So old

Issue 271 - So Old

June 2022

One day this week, before celebrating Jan's birthday on June 29th, we sat around laughing about what used to be, old memories, and our remembrances of them. Here we share our reflections and a little levity.

Remembering and Forgetting

I’m so old I remember walking home from grade school and stopping at the original Whataburger stand on Ayers Street in Corpus Christi. The grill was up against the front window so I could lean against the walk-up railing on tip-toes and watch it being made to perfection. Big beefy patty piled high with shredded lettuce, thick juicy red tomatoes, pickles, and onions for 35-cents.

I was born into a world of war, World War II. I remember my mother joyfully calling out to me playing in the back yard, “The war is over! Uncle George is coming home!” I remember being aware of Dwight Eisenhower and tremendous respect for the American government and its leaders. I remember when politicians were statesmen, speechmakers, and heroes of the country.

I am so old I remember images on the wall of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary –of saving my allowance until I had three dollars to take the bus downtown (by myself) to Mrs. Ritter’s “Church Goods” store and buy a statue of St. Therese of Lisieux – of Latin Mass, incense, and scent of beeswax candles.

I am so old I remember doctors making house calls carrying little black leather satchels …. monkey blood . . . green ceramic dentists’ bowls to spit into . . . when it was unethical for doctors and lawyers to advertise . . . and my first gynecology visit to the Hymann, Heine, Moody & Moore doctors’ office (yes, really!)

I am so old I remember cloth diapers and Pet Milk formulas for my baby boys. I remember dressing up in suits and high heels for airplane flights. I remember Poll Tax, Texas Blue Laws and Hootenannies. I remember Hank Williams Sr, Hank Williams Jr, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson performing in local dance halls. I was there!

I am old enough to remember so many fun things. And I am old enough to forget what I don’t want to remember!

--Jan

Olden Days

I am so old that I remember automobiles with a crank-handle, so that you could crank the engine by hand to start it.

I am so old that I helped my mother do laundry with a wringer washer and two galvanized tubs for rinsing. One of those tubs was also where I took my baths as a child.

I am old enough to have watched my dad harvest acres of corn by hand, tossing the ears into a wagon pulled by a team of horses.

I am also old enough to remember when one of the first TVs in the neighborhood was delivered to our house. (I become much more popular overnight!)

I am so old I remember when there was only one telephone in any house – and ours was a four-party line.

I am so old that I remember the first NASA Mercury launches, with Walter Cronkite reporting from the back of a station wagon. (For that matter, I’m old enough to remember station wagons.)

I am so old that when I bought my first car (a Datsun 510 sedan), it was physically impossible to put $5.00 of gas in the tank.

I am so old that I’ve lived in eight different states and one foreign country. I have experienced great joy and seen friends die too young. I have lived through more wars than I care to count.

Thanks be to God, I still greet each day as a gift.

-- Bill

Please share Reflection freely by forwarding any issue (forward in its entirety), but remember to respect copyright laws by not altering, copying, or reproducing Reflection, text or photos, whole or in part, without written permission.

Sincerely,

Bill Howden and Jan Davis

Soul Windows Ministries

Visit our website

Join Our Mailing List