It never ceases to amaze me how quickly our lives pass before us. Take the case of the LaVerne Bloom family. The first picture shows them being married. Do you recognize anyone? Yes! That is Dorothy Anderson Schneider as the flower girl and Enid Mellem Sande as part of the bridal party.
The next photo is of their daughter, Cheryl who, with this picture won a beauty contest. She certainly was a darling, don't you think?
The Bloom's moved to Sunflower and worked in the ammo dump for a time before moving to Indiana where they would live and raise their daughter. Cliff and LaVerne were good friends for their entire lives. They kept in touch. In 1963, Cliff, Mel, LaVerne, Evie, and Cheryl went to Las Vegas in the fall for a talent show. We don't know the outcome for Cheryl's contest, there are no letters to back it up.
The last picture is of their anniversary.
In sorting through the boxes of pictures and cards from Walt and Ella's house, I found something that LaVerne had written. I want to share it with you because it is one of the few times I have seen that men can actually write about their images.
This is called Evie's Prayer. It is a letter written by LaVerne Bloom. LaVerne Bloom was the son of Carl Bloom and Nina Mellem Anderson Bloom; a half brother to Lloyd Anderson; they shared Nina as the mother.
"I want you to know how Evie's last days here with me ended before going home to be with her Lord and Savior.
Evie was diagnosed with bone cancer. It was weakening her bones so much that is was difficult for her to even walk. The last few weeks she was with me, the cancer had spread rapidly into her liver and lungs. Finally, her system could take no more and after just a few days in the hospital, she went home to be with the Lord on October 11, 1997.
............As I left the driveway at 5:45 AM the morning of October 11, approaching the street, a white dove crossed my view right in front of my car's windshield. The dove disappeared in the eastern sky just as the sun was breaking through. I did not think too much about it at the time, but I was puzzled about seeing a dove; I could not remember seeing a dove in Indiana. Evie had died before I got to the hospital. When I received Evie's death certificate, I noticed they had placed the time of her death at 6 AM. The white dove had special meaning to me."
Oh that I had wings like a dove I would fly away to my final resting place. Psalm 55, verse 6.
