Golden Days

           

   H  How can one hope to ever present, 

   A  All that’s happened, event to event?      

   P  Pretty high school girl, Winton Woods “date.”

   P  Pretty Tennessee bride, life’s soul mate.

   Y  Young marriage?  Yes.  God, His wisdom sent.

 

 F  Finances were often super tight

 I  In spite of work and homemaker’s might.

 F  Finished (always wed) B. A. degree,

T  Teaching Hobe’s literature was to be.

I  It introduced us to the sea’s sight.

E  Eventually, teaching changed a bit,

T  The Bible became more life’s great “hit.”

H  Helping prepare workers for the field,

 

W  Wishing to increase the Master’s yield,

E  Ended in Friendsville – God’s timing fit.

D  Dining, other duties tired my wife,

D  Dual/triple “chores” consumed my own life.

I   In eighty-five pulled out for AK:

N  New roads, tent, campsites filled every day,

G  God’s given pleasures, only slight strife.

                 

  A  Andrew, Lincoln, Laura, and Heather

  N  Nested in Bryan’s nest together.

  N  Nice to each other, nice to Mom, Dad,

 I  In times when little was all we had.

 V  Vacations? – with long or short tether.

 E  Eventually each sought/found a mate.

 R  Rightly, their finds would be hard to rate,

 S  Seventeen “grands” bless Martha and me,

 A  A few near, but most “over the sea.”

 R  Rich we are – this side heaven’s grand gate.

 Y  Yield (all!) so you’ll live beyond the blue.

   

 B  Babe, you’re good for me, hope me you.

 A  Always ‘member, I’ve loved you always.

 B  Blessings on our own fiftieth days.

 E  “Edgar and Martha,” happy “young” two.                  

  – eab,6/23/11

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Brother Webb

Sometime last month you had a birthday;

The exact date, I’m sorry, I forgot.

You turned eighty-five, 85, I say.

Eighty-five years Brother, is a lot.

 

Four score and five is almost enough

To be antique. (Don’t be offended,

Antiques, you know, I love in the rough,

So stick with me till I’m ended.)

 

You’ve lived to see the horse-less carriage,

Turn from touring car to streamline.

And conversely the steam, steel-horse rage,

Once strong, you’ve seen fully decline.

 

The airplane you saw at its outset,^[1]

Not dreaming that soon, oh so soon,

The bi-plane would give way to the jet,

And you’d live to see men on the moon.

 

As I’d mention a “great,” you’d known him:

Rees,^[2] Fleming,[3] Culp,[4] Uncle Bud,^[5] and Ruth,[6]

Anderson,[7] Stalker,[8] and Wireman.^[9]

You’ve been privileged to hear preach the truth.

 

You have lived and known such a spectrum,

Of the past, and ones who have gone on.

You’re the one for me, who connects them,

A living, Godly historian.^[10]

 

So I’m glad to have had you Brother,

As pastor, advisor, and friend.

With wishes for many another,

These (late) birthday greetings I send. – eab, 2/75

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^[1] He saw one of the Wright Brothers fly.

^[2] J D Webb Sr. was ordained by Seth C Rees, ate with Uncle Buddy, told about Stalker’s previous affliction, and had Wireman as evangelist when Webb pastored the Pilgrim Holiness church in Bremen, Ohio.

[3] John and Bona Fleming were brothers.

[4] George B Culp

^[5] At Webb’s sister’s house he ate breakfast with Uncle Buddy (Rueben Robinson)

[6] C W (Christian Wismer) Ruth

[7] T M (Tony) Anderson

[8] Charlie Stalker

^[9] I had privilege of hearing “Bulldog” Charlie Wireman.

^[10] His first car was a 1914 Cadillac which he owned in 1916.

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