Elizabeth Netzer Odell


Elizabeth Odell
January 19, 1919 to May 9, 1975





My Mom was a very loving woman.
She never had anything unkind
to say about anyone.
My fondest memories of her
is how much she loved all
of her children and then
of course her grandchildren.
She died when I was only 16.
And so I want to dedicate
this page to her.
She had a love for Cardinals.
Everyone that knew her remembers
how she loved them and
they think of her when they see one.
She raised my sister and I alone,
through many hard times we had love.
She worked with all types of people and
taught us to love everyone the same way.
No racism or hatred
was taught in my home.
I want to let people know
we can stop the hate.
It falls in your court
which way the ball goes.
There are good and bad
of all types of cultures,
and it is not your skin color
that makes you do bad things.






I don't know why the angels came,
And decided to take you away.
They must have needed someone very special,
When they carried you on their wings that day.
I wondered how they could take you from me,
And leave me here on my own.
Then I realized your love would live on inside me,
So in my heart, I would never be alone.
God must have had a greater purpose for you,
When He decided your time on earth was done.
He must have wanted you for a heavenly angel,
So you would be able to watch over everyone.
The angels told Him you were so very special,
And could make the world a greater place to live.
So with wings full of love,
they took you to Heaven,
And now everyone can feel all the love you have to give.






Thank you Moxnix!
My first award,
and for my favorite page!



This story below reminds me of
my mother telling me a story
of how she lost everything
in a fire when she lived
in New Jersey as a young mother.
The main thing she regreted
was never using a quilt
that she had been given,
it was very special to her
and she kept it in a box to keep it nice.
It was burnt up in the fire.
She told me to enjoy things
and use them to the fullest,
for you never know when you might lose them.
The story below is not mine
Hope you will enjoy it.

A Story To Live By

My brother-in-law opened the bottom
drawer of my sister's bureau and
lifted out a tissue-wrapped package.
"This," he said, "is not a slip."
"This is lingerie."
He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip.
It was exquisite; silk, handmade
and trimmed with a cobweb of lace.
The price tag with an astronomical
figure on it was still attached.
"Jan bought this the first time
we went to New York,
at least 8 or 9 years ago.
She never wore it.
She was saving it for a special occasion.
Well, I guess this is the occasion."
He took the slip from me
and put it on the bed with
the other clothes we were
taking to the mortician.
His hands lingered on the
soft material for a moment,
then he slammed the drawer shut
and turned to me and said,
"Don't ever save anything for a special occasion.
Every day you're alive is a special occasion."
I remembered those words through the
funeral and the days that followed
when I helped him and my niece attend
to all the sad chores that
follow an unexpected death.
I thought about them on the plane
returning to California from the
Midwestern town where
my sister's family lives.
I thought about all the things
that she hadn't seen or heard or done.
I thought about the things
that she had done without
realizing that they were special.
I'm still thinking about his words,
and they've changed my life.
I'm reading more and dusting less.
I'm sitting on the deck
and admiring the view without
fussing about the weeds in the garden.
I'm spending more time with
my family and friends and less time
in committee meetings.
Whenever possible,
life should be a pattern
of experience to savor,
not endure.
I'm trying to recognize these
moments now and cherish them.
I'm not "saving" anything;
we use our good china and crystal
for every special event,
such as losing a pound,
getting the sink unstopped,
or the first camellia blossom.
I wear my good blazer to the
market if I feel like it.
I'm not saving my good perfume
for special parties;
clerks in hardware stores
and tellers in banks
have noses that function as well
as my party-going friends'.
"Someday" and "one of these days"
are losing their grip on my vocabulary.
If it's worth seeing or hearing
or even doing,
I want to see and hear
and do it now.
I'm not sure what my sister
would have done had she known that
she wouldn't be here for the
tomorrow we all take for granted.
I think she would have called family
members and a few close friends.
She might have called
a few former friends to
apologize and mend
fences for past squabbles.
I like to think she would have
gone out for a Chinese dinner,
her favorite food.
I'm guessing-----I'll never know.
It's those little things left undone
that would make me angry if
I knew that my hours were limited.
Angry because I put off
seeing good Friends whom I was
going to get in touch with
------someday.
Angry because I hadn't written certain
letters that I intended to write
------one of these days.
Angry and sorry that I didn't tell
my husband and children often
enough how much I truly love them.
I'm trying very hard not to put off,
hold back, or save anything
that would add laughter and luster to our lives.
And every morning when I open my eyes,
I tell myself that it is special.
Every day, every minute, every breath,
truly is...a gift from God.


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I have made every effort
to credit an author or illustrator
when I have used the work of another person.







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