Diana M. Chiles
"Though the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed;
my loving kindness shall not depart from thee,
neither shall my covenant of peace be removed,
says the Lord who has mercy on thee."
Isaiah 54:10
Jim Chiles, Dorothy, Diana, Charlene, & Bootsie, May, 1949
I was born at the Naval Air Station in Quonset Point, Rhode Island
on December 22nd, 1949, on my parent’s third wedding anniversary.
Even as a baby, I adored my sister!
I was the second child born to my parents.
My sister, Charlene, has been my best friend through out my life.
My father, Lieutenant James Olin Chiles, was a pilot in the Navy.
He died of polio in July 28, 1949 at Bethesda Naval Hospital near Washington D.C.
and was buried on August 2nd, with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery.
After my dad's death, we moved back to my mother's hometown, Memphis, Tennessee,
where her own Mom and Dad still lived.
So Memphis is where my sister, Charlene, and I grew up.
My mother, Dorothy Ruth Lindenmayer Chiles,
taught Junior High American History at Messick.
Charlene and I attended Messick all the way from the first grade until graduation,
making us members of the “Twelve Year Club”.
My mom was a wonderful teacher to her students,
a loving mother to my sister and me, and an outstanding Grandmother to her grandkids!
Charlene and I both moved away from Memphis after our high school graduations.
Mother and my mother’s “baby brother”,
Bill Lindenmayer, a talented concert pianist and music teacher,
still lived in Memphis, so we came back often to visit.
After I graduated from Messick in 1966,
I went to Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi.
I became a part of a wonderful circle of friends.
Our social life centered on activities with the Baptist Student Union.
We prayed together, laughed together, and took on meaningful causes
as we worked together to change the world.
I treasure the memories of our times together to this day.
Our BSU Director, Bradley Pope, influenced and inspired our lives.
He gave us a conscience for the hurting, the hungry, and so much more.
I am proud of the Christian stands that we took.
Graduation day from Mississippi College, May, 1970.
I graduated in 1970 with a BA, and returned the next fall to be graduate assistant
for the Communications Department and work on my Masters in Education.
I did my Masters Research project in puppetry and its effect upon education.
This awoke a new avenue for my love of the Creative Arts.
After graduation in August 1971 with my Masters of Education Degree,
I moved to Lakeland, Florida, to live with my grandmother,
My grandfather, Olin Chiles, whom I adored, had died when I was sixteen years old.
It was wonderful to spend this special time in my life
with such a grand and brilliant lady of virtue.
My Grandmother was a gifted poet and several of her poems were published.
Living in Florida during my young adult years was also precious to me
because I was very close to my Florida cousins.
My father had been born and raised in Lakeland, Florida,
and most of my father's cousins and aunts and uncles still lived there.
My first job was teaching high school English, Speech, and Drama in Haines City, Florida.
After a few years, I was given the golden opportunity to work as
one of the first six Gifted Specialists in Florida,
teaching Students with IQs around 140.
While teaching school, I also worked at a very small church in Lakeland,
Edgewood Baptist Church, as their Youth Director.
This small group of teenagers and I grew very close.
I loved these young people. This was a golden time in my life.
I feel pride that many of my former students and kids from my youth group
have grown up to make great contributions to this world.
Charlene and Diana during our young adult years.
While lecturing for a teacher’s conference in Houston, Texas
on puppetry as an educational tool,
the Head Chaplain from M.D. Anderson, Dr. Ed Mahnke, heard me speak.
He talked to me about the fear and trauma
that children experience when they are hospitalized.
He asked me if I had considered utilizing my puppets as a therapeutic tool
to help children cope with the emotional stresses of hospitalization.
He put something in my heart that I couldn’t ignore.
I resigned my teaching and moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where I entered
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
My studies focused on Family Counseling with an emphasis in Grief Counseling.
While in Texas, I went through a difficult time in my life.
It's ironic that I was taking classes on how to counsel and comfort others
when I was faced with a personal crisis of my own.
As it turned out, my greatest lessons in a broken life, grief, comfort, and healing
did not come from a classroom, but from my own life experiences.
"What a wonderful God we have --
he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the source of every mercy,
and the one who so wonderfully comforts
and strengthens us in our hardships and trials.
And why does he do this?
So that when others are trouble,
needing our sympathy and encouragement,
we can pass on to them this same help and comfort
that God has given to us.
II Corinthians: 3--5
My greatest blessing during those seminary years
was having the honor of working as the secretary for the
of the Head of the New Testament Department,
Dr. J.W. MacGorman.
Dr. J.W. MacGorman, Head of the New Testament Department
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Fort Worth, Texas
This godly man became a father figure for me.
His wisdom and spiritual guidance enriched my life more than he could ever know.
Dr. MacGorman is now retired.
I was able to attend the dedication ceremony for the
J.W. "Jack" MacGorman Conference Center
at Southwestern which took place on September 10, 2001.
It was wonderful that such as Godly and Beloved Man
received such an honor while he was still alive!
I flew back to Memphis that evening, 9/10/01.
Upon Graduation from Southwestern,
I accepted a position in Jackson, Mississippi, where I worked as a Pediatric Therapist
for the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center for twelve years,
from June 1979 until March 1991.
These were good years,
and I loved living near several of my good old friends from my college days.
My years at Mississippi Baptist Medical Center were fulfilling!
In 1979, my sister and her husband, Charlene and Ruedi,
were blessed with the birth of Frances "Haley".
When Haley was five, they moved from California to North Carolina,
where their fervent prayers for more children were answered.
In 1990, my sister and her family moved to Memphis.
Her three little girls, Haley, Robin, and Annaliese,
immediately started praying that their “Aunt Di Di”
would move back to Memphis too.
Neither God nor I could ignore those sweet prayers.
In 1991, Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee
invited me to be their Pediatric Therapist, which I gladly accepted.
My first official day at Le Bonheur was March 18, 1991.
This brought me full circle back to my home town --
and back to my family.
Mother was so thrilled to have both her daughters back "home".
Returning home gave me the wonderful opportunity to get to know
my sweet mother from a grown-up point of view.
And this move also gave me the beautiful chance to watch first hand
the day-by-day growing up activities of my nieces.
By living in the same city,
I was able to attend all church choir and school programs,
pee-wee cheerleading, sports events,
and the odds and ins of every day events in a child's life.
I will always treasure these memories and this time in my life.
Diana Chiles (red sweatshirt) and niece Annaliese (blue shirt)
in the 1998 Cast of Bellevue Baptist Church's Singing Christmas Tree.
My nieces participating in The Singing Christmas Tree
Diana Chiles and Scott Benjamin in the 2007 Production of the Singing Christmas Tree.
As for Le Bonheur, I simply LOVE my job!
I thank God for giving me this special ministry in such a respected medical facility.
This is where I plan to stay as long as Le Bonheur and God allow me this gift.
My Mother had a stroke on Super-Bowl Sunday, 1999.
She suffered dementia that left her in a child-like state of mind.
I sold my own home in Mid-Town Memphis,
and move across town into her home to take care of her.
It's amazing how everything can change in simply one day.
Over night, our lives were different.
I imagine most people fear their parents becoming totally dependent
and helpless in the twilight of their lives.
I didn't know I had it in me to become a care-taker. But I did.
The gentleness and tenderness of Mom's heart was still there.
This picture was taken during Haley's Bridal Shower held at my home.
Mom was my "co-host" for the party!
Haley with her Grandmother at her Bridal Shower.
Me with my sweet mom and her dog, Dottie.
Mother could be hilarious at times. We laughed a lot!
Taking care of her bonded me towards her in a way I cannot describe.
Our roles had changed,
It had become my turn to take care of her, to provide for her,
to comfort her, to protect her, and to love her --
just as she had loved me and tried to protect me through out my entire life.
When she died, I grieved for her as my sweet Mother,
and I also missed that child-like person
who was so excited to see me walk through the door.
Sometimes she knew who I was . . . sometimes she thought I was her Mother . . . .
sometimes she didn't know who I was . . . but she was always glad to see me!
"Most Beautiful" in Youth . . . and in Old Age
Mother died August 2, 2001.
(My Dad had been buried on August 2, 1949.)
Our family took her body to Washington DC where she was buried next to her husband.
Sitting on that beautiful hill in Arlington,
we reflected on how our mother had sat on that same hill
fifty-two years earlier --
a young widow with two small children.
It is comforting to know that my parents are finally reunited.
Their gravesite overlooks the Pentagon and the Washington Monument.
In my opinion, their site is in the most beautiful section of Arlington.
Mother was buried next to her husband in Arlington National Cemetery on August 14, 2001.
On January 15, 2003, I had an operation to remove a brain tumor.
My precious Uncle Bill died suddenly on February 1, 2003,
two weeks after my brain tumor surgery.
That was strange. He had been so concern for me and my life,
and then he was the one who died.
He had been struggling with Colon Cancer,
but we all thought he was doing well.
My sister and I are now the older generation in our family --
a new stage in our own Circle of Life.
Looking back over my life, I have known both joy and sorrow.
I have known times when I had strength enough to fly with the eagles!
And yet there have been times when I was broken and brought to my knees.
I have been blessed with marvelous friends and a dear and precious family.
Through it all, I have felt God's presence and his Mercy.
And I have known God's Grace.
A special lady at Le Bonheur greets me each day with
"Thank God for another day!!!!!!"
At the same time, what a glorious day it will be
when I face Jesus on my first day in Heaven!
There are many of my loved ones in Heaven waiting for me.
Each day brings me closer to seeing them again!
Until then, I am grateful for today.
