Summer is upon us here in the Deep South and my mind has been wandering to the days of my youth. The summers of my youth were spent doing a multitude of things. I had to work at the grocery store five days a week, so I had Sundays and Mondays to do whatever else I could find.
I loved working at the store, and it gave me an opportunity to make more money to invest in shotgun shells and fishing lures. I visited Mulling True Value Hardware on a daily basis to peruse the aisles for any new items. I knew the inventory there by heart because I had already fondled the boxes of shells and the packages which held those fishing lures.
After a summer of working full-time I had shells bought up for the fall and my tacklebox would be running over with lures. I also had money to buy new school clothes because I had to be decked out in the latest fashions. I did manage to get some play time in as well. I was proud to be working and proud to have money to buy the things I needed.
The swimming pool at Mckinney’s Pond would be open on Sunday afternoons and my parents would drop me off before Mr. Henry got there to open for the day. The water in that pool was world famous for how cold it was. I couldn’t wait to jump in the swimming pool! Those were really glorious days. I had money for cheeseburgers and snocones and as near as I could tell, I had no need for anything else.
There is no other tiredness like being tired from swimming all afternoon. I ate ice cold Snickers bars and played pinball until I ran out of quarters. We played Ragtag and Marco Polo in that cold water until we couldn’t any longer. Bedtime came soon after supper on those days because I still had another whole day to frolic.
My grandpa would take me fishing at daylight on Monday’s. I was always so excited to go fishing, but mainly I was just excited to spend time with him. I loved that man beyond measure! Those memories of somebody of water, casting a lure and just simply being in his presence still linger in the recesses of my mind. It warms my heart to think back on those days.
Some Mondays were spent in a pea patch filling five-gallon buckets with whatever peas were ready. Most of the morning would be spent picking peas and the afternoon would be dedicated to shelling said peas. My fingers would be purple or green from shelling peas all afternoon. It was without any doubt work, but that time spent with those older folks is a treasured possession for me.
We swam in the river. We jumped off of the river bridge. We jumped off of the train trestle into the river. We caught fish and cooked on the riverbank. I always hated to see those summer days end when darkness fell. By the grace of God, we lived through all of those things. It was life at its finest in a small southern town.
It was a requirement to attend vacation bible school. Exceptions were never made. I grew up in the Methodist Church and went to bible school there, but bible school at the Baptist Church was held during a different week. My attendance was also required at their church as well.
It was always fun regardless of which church we were at. I cannot sit here and remember what any of our lessons were about, but I remember the good food and the good times vividly. Those sweet ladies tried their best to teach us from whatever lesson book they were using, but I’m not sure we ever did learn much from those books.
Looking back though, I am well aware that we learned plenty from those sweet, almost angelic ladies. They taught us to act right, to be kind to another and to get along. What we learned the most came from their actions towards us and how they treated us. Everything we learned from them can be summed up in one word: LOVE. They exemplified love in everything they did. I have taken those lessons about love throughout my life. In fact, I keep a copy of their love with me every day because it is etched in my heart.
Those days of summer have long since passed, but the feeling has never left me. The cold water at the pool is no longer there and I finally got enough sense to quit jumping off the train trestle, but I relish in reliving those days if only in my mind.
