I’ve always been told that parents should not have a favorite child, and that is true for me. But I must admit to having a favorite parent! My father, Lawrence Bradley, was the kindest, gentlest, and yet most capable and intelligent man I knew. He could build things, such as a new barn, and repair … [Read more…]
Mother and Daddy, recently married, settled in to their life in the Clearview community of Middle Tennessee where he had grown up, living in the old farmhouse where my paternal grandfather had been born. By fall, Mother acquired a teaching job at the country school, which was much larger than your typical “one-room schoolhouse.” One … [Read more…]
As a child, I always had skinned knees. I ran everywhere I went and constantly tripped over things. On the farm, I’d fall over roots or sticks or gravel in our driveway. In town, I’d run an errand for Mother and fall on the sidewalk, hurting my knee. Of course what hurt more than the … [Read more…]
I recently heard from Bill Long, the preacher who baptized me in 1957. After reading my book, Spillin’ the Beans, he reminded me of a couple of his additional memories of Mother and Daddy. He always stayed with us while he held “gospel meetings” at the white frame Clearview Church of Christ. He’d preach every … [Read more…]
Sunday was my father’s birthday. Born in 1921, he would have been 97. His brother died at age 99, his sister at 96, both parents in their nineties. It seems unfair that he died in 1984 at age 62. But “life is not fair” is a mantra my children heard often. Things happen. Heart disease … [Read more…]
