what was then Nellie Jayne’s Cafe.  One of our older members invited Alene, as a guest, to join us. I fell in love with her immediately.  She had the kindest blue eyes I’d ever seen and you could sense her gentle soul. I was able to talk with her for a little while then but I didn’t see her again until September.

I will never forget, everyone was gathering for the first meeting of the season and Alene came in.  I saw her at the back and watched as she walked slowly but straight towards me watching me every moment until she stood before me. She had such love in her eyes it immediately warmed my heart. I looked her back in the eyes and said, “We are going to be very good friends.”  She nodded her head and replied, “Yes, we are. Very good friends.” Don’t ask me why we had such a strong connection so quickly but we did and it was real. I spent the next ten years seeing her often, considering work and family.  We were both prayer warriors and we lifted each other and numerous others in prayer and shared scripture often.

Proverbs 29:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of a friend.” I always felt Alene and I did just that.  We sharpened each other with our collective wisdom from life’s journey and our knowledge of scripture. We were both better people from having met.

Alene was one of only a few people I shared my dream of buying an old Victorian house and creating a restaurant with other than my daughter and our immediate families. Long story on how it finally happened but it did in early 2006.  Alene had been one of my firmest supporters, cheering me on, praying for me without ceasing, and offering major encouragement as my daughter, Beth, and I moved forward to achieve the goal.

I’m not sure anyone was more excited than Alene when we opened.  She stopped by often and offered words of encouragement and praise and then one day it happened. The dishwasher was ill and we were busy.  Dishes were piling up in bus tubs everywhere. The sink and dirty dish counter were stacked and the cooks and waitresses were too busy to do anything other than hope they didn’t run out of dishes or silverware. 

Someone said, “You got company,” and I looked over at the door to see none other than Alene standing there.  She was dressed neat as a pin, her makeup was flawless and her hair perfectly coiffured.  She was sporting her sassy, black cane with its ornate handle and made quite a picture.  "My friend, what are you up to?" I asked her.  Not bashful at all she said, "I am here to work. You need a dishwasher today and I am it."  That indeed was “it” and only the beginning.  During the next nine months, before the fire in December, she helped hostess, washed dishes, folded napkins and did whatever else she could do to help. Not every day but as often as she wanted.

Some folks thought I shouldn’t let her work because she was too old. Some probably thought I was mistreating her but they didn’t know my feisty friend.  They didn’t understand her spirit and her drive and her deep desire to feel useful. The closest we ever came to having words was when I told her she should sit down and rest. She told me, gently but firmly, she would rest when she felt the need. I needn’t worry.  The years had been good to her and, although she moved slowly, she moved with grace and blessed everyone she met with her gentle spirit, genuine kindness and wisdom. She left a bit of each of those spirits in the mansion every time she was there.

After the fire, in December 2006, she remained a dear friend but didn’t really work much when we reopened. Ten months had passed and I think age was beginning to catch her just a bit so I would take her some of her favorite foods from the mansion and we would visit over a cup of tea. She loved to get out and do things so when I would have to go somewhere I’d invite her.  She usually went along and we had a great visit along the way and I believe it made her feel useful and cared about. I remember her telling me when we first started visiting together that we had to work double time because she didn’t have many years left and there was so much she knew God meant for us to do together. I felt the same way.  She was back in Indiana for a purpose and we had met for a reason. We were kindred spirits and God had put us together to encourage and help each other. I still thank God for this woman’s presence in my life.  She was a wonderful role model and a loyal friend.

We talked often about our families and we prayed often for my children and grandchildren.  Alene was my Christian prayer confidant.  She knew concerns and needs no one else did and, unlike some, she never judged the circumstances but acknowledged them and prayed for change that we knew needed to happen. She used to tell me that she was so grateful for our friendship and that I was an amazing friend but honestly, she was the amazing one. She’s been gone for years now but never in my memory.  I can still see her smiling face, loving blue eyes and gorgeous white hair.   I carry a bit of her with me everyday.  This tribute is to her because she often tread the path under the maples, because she was part of it, and because she always encouraged my writing as well as my dream of owning the house under the maples. It makes me smile to think of her and to realize some of her sweet spirit remains there still.

Proverbs 18:24
A man who has friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

John 15:12-15 
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Proverbs 13:20
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.

Under the Maples Monologue

Cornerstone Mansion Restaurant Fall 2010 and the two Maples

The decision was made on October 16 to close the doors of Cornerstone Mansion Restaurant on December 23 of 2011. The restaurant had flourished in a beautiful old historic home in Lowell, Indiana for six life-changing years.  People came and went depositing a little of their spirit along the way.  By the time the restaurant closed, I knew there were many stories to be told about Cornerstone's history making years as well as stories that would relate to times past. The home is 147 years old this year and I remember how people used to come to eat and admire her beauty and many would wistfully comment, "If walls could talk." It seemed to me that they did and I sat each day and listened to the walls share their stories of times past while I watched new stories unfold before my eyes.  

From early spring to late fall I often sat on the front porch under the maples and absorbed the day into my being and heard the whispers of all the yesterdays and saw the smiling faces of the day, although some faces were obviously dealing with overwhelming issues and struggling to be positive while grabbing a few moments of joy as they dined at the mansion.  

The mansion, that I fondly call the “grand old lady,” is quite elegant with her 10 foot ceilings and tall narrow windows that rest a foot from the floor. The trim is original and features a ten inch high baseboard, a stately walnut staircase and a walnut dining room floor. This coupled with three fireplaces give the home an aura that speaks of warmth, family and love. She sits on the corner of Commercial and Fremont and you cannot miss the two majestic maples that virtually dominate the front yard.  Their living presence adds vibrancy and life to this magnificent old landmark built in 1870, just five years after the Civil War.  In the summer, these giant Maples provide much needed shade for the southern exposure and in the fall the leaves are a brilliant yellow-gold reminiscent of sunshine or golden jewels. Even in the night, in the moonlight, they glow with lustrous iridescence and will take your breath away. One look at these trees and you know that they have spent a multitude of days on this corner plot and hold many secrets in their boughs. 

While these Maples cradle the front of the house, the Maple on the East is like the point man for the rear of the home.  This is a very different variety Maple and has dark green leaves with burnt burgundy undertones.  It is smaller and slow growing but still a beauty in every way.   The richness of the burgundy provides a much needed relief to the green of summer and adds a daring splash of rich color to summer hues. The West side is fortunate to have one of these Maples in the courtyard. None of the above diminish the backyard’s lot line with its majestic pines that stand like faithful sentries beside a magnificent old magnolia tree.

Choosing a name is never easy, but it was "Under the Maples" where people walked and talked. It was "Under the Maples" where they entered and exited leaving just a breath of their spirit so here is where the stories will unfold.

Stories I share that concern the mansion will also carry a tagline, Under the Maples Series. I have three blogs already on the site that would qualify for being part of the Under the Maples series.  They are, The Bunnies of Cornerstone Mansion, Have You Walked a Mile in Their Moccasins, and the third is really more of a personal narrative of who I am and how it all started called, If Only Walls Could Talk.    

I intend to do other writing as well including a series called, Random Thoughts and Musings.   All will be compliments of yours truly, the someone who spent years listening, learning and being inspired, Under the Maples.

Erin Morgenstern wrote in her book, The Night Circus, “Someone needs to tell those tales. When the battles are fought and won and lost, when the pirates find their treasures and the dragons eat their foes for breakfast with a nice cup of Lapsang souchong, someone needs to tell their bits of overlapping narrative. There's magic in that. It's in the listener, and for each and every ear it will be different, and it will affect them in ways they can never predict. From the mundane to the profound. You may tell a tale that takes up residence in someone's soul, becomes their blood and self and purpose. That tale will move them and drive them and who knows what they might do because of it, because of your words.”  Could anyone who writes a blog, a short story or a book want for more? My sincere hope is at some point one of my blogs feeds your spirit and brings some revelation to you and, in the meantime, may they always provide you an ever so pleasant moment of reflection and peace. God speed to all who read these blogs.