Now: This week I traveled to Little Rock, AR for work. I was returning home and was on the road to Damascus (Arkansas) when this truck filled with loaves of bread pulled up beside me. I suddenly recalled the story in the Bible about the multitude being fed by one loaf and two fishes. As I looked at the truck laden with bread, I began to watch my mirror for two trucks full of fish to go with the bread. Am I about to witness a miracle here? Alas, I sadly was not. It was only two rednecks going to feed their hogs stale bread from a bakery.

Then: My first love. Our family only lived on The Hunky place for three years. Thus I attended Purdy elementary school for my first, second and most of my third year. While there I met my first love. Her name was BR and I fell head over heels for this young lass. I was so smitten I actually let her wear my jacket at recess when she was cold. I know the feeling was mutual because she broke her parents phone when she thought it was me on the phone calling her and she dropped the phone. Shortly thereafter, we moved to a farm east of Monett and I did not see her again.

That would have been around 1958 that we moved. Fast forward to around 1989 which found my wife and I sitting in Hammons Hall at SMSU for a writing awards ceremony for our second grade daughter. As we were waiting for the Monett students to be announced we heard them announce the Cassville students and their teacher. The teacher was none other than my first love, BR. With my lovely wife's encouragement, I walked to the other side of the gym and asked if she remembered me. She did! We chatted awkwardly for a bit and I returned to the love of my life, the mother of my children and the woman who loves me so much she has not smothered me in my sleep for snoring. LOL Oh, life was good when I was seven.