Afterthoughts

     Bayous in Louisiana provide opportunities for boating, fishing, and enjoying nature.      When my family lived in Lake Charles, Louisiana, we often went boating there. Once, while we were there, I asked my husband if he would mind pulling me behind the boat on skis. Even though he was there to fish, he knew my favorite sport was skiing, so he agreed.      I jumped into the water, clothes and all, except for my shoes.      When our afternoon of fun was over, he pulled up to the boat ramp so he could get the car. I jumped out, dripping wet, and walked past a crowd of people. I heard a man say to his wife, "I better not ever see you do such a stupid thing."      That was the moment I realized how fortunate I was to have married a man who cared enough to help me enjoy life.      That day reminded me how blessed I was to have a husband who cared about my happiness. It also made me think about the p...

     The first time I stopped at Buds in Longview, Texas, to see what the store was like, a large crowd had gathered, waiting for the doors to open. I joined them and heard a young lady make a strange comment.      “When I reached for it, a man bit my thumb.”      No sooner had she made the commented than the doors were unlocked, and everyone began to run toward the back of the store, where returned items from Walmart were marked down to very low prices. Merchandise began to fly off the shelves and into shopping buggies. No one took the time to inspect the items.      That day I learned how to shop in a store where the prices were so low that I felt like a rich person who could buy whatever I wanted. I continued going for two years until Bud died and the store closed.      During those two years, I began to understand the strange comment I had heard that first day.      A man stepped on a girl’s fo...