My First |
|
Once upon a time we lived in an old frame house. The
front door and the back door were straight across
from each other, a distance of about 8 feet. To the
right of that passage was a long room though I can't
remember or even guess how long it was. To the left
of that passage was a wall with a 3rd door leading
into a second long room. We must have lived there at least a few months because Christmas came while we lived there, a little brown bag. It contained an apple, an orange, 3 pieces of candy and 5 peanuts that had been salted in the shell. I was so glad to get the candy. I savored the peanuts. I don't remember what happened to the orange but the apple I saved until Sunday. Daddy was off work that day. Late in the morning I brought out my apple and took a bite or two. It was so crisp and good. Mama suggested that I put salt on my apple. I took the box and shook some out onto my apple. Daddy looked up and said, “Boy, you're putting too much salt on there.” |
|
Well, he didn't know how much salt I wanted. I glared at
him then put more salt onto the apple. “Boy, you put any
more salt on that apple and you'd better eat it or I'm
going to whip you.” So I piled it up, good and thick on the apple. Then I took a bite and I wondered what in the world anybody had ever invented salt for; that stuff was awful. I walked over to the door and threw the apple outside. Daddy came up out of his chair and he was taking his belt out as he rose. “Boy, I warned you. So now I'm going to whip you.” Why, the fool MEANT IT! So I leaped for the door with Daddy hot on my heels. I turned to the left and he followed me. Around the house I went and he followed me. Once, twice, thrice I ran around the house with him falling farther and farther behind me. He couldn't keep up with me. I was winning the race. On the fourth lap around the house I lost him on the long side. His breath had gotten so ragged he was gulping.. And that's when I left him behind, completely. Around that corner I went; I didn't even pause to congratulate myself. No sir, I put on more speed; I was going to put him so far behind that he would never catch up. Around that next corner I went skidding, and I was laughing to myself because I was running so fast. That's when I yanked the throttle wide open. The dust was loose and my feet were clean; I was sailing around that house like a pure dee old running machine. And that's when Daddy stepped out the door in front of me, with his belt raised high over his head. Down she come and Daddy grabbed my arm so I couldn't get away. He set up a rhythm to it – 1, 2, 3 – turn me a little bit – 1, 2, 3. When I began screaming real loud he quit, but the thrashing didn't hurt me; I never felt a one of his blows. It was the fact that Daddy had cheated that hurt me most. Instead of catching me he had stepped through the front door and waited on me to appear at the back door. HE CHEATED! Oh that hurt. When I quit bawling Mama handed me the apple. She never said a word but I knew what I was supposed to do; I chomped down on a big bite, and I began to chew. You know, that salt didn't taste all that bad, once you got used to it. Years later Mama got to talking about her last Christmas at home. She roasted peanuts on top of the stove and Grandpa bought some pop corn. Mama popped it, then ran needle and thread through a bunch of them to make a long rope. Uncle Earl chopped down a little tree and they decorated it with the string of pop corn. That was all they had for Christmas. My little brown bag looked pretty big after that because I couldn't remember it without thinking about Mama's Christmas. |
the end
the author: Meet Lin Stone.
Lin
is the Great Collaborator and
Touch Up Specialist. He can
straighten out narrative, turn
mere
words into powerful quotes
and rearrange faulty story lines quickly.
Here are two samples, one written
for a new
cancer hospital and one on
finding the
papers of Josh Lee, U.S. Senator.
|
Read Symbols of Easter * My First Merry Christmas Pray for your spouse because in these treacherous times there are forces threatening us in the workplace as never before. Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation 1984 is defiantly upon us. In their FAMILY PLANNING section, drug Stores today often have shelf after shelf and counter after counter filled with -- shall we say "Casual Mating Goods". Nurturing the family in these times, may help us keep our eyes where they belong. Tomorrow Must Be For Kids. What are the issues, what are the solutions? Where can the answers be found? The recipe for keeping the modern family together still begins in the kitchen. Some of J. T. Hale's ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. Nathan Hale is counted as one of his relatives. (They come from the same Hale family) These are parts of his own personal heritage but ALL the signers of the Declaration are part of every American's heritage. That means Nathan Hale can be a hero to all of us. After all, if you go back far enough all of us are related to kings, queens, and all the other rapscallions too. Why do we give Carte Blanche to all the child molesters we know? When Cancer comes again, a very special essay written by Jeannie Nugent, reprinted with permission from the Stuttgart Daily Leader. When You Thought I Wasn't looking. Words we all long to hear. Curing Bad Credit A step-by-step guide to honestly making bad credit all right again. I've learned, I have! I've not had the best time of my life! But, I have learned to accept the bad with the good. You do not know what your life will bring tomorrow, so enjoy all that you've been given today. This isn't an essay about the family, but it may spark a thousand bright memories in your family, You now have access to download a very special cookbook with 333 pages of good old sweet treasures you can make at home for the family you love. Free Scholarships for your young scholar. It takes hours online every day to update, research and verify all four thousand of the Scholarship offerings available. YOU can get all that information for FREE. The Scholarship Directory contains textually enhanced links to over 4,000 websites where you can register for all types of Scholarships and Grants for your children. Download the Directory for free, and while you're at it, take the time to register for a FREE Scholarship worth $10,000.00 They sat around moping when Daddy died because he had not left them any legacy. They were so down in the mouth that I stood up and volunteered to pay Daddy back for that time he drove 350 miles to get me when my car blowed up and my whole family was stranded on the road. "I figure that kind of service call is worth a thousand dollars because he kind of done it on credit and I never paid the bill. I'll put that in the pot for yawl a legacy to divide up." Down with the Willow... Daddy always was a better man than I; How do you deal with that? The willow tree was bigger than both of us. The Debt Management Cure To Our Financial Woes. A Christmas Quiz: How much do you really know about Christmas? How much of what you think about Christmas is Bible and how much is world? Could you pass the following quiz on this topic? Test your knowledge. There are no trick questions, but you might be surprised by some of the answers. The answers are at the end of the quiz. Whistle -- an inspirational Father's Day Story told because the promises we forget are usually the ones never forgot. The First Day of School is always the toughest, by Lin Stone There Are Gypsies In My Dreams Pretty Pictures taken by a father who might could have been something. If only, if only. Smiles, by Filomena Borsellino. A smile is the sweetest Treasure on Earth. Michael was not my problem. When he first came to us he was a bundle of boyish energy, too large for his age and too bright for his years. It was said that he ran his poor grandmother to death, and having seen them together I believed it. It’s strange. All of us believed it, but none of us helped, not like we should have. Oh, we hoped she could hold out, and some of us probably prayed God would give her more strength. But somehow we all felt Michael was HER problem, and not ours. The Ice Cream "Comb" by Rick Beneteau because Quitting is never an option. Ice Memories that never get cold, by Lin Stone I Can't Remember You: That first shock of being forgotten by someone we love is enough to turn our world upside down. All I could think of to say was, "I am someone you have been very kind to over many years." Kids and Sunday School, by J. Edgar Hoover. Grandma's Bath Tub, an essay of love by Lin Stone A history of showers and bathtubs Doing the Dishes: Take pride in who you are and what you like doing, even if there are some to this day who believe that gender should decide what we like or dislike and that doing the dishes is for sissies. Living with Spina Bifida, a poet's story. The Hug.. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we can't get what we want until we give it away to someone else first. Remember Grandpa: Nearly 17 years later, I can still hear grandpa's laughter, still smell grandma's coffee, still shiver at the memory of how cold those rivers were. Why Teach Your Child To Read? Reading problems are a further challenge to our world. They contribute significantly to the perpetuation of socio-economic, racial and ethnic inequities. However it is not just poor and minority children who struggle with reading. According to the 2002 national report card on reading by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 64% of our children are less than proficient in reading even after 12 years of public schooling attempts to teach them. |
There are MORE Hand-Picked Essays
in the following categories
Personal * Inspirational * Helpful * Social * War * Freedom * Money
|
Nurturing the family in these times, by Earl H. Roberts. Some of J. T. Hale's ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. Nathan Hale is counted as one of his relatives. (They come from the same Hale family) These are parts of his own personal heritage but ALL the signers of the Declaration are part of every American's heritage. That means Nathan Hale can be a hero to all of us. After all, if you go back far enough all of us are related to kings, queens, and all the other rapscallions too. The recipe for keeping the modern family together still begins in the kitchen. Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation I've learned, I have! I've not had the best time of my life! But, I have learned to accept the bad with the good. You do not know what your life will bring tomorrow, so enjoy all that you've been given today. Free Scholarships for your young scholar. It takes hours online every day to update, research and verify all four thousand of the Scholarship offerings available. YOU can get all that information for FREE. The Scholarship Directory contains textually enhanced links to over 4,000 websites where you can register for all types of Scholarships and Grants for your children. Download the Directory for free, and while you're at it, take the time to register for a FREE Scholarship worth $10,000.00 They sat around moping when Daddy died because he had not left them any legacy. They were so down in the mouth that I stood up and volunteered to pay Daddy back for that time he drove 350 miles to get me when my car blowed up and my whole family was stranded on the road. "I figure that kind of service call is worth a thousand dollars because he kind of done it on credit and I never paid the bill. I'll put that in the pot for yawl a legacy to divide up." Down with the Willow... Daddy always was a better man than I; How do you deal with that? The Willow was bigger than both of us. Pray for your spouse because in these treacherous times there are forces threatening us in the workplace as never before. Whistle -- an inspirational Father's Day Story because the promises we forget are usually the ones never forgot. The First Day of School is always the toughest, by Lin Stone There Are Gypsies In My Dreams Pretty Pictures taken by a father who might could have been something. If only, if only. Smiles, by Filomena Borsellino. A smile is the sweetest Treasure on Earth. Michael was not my problem. When he first came to us he was a bundle of boyish energy, too large for his age and too bright for his years. It was said that he ran his poor grandmother to death, and having seen them together I believed it. It’s strange. All of us believed it, but none of us helped, not like we should have. Oh, we hoped she could hold out, and some of us probably prayed God would give her more strength. But somehow we all felt Michael was HER problem, and not ours. The Ice Cream "Comb" by Rick Beneteau because Quitting is never an option. Ice Memories that never get cold, by Lin Stone I Can't Remember You: That first shock of being forgotten by someone we love is enough to turn our world upside down. All I could think of to say was, "I am someone you have been very kind to over many years." Kids and Sunday School, by J. Edgar Hoover. Grandma's Bath Tub, an essay of love by Lin Stone Doing the Dishes: Take pride in who you are and what you like doing, even if there are some to this day who believe that gender should decide what we like or dislike and doing the dishes is for sissies. Living with Spina Bifida, a poet's story. The Hug.. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we can't get what we want until we give it away to someone else first. Remember Grandpa: Nearly 17 years later, I can still hear grandpa's laughter, still smell grandma's coffee, still shiver at the memory of how cold those rivers were. Why Teach Your Child To Read? Reading problems are a further challenge to our world by contribute significantly to the perpetuation of socio-economic, racial and ethnic inequities. However it is not just poor and minority children who struggle with reading. According to the 2002 national report card on reading by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), most of our children (64%) are less than proficient in reading even after 12 years of our attempts to teach them. |
There are
MORE
Hand-Picked Essays
in the following categories
Personal * Inspirational * Helpful * Social * War * Freedom * Money
Check out our whole site with one click.