The Ultimate Frog

For many years, I collected frogs. Brass ones, porcelain ones, goofy looking ones, expensive ones, yard sale ones, and received many as gifts! In 1993, I married the ultimate frog. Yepper, Kermit was his name!

He made it possible for me to achieve a life-long dream - he sent me to college. How very proud he was of my achievements during those hard four years while I worked like a fiend to attain a BBA! His support and encouragement uplifted me when I was discouraged. How tickled he would get when my grades were mailed out to "the parents of." While I was an exchange student in Amsterdam, I received a "care" package every week from him. When my 1981 Oldsmobile finally laid down and died, he made sure I had the best car he could get me - a Lincoln Town Car yet!

One week before graduation, as he was driving us to the town dump in his old pickup with a load of junk from the barn, he fell over dead in my arms from a massive heart attack.

Friends from Europe were expected for my graduation, family from out of town was due to arrive the day after Kermit's death, and I still had two final exams and a very important presentation to make. One of my classmates contacted the Dean and because of my excellent grades, finals would be waived and presentation was forgiven.

The first month of so after Kermit's death are rather a blur, but I do remember being adamant about "I'm not going to attend graduation." The only way I can vouch for the fact that I DID attend is the photographs made of me shaking hands with the President of the University, friends assisting me with getting my cap on straight, and my advisor giving me a huge hug!

I stopped collecting frogs. And, all those I have are carefully packed in boxes and stored in the garage.