Three Teaspoons of Sugar - A Story by John Mickman

All of us knew her as 'Sunny'; she was one of the mom’s in our neighborhood when we were growing up. I don't know who gave her that nickname, but it is the most appropriate name possible for this wonderful woman. Sunny's open and welcoming smile was easy for her to come by, and it brightened the days of many during her lifetime.

Sunny at the Garden Center in 2007

I had a tough time with arithmetic in the second grade. When I told Sunny about my problem, she taught me and her son Cris, my best buddy, how to play cribbage. I soon became an expert arithmetician; to this day I am good with numbers and this skill serves our family business well. Sunny always drank a lot of coffee, and during this training I thought I should drink what Sunny was drinking. She smiled, and I smiled back; then she poured me a cup of coffee. It took 3 teaspoons of sugar to please my young taste buds.

Sunny made wreaths for our family wreath business. She was never one of the ladies that my dad had to send his wreath coach to; Sunny's balsam fir Christmas Wreaths were always beautiful, and they graced the homes of hundreds of families each Christmas during the '50's and early '60's.

My best friend Cris was her son. Her son Brian was my brother Mark's best friend. The four of us were a consummate four-some, fishing at the 3rd Spot on Rice Creek for bullheads, planting trees on my dad's tree farms and running 'The Route' for the Wreath Business. Three of us died before our parents passed away; there is no greater grief a person can know than that. Although Sunny wore her grief heroically, these losses changed us all. But finally Sunny's smile returned and her ray of sunshine made these senseless young deaths easier for all of us to bear.

The loss of Sunny will leave a huge hole in the lives of many. Don't we all wish we had a smile that could light up the room like hers? Few people have given me gifts like Sunny gave me. I miss her each time I ladle 3 teaspoons of sugar into my daily cup of coffee...

Shared with others with the blessing of Sunny’s daughter, Diane (Archibald) Lee

Written December 4, 2010