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lifelong lessons and gave me some
WBM FILE PHOTO
I came home to help
decorate. My favorite job,
however, was that of golf
cart chauffeur for more
than 100 fully adorned
Azalea Belles. The event
had grown significantly
since my Belle days. With
Belles, parents, media
and garden club mem-bers,
we were hosting
more than 200 people.
Cars lined the road for
a half mile, and my golf
cart provided welcome
relief from what would
be a tough trudge in full
Azalea Belle regalia.
My dad passed away
suddenly in 2004. This
devastated us, but we were
buoyed by the support of
so many wonderful friends
my parents had made
through the garden club
and through hosting the
tea. That support enabled
my mom to continue
holding the tea until her
sudden passing in 2012.
Losing her in the same
manner as losing my dad
was awful, and I could
not emotionally handle
the house, which seemed
to have, itself, died, along
with my mom. I had to let
go, which meant the tea
would have to find a new
home.
Beautiful Belles enjoy the tea
as they gather around the
pond at the McEachern Cedar
Island home.