Afterthoughts

   Grandmother and I walked down the isle of a small country church tucked between Post and Tahoka, Texas.  Just past the piano we stepped up two narrow steps and took our places beside six other choir members, who had sad faces. As we sang, my eyes drifted beyond the casket to the hand full of people scattered across the pews. I remember wondering why so few had come. At the age of fourteen, the whole thing made quiet an impression on me.  I had never seen a dead body before, and I made sure I didn't that day. Not once did I look into the casket.  I was visiting my grandmother for the summer. Not being a member of the church, I never really understood why she insisted I go. I listened and did what I was told because I didn't want to disappoint her. Are You Listening Like a child who doesn't understand, adults often don't listen to God. Perhaps, they don't care as they go about living life their way. Some are too busy traveling down the many avenues they trod, ...

A movie theater might seem like an odd babysitter, but in the forties that is exactly what my parents used it for. Every Saturday and Sunday my sister and I paid our seven cents and walked into the theater in Tahoka, Texas, where the smell of popcorn drifted past our noses and made our mouths water. To save money, Mom made our popcorn at home and sent us off to the theater with a bag of it in tow. It wasn’t unusual for a double feature to be playing, and back then you could stay as long as you wanted. We usually did. We watched the movie twice, along with cartoons, newsreels, and action features like Flash Gordon and Superman. That’s when my love for cowboy movies began, and it continues today. Childhood experiences often stay with us long after we grow up. Some are simple memories, like Saturday afternoons at the movie theater, while others are the lessons our parents teach us along the way. Childhood Experiences Childhood experiences always flow into adulthood. If only this trut...