My Brother The Preacher

A view of the world from flat on my back

My brother is a preacher. He is so funny sometimes. He called the other day to check on us.

He is the oldest child in our family. Since he was the oldest he has always been a very grownup person. He has always felt a lot of responsibility toward people.

He also had lots of perks growing up because he was oldest. When we siblings went horseback riding, he actually rode a horse, while the rest of us rode Dad's mules. He always got to ride in the front seat with Dad and Mom. He rode next to the window, with Mom snuggled in between Dad and him. I can still see his black hair blowing in the wind, and his arm propped against the open window frame. I thought that was just about the coolest things that could happen to a person, riding shot gun! To this day, I claim my spot in the front seat, as an earned priviledge.

Mom enjoyed telling funny stories about him. When he was a small child, she bought him a pair of new overalls and boots. I guess Mom meant for them to last awhile, because they were too big for him. His pants kept sliding down his hips, so he stood up to to pull them up. When he would sit down, his boots would come off. Finally he spoke up a in small, frustrated voice. "When I stand up, my pants slide down, and when I sit down my boots come off!" He was pretty cute.

He enjoys telling stories about all of us.

He is the historian in our family. Every once in awhile he will call to tell me a little story about something that happened over forty years ago.

When I look at him, it is almost like I am seeing someone that is just a shadow of him. His black hair has turned white and his shoulders are a little stooped. I am reminded that we are all just passing through this world and will only be here for a short while. What a sobering thought that is.

I took the picture of the tree lying flat on my back on the  trapoline in my back yard. I feel like my life is in that kind of perspective because I have entered the senior stage. My friends look different, I think and feel different in lots of ways, and some things that I was once so interested in, just don't drive me anymore.

After June, I will have a very amazing personal story that is unfolding in mine and my husbands life. One that makes me want to live a very long time!