Emma Bush: A truly wonderful once-in-a-lifetime event

By Emma Bush
Guest Columnist

Editor’s note: Emma Bush is a near lifelong resident of the Big Rapids area. She’s written the stories of her life in a book for her family, but wants to share what life was like in Big Rapids while she was growing up. Her columns will appear periodically in the Pioneer.

When I saw the front page of the Pioneer on Thursday, I wondered if I would ever be able to describe how much my 96th birthday gathering meant to me. How can someone like me be blessed with so many friends? I just can’t bring myself to the point of thinking that I really have that much to offer. I am truly rich in friends and family, this I know for sure. Thank you for the gifts, cards, hugs and kisses.

I want to say more in the way of a thank you, but I am just not sure where to start. But, then, if there is one thing I have learned after all of my 96 years, it’s that when you don’t know what to do next, it’s time to pray. I have learned to pray to the heavenly father and then listen for an answer for as least as long as the time I have spent asking for help. After that, you just roll up your sleeves and have at it and see what happens.

I remembered that it worked the time when I was all alone in the house that one winter night with that big piece of firewood stuck in open furnace door in the basement. The roaring fire was getting hotter and hotter every minute and I was unable to get the firewood either in or out, to close the door. I remember telling you in one of my articles that, after saying a prayer, I was able to push that huge piece of firewood in, just as if there was someone pushing right along beside me.

Back to my birthday. When I came in the front door of the Pioneer office on Wednesday, there were people standing around and my first thought was that I was surprised so many people were lined up to pay their bills. But as it turned, out they were showed up early with birthday cards for me!

And here I thought that I was getting there early. I had been up since 6:30 a.m. that morning and prettied up best I could. I even did my nails extra careful and nice so they would match my favorite old red blazer. I skipped breakfast since I was going to have birthday cake for lunch. I was all ready by 8:30 a.m. and just sat around waiting until noon for the party. It was the longest morning. I wasn’t exactly nervous or anything, but thoughts had been bouncing around in my mind. First that nobody would show up, and then what if a whole bunch of people showed up?

A whole big bunch of people DID show up. I don’t remember missing a heart-beat or even thinking twice before I was hugging people I hadn’t seen in 50 years or more. I talked to neighbors, friends, relatives and some of the nicest, friendliest people I had never met, all who had been reading my stories and come to wish me a “Happy Birthday.” It was truly a memorable, wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime event.

As more and more people started coming in through the front door, it got so crowded that we moved to a big conference room and the first thing I noticed was this long, wide beautiful table and big, black, high-back, soft leather chairs all around it. The table had a huge cake with purple flowers and decorations. There were sparkling decorations and a big wicker basket with birthday cards already sticking up out of it. There were people of all ages, families, babies, grandparents, business people from downtown, even Mayor Mark Warba and guys from the Pine Shops where I used to work. The Little Emma who was named after me, my sister Erma and her children and her beautiful grandchildren and her cute little baby great-grandchildren. Red Baumunk, Lloyd and Shirley Baumunk, Findley Lewis and his wife were there, Pat Currie and Carlleen Rose. Chuck and Judy Johansen and Charlotte Thompson showed up, and so, so many other wonderful people, that I can’t even remember them all.

I can’t wait to go through the pile of birthday cards and remember all over again who was there. There were flowers and plants, and afterwards I even found some Kilwin’s chocolates in the birthday card basket that I promptly hid for later. I’m going to have to stop in over at the Old Pioneer Store and Emporium to see if I can track down who I think they came from.

My son, John, got everyone’s attention and became emcee for five minutes. Everybody sang “Happy Birthday” to me. John made announcements and comments and had the audience chuckling just as if he did it every day for a living. I was so proud of him.

It turned out, the Pioneer is provided “national coverage” with the Emma Articles! I heard Owen and Ardith Martz say that they had gotten a phone call from someone in Cadillac, who received an e-mail from someone in California, who had read about the “Meet Emma” event in the Pioneer they have mailed to their home. I remember sending out copies of my book “Christmas Presents,” but never dreamed it ever getting that much attention.

Afterwards, about 2 p.m. or so, a few of us just sat there at the Pioneer. We spoke quietly and let it all soak in. Someone asked me if I was tired, and I remember saying that being tired was the last thing on my mind. I just sat there and let it all settle in around me. The fact that there are people in my life beyond anything I had imagined who remembered me and had made the effort to let me know about how they feel.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if those who are lonely, and feel forgotten, could each somehow know that they too live in the memories of those whose lives they have touched over the years? Wouldn’t it be something if the very articles that I have been privileged to write, and have brought us together today, have in some way done just that, reached out to even just one person who felt lonely and forgotten? Wouldn’t it be something if that person had been there Wednesday and got a hug and been uplifted like I was? Thank you all so very, very much. And thank you Lord for helping me again today in answering my prayers. This time with my pen and paper.

Visit the photo gallery to see more photos from the celebration.