Tribute

This is March, I have an older brother who went on to be with God in 2000.

This is his birth month.

So I will pay tribute to him.

He was about 7 years older than me. He was tall, 6'2" I think.

When he was small he had asthma so bad, he would at times crawl up on the porch barely breathing. (My Mom told me this)

So he was pretty pampered. He outgrew the asthma but pampering he never outgrew.

I often wonder how much damage was done to his lungs from scarring.

Leonard considered himself a mechanic, (shade tree) a builder of toys, (spinning Jenny, should have been called Flying Sue).

He took reflectors out of state signs to make eyes reflect in the woods at night.

He built bag swings to twist us up to the top of trees, only to let us go and spin wildly out of control.

Ken, my son, remembers he loved to give "Indian burns" and play "milk a Mouse". (with our hands) He was a joker from the word go.

My Uncle Porter told me, "Leonard and Ed were in the field playing, they had a big old tire, Each one of them took turns going down a hill, coiled up in the tire. As Leonards turn came again, Ed got the tire really straight and gave a big push, as Leonard flew down the hill, he was going at full speed. He went right through a huge briar patch, he got out laughing. A minister saw this, he ran to check on him, as Leonard emerged from the tire the Minister said, "Son the Lord had to be with you on that ride, you could have been killed."

Leonards response, "Well if he was he had a hell of a ride."

This was all from Uncle Porter.

But to give him credit, Above all else he Loved the Lord. He struggled with his faith on numerous occasions but in the end he was at peace with the world around him

In 1999 Leonard had a heart transplant. He was really happy to get that heart. He did not know the benefactor but he knew he was young.

Leonard thought he was getting younger.

He swore his eyebrows were getting black again. He swore his facial features were smoothing out. (If that were so, I want a new heart.) NOT!!!!

He had a lease on life, like he never had before.

His favorite pasttime was practical jokes and fishing.

But you better not pull a joke on him, he could not take it.

He could sit on a pond or creek all day, for the sheer joy of the beauty of the pond and the quiet.

One of my favorite memories of him was in the early 70's. We had gone to Arkansas for a holiday.

As we all gathered in the living room, we began to play Charade's.

Leonard lay on the floor and began jumping and wiggling.

He was a piece of bacon frying in the pan. We all laughed until we were sick.

Another vivid memory was when I saw him in July 2000. He was pretty bad. He could not get out of his car after a visit to the doctor.

We all went over to help out, the men helped him, we all gathered and prayed before the ambulance arrived.

As we prayed, he was so sick, he could not hold his head up, I stood behind his wheel chair and held his head on my chest as we prayed. (his head kept bobbing around before I took control of it)

He asked later, who was that, He knew someone was praying from that position. (not from me but from faith)

Leonard loved, Loved a good joke, One of his favorite comedians was Jerry Clowers, (southern humorist)

He loved the recitation "Phone call from God". It was of the early 60's.

Leonard, as a Young man loved Rock and Roll. Little Richard was his favorite but he equally listened to Jerry Lee, The Big Bopper, Elvis, and a host of others.

But he would often say "OH my Soul". that was Little Richards quote.

My Mama died in 1999. He was unable to attend the funeral or the hospital to say Goodby. He called the hospital and told her something on the phone. He cried and cried but he was in the hospital so they monitored his heart closely.

A few weeks after she passed. I called him. I told him everything that happened in that room, that week, that day. I am sure some felt it was not a good thing to do. But I know it was OK. He again cried and cried when I told him of Mama reaching up to praise God, How she glowed when she left his earth. He neeed to hear that. He needed to know Mama had made her peace too.

Sometime we hide truth and that is not always the best thing. Sometime protecting someone hurts more than the truth. He said, "I never knew she did all that, Thank you for telling me." He now had hope of meeting her, how he could ever doubt is beyond me. I, again say, Humans expect perfection, Jesus accepts us as we are, we answer only to him.

I felt awful when he died. (of course I did) He was a brother, you never expect your generation to pass away.

It shows you just where you are in life.

He was only 61 when he died.

We all think we are immortal.. It just won't happen to us.

It does happen. life comes and goes. At this point We see two more generations after us.

My sister sees three more generations. She has great grandchildren.

So as we know our generation is passing.

I remember the first of my Generation to go on to meet God and see his passed loved ones again.

So today as I remember his birth month, I am recalling a simpler place and time in our lives. A time when it was 8 children and two parents, No worries, no adult decisions to make. A time of remembrance.