Life's Lessons

1.Mom???s Lesson: I was 2 years old. I remember this like it was yesterday. She asked me to go wake my 7 year old brother, Johnny up. So, I toddle into his room. ???Johnny wake up.??? Nothing. He has a Mickey Mouse Alarm clock sitting on his night stand. Ok. Alarm clock is supposed to wake brother up. I took the alarm clock and ???whack??? right on the head. He Screams. Mom comes running in. I???m still holding the alarm clock, ???giggling???. She asks, ???What happened???? I say, ???I woke him up.??? It was a VERY long time before she sent me in to wake him up again.

2.Daddy???s Lesson: I was about 7 years old. Me and my brother had done something to get ourselves in trouble enough to warrant a spanking. Daddy didn???t have a belt on, so he sent us to the closet to pick out a belt. Johnny picked out a nice sturdy leather belt. I waited until he was done. I couldn???t stop giggling after he left the closet, I had already spotted the one I wanted. A Nice Safe CLOTH belt hidden in the back. Johnny took his licks first. I kept the belt hidden behind my back the entire time. Trying to look scared or at the very least worried. Apparently, I did well, because after he was done with Johnny, he looked at me and said, ???Well, what did you bring me???? I brought the belt out from behind my back, it falling limply over my hand. Johnny, gasped. I looked sheepish. And Daddy, he burst out laughing so hard. I did not get a spanking. Never did find THAT belt again though. LOL

3.My Lesson: Don???t mess with Grandma! Growing up out in the country we often times had Mamaw around to watch over us. She loved us fiercely, but she was a mean old bird. If we stepped out of line, she???d spank us with whatever she could get her hands on. One day she didn???t have anything on hand, so she told us to go pick a switch. I got the bright idea to get the branch off of a weeping willow tree. Folks I do NOT suggest this. OUCH! She caught me on the back of the knees 1 time. That???s all it took. I will remember the sting for the rest of my life. She laughed at that one. I danced around for an hour doing the ???this stings like crap dance???. My lesson??? Don???t mess with Grandma!

4.Johnny???s Lesson: My brother likes to sleep??? a lot! I???ve come up with a tons of ways to wake him up over the years. Banging pots and pans over his head, telling him Mom???s on the phone, Singing ???They???re coming to Take me Away??? Repeatedly in Betty Boop???s Voice (Yes I can do a Perfect Betty Boop), but my all time favorite took some planning. As well as a Whole bag of marbles. I froze them for a whole week. I tip toed into his room, dumped the bag under his covers. Then I took off running like my butt was on fire. It took him a bit. I was out of the house, across our yard (About ?? an acre at that time) and I was into the woods by the time he made it out the front door. I knew he was gonna come after me for that one. I never did get those marbles back.

5.Lesson: I was 12 years old when my father passed away. I remember that day like it was yesterday. My mother couldn???t tell me. She had to have a family friend there with me when she woke me up. She didn???t have to tell me. I already knew. I dreamed it the night before. I watched him die and could do nothing. I saw the flashing lights through my bedroom window. There was a black bird tapping at my window. And then I saw myself sleeping in my bed and that???s when my mother and the family friend woke me. She spoke words I did not hear. I left the house that day my life changed. So when I tell people that when you love someone to tell them and tell them often. Because you never know when they won???t be there anymore. It is because life is short. And it can end suddenly. We are guaranteed nothing in this life but a death. How we go out in this world is uncertain. Some of us are cursed with seeing things we don???t care to see. I???ve been cursed with having to watch everyone I care about perish. He was not the first and he will not be the last. But alas, this is My Life.


To Every Beginning there is an End.