"The Rabbits Are Making Coffee" by John Eller as told to Jane Satchell McAllister
– Mumsey made me feel special.
Why did my parents choose Eva? Why did she choose me?
John Eller, a native of North Carolina, currently resides in Huntersville with his family. His career has been in social work, human services, and public administration. John prefers to think of himself as a storyteller more than a writer. Over the next few years, he wants to publish his memoir.
Jane Satchell McAllister's writings draw inspiration from the wide variety of people and places she encounters, from her home base in Davie County, NC to rich adventures across our country and abroad. She has co-authored two Images of America books through Arcadia Publishing and served for nine years as director of the county public library.
Author’s Talk
I’ve played in my mind the journey of Mumsey and me so many times. Wanting to tell her story for years, time and life always got in the way. An offer to help from a true friend prompted me to put pen to paper and kickstarted this story. I began to journal and share those thoughts with her - and that is how we got here. I desire to document the memories before they fade.
John Eller
In life we sometimes find ourselves at critical intersections with a plethora of choices. The decision we make can have an everlasting impact. What if another path was chosen? One bad day, being too busy to stop and think about what action should be taken, simply turning away because it isn’t one’s concern or issue…those instances…those choices have a profound impact on future events.
The factory foreman of a teenager who worked for him forever changed my life by simply offering help. Because of that decision, a life of a child whom he had never met was forever changed. When I see someone in need, it’s almost like I go back in time to that moment. The foreman could have chosen to keep to himself and go about his busy day to meet the daily production quota, but instead he (Big Dad) intentionally leaned in. These divine interventions aren’t happenstance. Somehow Big Dad knew Mumsey needed me, but also knew that my parents and I needed her.
Sometimes I remember Mumsey by hearing a song, a smell that reminds me of the past, a visual cue that yields recall, or a phrase that sounds so familiar. Each are echoes that take me back. My imagination is rekindled when I think of the great stories she used to tell and how much simpler the world felt as a child. I know now that she saw the small world that I belonged to as being so much bigger, and perhaps she even envisioned my potential and place within a much larger universe. Her imprint on me will last forever. This story is about my “Mumsey.”
I hope you enjoy reading just a pinch of the memories. And a heartfelt thank you to my dear friend for encouraging me to feel worthy to write. – John Eller
