Case in point: Sledding with my
brother, John. Now, here’s the situation. I’m the little brother by five years.
We lived on Underhill Road in Milford, Connecticut. Our house was situated on a
fairly steep slope about a block from the Long Island Sound. A sidewalk ran in
front of our house, which, on the upper end, connected with the street. The
lower end ran down to another road which was the main drag into town. In the
winter this sidewalk would become slippery from ice and snow. Because it was
angled downward rather severely, we used to grab our sleds and zip down the
walk. One problem - the sidewalk ended partway down and became a long series of
elongated stairs descending to the street below. So what we would do is have
two guys placed on either side of the walk where the stairs began. Linking
arms, they would catch the speeding sledder, operating much as the arresting
gear on an aircraft carrier stops a jet. Since I was the youngest, I went last.
My brother and his buddy were positioned to “arrest” me in my slide. All was
well as I ran with my sled, diving onto the wooden boards supported by metal
rails, thundering down the sidewalk. What a thrill! However, when I arrived at
the arresting place, John and his friend quickly pulled their arms away as I sailed
passed, a horrified and stunned look on my face. With that much forward
momentum you became slightly airborne until your sled hit the first step at
which point you became airborne again, sans
your sled, bouncing on your chest in a most undignified manner down the stairs.
I can still hear my brother and his friend howling in laughter at my comical
descent.
Another story had to do with our sister,
Joy’s 10th birthday. Our folks took the family into New York City
for dinner at the Roosevelt Hotel. Located on the corner of Madison Avenue and
45th Street in midtown Manhattan, it was built in 1924 in honor of
President Teddy Roosevelt. The Roosevelt housed the first guest “pet facility” and
child care service in The Teddy Bear Room
and had the first in-house doctor. In 1947, the Roosevelt became the first
hotel to have a television set in every room. But the primary reason for our
going there for this birthday celebration was due to the fact that the famed
band leader, Guy Lombardo, and his band performed there in the evenings. Another
famous band leader also began his career at the Roosevelt – Lawrence Welk. Our
table was maybe thirty feet from this famous band. During our dinner, Guy
Lombardo came over to our table and wished Joy a happy birthday. Only a couple
of years before I had begun to play trumpet at school, so to meet a musician of
Mr. Lombardo’s stature left me practically speechless. I remember him patting
me on the head and encouraging me to keep practicing my horn. I did and
received a scholarship to college on my horn. Later in my early 20’s during
Marine Corps Infantry Training I was selected to be the bugler which primarily
consisted of blowing reveille every morning at 4:30, and playing taps every
night at 10:00.
This last story has to do with
Thanksgiving. It was the summer of 1962. We had been in Europe since 1960, so
we decided to come back to the States for a visit. While in the New York area
with friends and family, my mother’s dad, Granddaddy Lake to me, passed away in
Dallas, Texas. Mom and I took the train from New York’s Grand Central Station
to Dallas. We stayed to help her mom make the necessary adjustments, which
meant I was starting school at Highland Park Junior High. I was beginning my freshman
year (Texas had Junior High from 7th – 9th grades).We had
a small apartment next to Southern Methodist University (SMU) where John was
beginning his freshman year. Through a complicated series of events which are much
too convoluted to explain, I was in the apartment by myself for a number of
weeks before rejoining mom and pop at our home in Norway. John spent lots of
time with me, particularly in the evenings, and my aunt and uncle also lived
nearby. At Thanksgiving Aunt Edith called to tell me that I was to fly out of
Love Field for Norway in a few days. The day of my departure they picked me up
to have Thanksgiving dinner with them before I boarded the plane. On the plane
we were served a Thanksgiving dinner as well. We landed at Idyllwild Airport
(now JFK international airport) in New York. With a five-hour layover, long-time
friends from New Jersey picked me up. We went back to their home where I ate
yet another Thanksgiving dinner. Back to Idyllwild, I boarded the flight from
New York to Copenhagen, Denmark, then to Goteborg, Sweden, and finally arriving
in Oslo, Norway. You guessed it! On the plane crossing the Atlantic we were
served another Thanksgiving dinner. My folks met me at the airport in Oslo.
What a welcomed sight! When we arrived home mom served up my fifth and final
Thanksgiving dinner! It’s a wonder that I still love to eat turkey, stuffing
and all the fixings, but I surely do. And it makes me look forward to Jesus’s
Marriage Supper of the Lamb which awaits believers in heaven. Now that will
truly be glorious!
Thanks for letting me share some
remembrances with you this week. Be blessed!
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