In 1993, Cliff wanted to get a job where our neighbor worked, but he couldn't work there unless he got his GED. We found there was a class eight miles away in Lexington and he signed up. His biggest problem was always math; early in our marriage I tried to show him how to add and divide and carry numbers, but I'm just no teacher, so I didn't know how to get him to understand it.
The funny thing was that once he started the class, he had no trouble understanding it. Most of his work there was done on a computer, but there was a teacher there to help, too. On his first trip to class, he filled out some questions so the teacher would know where to place him. When he looked over that assessment, he said, "You won't be here long."
That encouraged Cliff, and he looked forward to going to school. I think he went two nights each week until it was over. He learned more math in that short time than I ever learned in my life, although he says he doesn't remember as much as he used to. But he can still do the basic math just fine.
He took the GED test down in Warrensburg, but wasn't confident about how he did. We waited and waited, probably for three or four weeks; finally one day when I went to the mailbox, there it was.
Cliff was behind the barn working on a pen for my pregnant sow when I handed him the envelope, and he found out he had passed with flying colors. My mother, who'd buy anything at a garage sale if she could get it for a nickle, happened to have an appropriate book for a graduating senior; we had lots of fun with it. I was looking at old pictures all day and found that book. Cliff didn't even remember he had a party... he didn't even recall the book. I took some pictures of various pages, starting with the picture I took of him with the GED in hand the day it came.
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| From my daughter and family |
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| From one of my cousins, no longer with us |
My mother and some of my aunts and uncles were still living and sent cards. Cliff's parents were no longer living. Our daughter had a party for him. It was all great fun, and I was so proud of him. Several friends sent cards too.
I've been looking at old pictures all day, some of which are faded so badly it's hard to tell who the people are. It had me depressed, thinking about where "does" the good times go? I certainly hope this is not the start of my winter depression; even if it is, I'm not going back to the pills I took in 2020. But looking at this happy little time and then seeing Cliff smiling while he paged through it cheered me up a little.
