What I care about.

When I was a little kid, we lived up near the top of fifth street in a little old mill house. The street ran about perfectly from East to West, so that when I went out in the morning and looked towards Taylor’s Ridge I could see the sun come up. Even as a little kid, I got up early. I don’t know why but I have always been that way and still am. In the evening, I could look down fifth street towards Trion mill at the other end and see the sun set over the top of the mill. We lived that close. If I’d been able to throw rocks very well back then, I’d have been able to make about three good throws and would have broken out a window on the third throw in the General office building. I’d never do a thing like that, or even consider it though….you know…

I got to where I appreciated the sunrises and sunsets then when I was four or five years old, and I still do. I got to where I appreciate a lot of other things during those early years too. Pinto beans and fried ‘taters. Good ‘funny books” (later comic books, but funny books back then) Blue jeans, and good white cotton socks. A few toys to play with…back then I liked tinker toys and matchbox cars. I didn’t have a single other kid to play with back then. It was just me. There were a couple of neighbor kids, but they wouldn’t play with me. They just stole my toys if I happened to leave them out.

I really didn’t make any friends until I started to school. There was a pool of about 60 of us kids in my class and we pretty much stayed together all through school. Those were and still are my best friends. The only ones I have ever had besides my wife now….who is my best friend. I don’t often speak of specific instances of things that we did during my “growing up” days….I might get somebody in trouble. I appreciated that small town of that era. Things change though, and things have changed there and not too much for the better. I won’t go through all that though. You people who know…will know what I’m talking about.

I said all of that to get to the dream I had last night. All I can remember is that I was walking up fifth street at first light….not at sunset as you might think, but at dawn. I had such a wonderful feeling that I was going home. I woke up briefly, just long enough to remember that part of the dream. I’m glad I did, because things in this world are just getting really tough. Everything that’s happened over the past few years makes me glad I’m winding down instead of winding up. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy my life, it’s just that as you get older your viewpoint on life changes. I care more now about the lives of my children and grandchildren than I do my own. I would do anything I could in my power to help them, but in some situations there is just nothing you can do anymore except to hope and pray. Hope and pray that the ones you love will be safe for one more day.

I guess I’ve prattled on enough for now. Just want all my family and my few friends to know that I’m thinking of you, and that I love you all. One of these days when I make it to the top of that hill up on fifth street and go on over the top just remember I told you so!