{"id":3025,"date":"2012-08-27T05:45:48","date_gmt":"2012-08-27T09:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=3025"},"modified":"2012-08-28T21:15:43","modified_gmt":"2012-08-29T01:15:43","slug":"remembering-the-blonde-marilyn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/08\/remembering-the-blonde-marilyn.html","title":{"rendered":"Remembering the blonde Marilyn"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In the early 1990’s when Nancy became a consumer at ARC in Vero Beach, Florida, she told her supported living coach, that her life goals were to bleach her hair blonde and go to California to become Marilyn Monroe. Bleaching her hair blonde was easy, getting her to California, proved harder.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Nancy was never a person who fostered small dreams or ideas.\u00a0 Born in Charleston, West Virginia, Nancy was 15 years younger than her sister, Roxanne. But Roxanne took her everywhere. When I inquired about this, Roxanne said, emphatically, \u201cOf course, I took her everywhere.\u00a0 She was my little sister.\u201d \u00a0Nancy was born with Down’s Syndrome; but she never allowed her disability drive her into a corner. \u00a0Perhaps “hanging” with her teenage sister fostered those large dreams and desires.<\/p>\n

Nancy\u2019s life in West Virginia revolved around swimming, summer camp, school, then ARC, the singer, John Denver, The Monkees and her best friend, Susie.\u00a0 Nancy and Susie were together throughout their school years and at ARC.\u00a0 Eventually, they became roommates.<\/p>\n

When the unthinkable happened and Susie was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Susie was moved into a nursing home.\u00a0 Out of compassion, her parents believed that it was best for Nancy that she not see Susie again.\u00a0 But when Roxanne and Gary came to visit the family and heard, \u201cWe threw a fit,\u201d Roxanne said.\u00a0 The parents gave in and Nancy was allowed to see Susie.\u00a0 Later, as the disease took its grip on Susie\u2019s life, she moved back in with Nancy.\u00a0 \u201cSusie died in Nancy\u2019s arms,\u201d Roxanne reported.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>As the health of her parents grew more frail, Nancy and her mother and father moved to Vero Beach.\u00a0 It was here that Nancy revealed her desire to become Marilyn Monroe.\u00a0 She adopted Star Wars and wrestling as a new passion.\u00a0 Friday night was \u201cSmack Down\u201d Night.\u00a0 Nancy and her friend, Annie, spent their Friday evenings with The Rock, Chris Jericho, The Undertaker and Stone Cold.<\/p>\n

Her one enduring joy, however, was men.\u00a0 Most men she found attractive; and she was convinced that nearly every men found her irresistible.\u00a0 She often recited the men that she was soon marry.\u00a0 However, in the middle of her list, she would stop and say, \u201cNo.\u00a0 I think I\u2019ll just marry Jackie,\u201d who was her black cat.<\/p>\n

One evening, Nancy and her roommate decided to go out to dinner.\u00a0 They called a cab and told the driver to take them to The Patio restaurant.\u00a0 They ordered dinner and wined and dined for several hours.\u00a0 Finally, when the waiter came with the bill, he discovered that the two charming ladies had not brought any money with them. Undisturbed, Nancy said, \u201cCall my supportive living coach, Diane.\u00a0 She\u2019ll take care of the bill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the restaurant owner did know Diane.\u00a0 He called her and explained the situation.\u00a0 Diane arrived, paid the bill and began an intense retraining program regarding appropriate behaviors in a public restaurant which included emphasis on the fact that you always have enough money with you when you go out to eat.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>It was my privilege to carry Nancy to and from Special Gathering for about seven or eight years.\u00a0 She and I would have great conversations about the Lord but Nancy didn\u2019t always have her theology correct.\u00a0 \u201cI love Jesus,\u201d she told me one week.\u00a0 \u201cBut I\u2019m not a Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, I could not let that go without questions.\u00a0 \u201cNancy, have you asked Jesus to forgive you for the bad things you have done?\u201d\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 \u201cHave you asked Jesus to come into your heart and be your best friend and your boss?\u201d\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 \u201cThen, Nancy, you are a Christian.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m not,\u201d she said with emphasis, \u201cI\u2019m an Episcopalian.\u201d\u00a0 Most weeks, she told me that she wasn\u2019t a Christian, she was an Episcopalian.\u00a0 Then some weeks, she was a Methodist.\u00a0 I think she died an Episcopalian.<\/p>\n

Nancy was never a weak person; but she wasn\u2019t ashamed to go to the Lord for strength and comfort.\u00a0 She often asked for prayer.\u00a0 For many years, she sang in the Special Gathering choir.\u00a0 She would share her faith wherever we sang by her great smile and winning ways.\u00a0 \u201cNancy was always smiling,\u201d so many people said after she died.<\/p>\n

Joanne was her caregiver for several years before she had to go into the nursing home because of Alzheimer\u2019s.\u00a0 She, Annie, Laurie and Eric often visited Nancy as her health declined. Nancy always remembered Annie\u2019s name and recognized Laurie.\u00a0 She would smile and put out her hand reaching for each visitor.\u00a0 Of course, Nancy never lost her ability to flirt.\u00a0 Even at their last visit a few days before she died, Nancy threw kisses at Eric.<\/p>\n

At last, her body gave out and she slipped silently into the arms of her Lord, who is also an Episcopalian and a Methodist.\u00a0 She has left us but we have our memories.\u00a0 Her smile.\u00a0 Her joy.\u00a0 And I will always remember our conversations about the Lord in the night as I drove her home from a choir performance or Special Gathering.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the early 1990’s when Nancy became a consumer at ARC in Vero Beach, Florida, she told her supported living coach, that her life goals were to bleach her hair blonde and go to California to become Marilyn Monroe. Bleaching her hair blonde was easy, getting her to California, proved harder. Nancy was never a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,3,40,186,49,16,8,4,41,470,469],"tags":[690,21,688,7,699,715,701,694,689,6,700],"class_list":["post-3025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","category-writing-a-eulogy","category-writing-a-funeral-sermon","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-simple-scriptural-truths","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nRemembering the blonde Marilyn - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/08\/remembering-the-blonde-marilyn.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Remembering the blonde Marilyn - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the early 1990’s when Nancy became a consumer at ARC in Vero Beach, Florida, she told her supported living coach, that her life goals were to bleach her hair blonde and go to California to become Marilyn Monroe. Bleaching her hair blonde was easy, getting her to California, proved harder. Nancy was never a…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2012\/08\/remembering-the-blonde-marilyn.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-08-27T09:45:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-08-29T01:15:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2012\/08\/Nancy-Hall-Butts.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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