Smashed cheese and getting dropped on your head
Barney Walsh is one of Sheila's many dedicated nephews who always went out of his way to make Sheila feel good. He would call her about once a month to fill her in on the latest Buffalo gossip, and she was always so happy to hear his voice. Barney writes in with tales of adventures in parenting.
In December 1987 Amy & I were young parents of our first born son Sam Walsh who was born eight months earlier in Berkeley Heights, NJ. We lived about ten minutes from Aunt Sheila in Westfield. Sheila had been our realtor in what was our first home. She became great friends with the selling agent and together those two women guided us through our first acquisition. We were about to leave for a Christmas party when Sam rolled off the bed and tumbled head first onto the floor. Scary stuff for two rookie parents.
Amy was an immediate mess and the young neighborhood girl who babysitting was not going to cut it. I quickly called Sheila who sensed our panic and said without reservation "No problem, I'll be right over. Tell Amy not to worry."
Our disaster was replaced by calm the minute Sheila walked through the front door. She assured us as a parent of five active kids that Sam's injury was minor and some of her favorite people have been dropped on their heads multiple times. We didn't press her for names.
Living near Sheila, while Will & Sally were still at home, was a fabulous safety net for us. It was our first regular exposure to Parizeau humour. Smashed cheese was a food adventure we had never experienced before. Her home was filled with love and we were tucked into the fold the minute we settled in the Garden State.
Our family Christmas stockings today all originated from Sheila who celebrated our expanding household as Ben and Lucas later came on board.
Over the last 30 years Sheila & I regularly stayed connected by phone every 6-8 weeks. I could always call her late at night and each call was filled with news about her 17 grandchildren. Ernie & Kim you deserve a lot of credit for bringing Sheila to Wellesley. What a WIN / WIN for three generations of the extended Parizeau clan. It was a stroke of genius.
Sheila "The Franchise" was a beautiful woman, friend & mentor. She constantly lit up our lives and this weekend we get the opportunity together to celebrate hers.
She was awesome.
Barn
