The Family

In honor of remembering my father and the legacy he left, I give you "The Family". Now I know what one would think as you place your eyes on this picture of long ago, but I assure you that we were happy at some point as a family. I'm not real sure if it was at this time when this picture was captured for our scrapbook, but we had our memorable moments. I of coarse would have picked a more proportional bow tie to fit my body since this one chosen was about as big as my head.

However in honor of the man that help to give us life, no matter how depressing at times it may have been, this was in deed his family. His most prize was his children. He was proud of us all no matter if we would one day grieve him so with our mistakes and just out right stupid choices. You know when you become a teenager it did not matter if you were a preacher's kid, we were still stupid.

Like the time I ran away. I was mad at my sister one day after school, I was in the fourth grade I believe at the time. I told her I would run away if she did not do something. You know us artist types - eccentric. Well, I set out to run away and I meant it. I got all the way to the woods and found myself stubborn to make a statement. My mother came home and I did not budge. My father came home and yet I still found myself frozen to make a statement about whatever it was I was standing for at the time. Then, wouldn't you know it was Wednesday church and I had stood out there all evening until "the church peoples was a comin". Well I knew I was dead now.

I then had got on the move. So I ran through the woods, down across the river and right smack dab in the middle of a brier patch. Well at this time my father "The Pastor" had called off church and sent the church people on a search party for his son. Well, there I was; stupid, stuck and just knew that my life would come to an end as I knew it. (I am getting anxious all over again just thinking about it).

One of the church goers found me in the brier patch and brought me back home. My mother marched me into my bedroom calmly and sent me straight to bed, but not until she asked me if I was alright. I fell asleep from exhaustion due to my adventure.

It was not memorable because of just how stupid it was looking back, or how my father had called the "Pea Ridge Baptist Church Wednesday night church goers" out on an search party. It was not even memorable because I just knew all would make fun as they stood by while I got the life beaten out of me. No, it was most memorable because my father never said one word or took his hand to me.

No, my father loved me through silence. Nothing was spoke of again about that day as I can recall; that day I set out on my own to find my way to the brier patch.