Cousins, then and now

When my parents and I moved to Kansas City, our first home was in a very poor section of town north of the Missouri River known as Harlem. It was there that I first made an almost spiritual connection with the Missouri River; the Harlem levee and the A.S.B (Armour, Swift, and Burlington) bridge became my playground. I'd stroll right down to the river's edge and watch strange (and sometimes nasty) things floating past.


Some country cousins spent a week at our house, and I introduced them to my wonderful playground.

Yesterday at a family reunion some of those cousins and I talked about those days.

Here we are actually on the bridge: The cousin standing in the center, above (Mary), is the one in the center below, in the green. The one with chin in hand above (Carolyn) is the one on the left below in red.



The little girl on the right above, Junie, is the lady on the left below. Her sister Lela ( second from the left above) is on the right below. June hasn't changed a lot in fifty years, has she?

And now, changing the subject a bit: Considering how much I loved the Missouri River back then, do you think it's any coincidence that I ended up living in a place where I can get on my horse and be on the banks of that river in twenty minutes? I believe God hears the desires of a child's heart.

Picture taken at 6:30 A.M. today.