Editor’s Note: Auburn Baptist Church will honor Grover and Mary Corum at this Sunday’s service, beginning at 11 a.m. They married Aug. 10, 1946 and moved to Auburn in 1958. They have been members of the congregation ever since. They have three children—Vickie Corum, Allen Corum (and wife Tammy), and Sherrie Pryor—along with five grandchildren—Crystal Britt, Jennifer Billman, Adam Corum, John Corum and Jackson Pryor. The Corums came to Logan County in 1950 when he was named assistant county agricultural agent. He then became the first manager of Logan Telephone Cooperative. The Corums then started Auburn Nursing Home and developed it. Grover celebrated his 87th birthday Thursday and Mary will be 87 Thanksgiving Day, so this Sunday was chosen to honor them, according to organizer Jim Lockhart. The public is encouraged to attend. The LoJo asked their daughter, Sherrie Pryor, to write her reflections about being reared by these special parents.
(As I’ve been writing this piece, I think emotions have overridden correct writing rules, so I ask for forgiveness in the face of overwhelming love and gratefulness felt for my parents.)
My parents are celebrating their 87th birthdays this November and have just celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary this past August. I continue to be amazed at their positive outlook on life, the love they share and their commitment to Christ.
Living close to my parents as I do, gives me the privilege to visit and be part of their lives on a near daily basis and that is a blessing all in its own. When I think of Mama and Daddy in my mind I see many pictures in my mind, some of them being outside always finishing one more project, enjoying the smell of 4 o’clocks as they bloom in the afternoons, sitting at the kitchen table wanting to know about my day or together at the end of the day reading their Bible and praying for so many. Slowing down to enjoy life, respect nature and keeping my faith firm are just a few things they have shown me how important are to my life.
Mary and Grover Corum are my parents and I’m continually amazed at their positive outlook on life. They grew up during Depression times, lived through wars (Daddy was a Navy man in WWII), watched our history be impacted with a presidential assassination, cultural and technology changes and yet their strength in meeting these changes and challenges molded them, made them stronger and gave them wisdom that for many us we simply don’t have today.
I have watched them recycle items not because they had to but because they were taught that everything can be repaired, retouched or reused. They have passed this on to me as I now look for ways to reuse items and not just throw everything away.
I have often said that I love my parents as parents but never really “knew” them until I worked with them at the nursing home they owned in Auburn. Of course as a child, I remember walking the new addition with Daddy as he checked its construction and my thrill to listen to what he was describing, even though I didn’t know what he was talking about at the time. Mama used to put my tricycle in the trunk of the car so I could ride my bike while she worked overseeing the dietary department of the nursing home. I watched how they treated residents, employees and each other during those years and gained so much in learning how to work with people, showing respect and being part of a bigger picture.
When I came back to the nursing home to work as an adult, I began to see not my parents but two hardworking, dedicated people and I gained more respect for them as individuals who impacted my life.
Perfect lives, no of course not, but always their door has been open, their hearts loving and their willingness to be there for me- at anytime- raised the bar for me when I became a parent. I have never entered their house and not been greeted with a loving smile and whatever they were doing became second to catching up, visiting and enjoying each other’s company.
I heard a song once talk about a memory bouquet, and for me, my parents have made that bouquet a wonderful arrangement of love, patience, gratitude and the honor to be their daughter. They have given me many opportunities, let me make mistakes, held me when I cried and stood with me in celebrations. A few years ago, I wrote a poem about them, of the love they shared, their respect for each other and the strength they demonstrated as together they faced the challenges that came their way throughout their lives. I hope as I grow older I can show the grace, compassion and love for others that they have show each other, their family and their friends. I’m not sure I accomplished that goal, but every time I see pink and white dogwoods side by side, I think of them.
I love you Mama and Daddy and thank you for being wonderful, loving, Christian parents and for showing me the kind of person I want to be.
Pink and White Dogwoods
They remind me of the pink and white dogwoods in the spring,
Growing so close together that at times it’s difficult to see the individual tree.
One only blooms if the other blooms, sharing equally in their display of petals.
Not the biggest trees on the land, yet they position themselves, facing each season together,
Each refuses to break, give up or leave the other behind,
their symmetry upon glance mirrors their dependence upon the other.
Their blooms have begun to fall away-- not as many as years past,
Fragile limbs barren and their trunks beginning to twist with time.
Yet an everlasting union, their roots cling to each other.
They remind me of the pink and white dogwoods of spring.
Lives intertwined and yet each has their own character.
A bound love for each other reflected in their “petals.”
Standing beside one another through time
Sherrie Corum Pryor