Monday, December 19, 2011

A voice from the past

When I was a kid in Eagleville, Missouri, my world consisted of school, church, and family.  In many cases, these areas of my life overlapped.  For instance, Uncle Leo's kids went to the same school and church as I; they were in all three groups.
Last night I was surfing on the Eagleville.com website; I came across a conversation several of the readers were having about the old telephone system where my parents were operators, and saw a comment by someone named Marla, whom I remembered from the old days.  Facebook was mentioned in the thread of conversation, so I sent Marla a friend request.  
Now, I've always been a peculiar person.  You've probably figured that out.  As a child, I did not have close friends.  I was a mouthy, spoiled brat, so there wasn't a lot to draw people to me; I'm pretty sure my relatives wondered if I'd make it to adulthood without ending up in prison or the nuthouse.  However, I had "church friends" and cousins.  Those are the kids that have to play with you whether they want to or not.  God bless every one of them!  
Marla and her sister Judy were among my church friends.  
So after Marla added me as a Facebook friend this morning, I told her about my fond memories of her mother, Lois, playing guitar, and she and her sister harmonizing to a song called "Keys to the Kingdom".  I told her that Lois was the first person I ever heard singing the song "I Knew an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly", and I  have sung it since to every child who entered my life who would sit still long enough to listen to it.  
Before I go on, I want to remind you that my favorite genre of music is folk.  I go to sleep at night listening to the self-created folk station on my Pandora radio.  I love the old-timers like the Carter Family and Jimmy Rogers.  


Marla didn't know all that, but because I told her how well I remembered her mother's singing, she shared an Internet link with me.  I clicked, and to my amazement I was able to hear the still-familiar voice of Lois Percell.  
Isn't it strange how things like this so often seem to happen around Christmas?    
Now I can't decide whether to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" or get my poor neglected Gibson out of the case and sing.

4 comments:

  1. I just watched it's a wonderful life the other day. I'd forgotten how great it was. In either case you will have made a great decision.

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  2. Great story. So glad you reconnected with a childhood friend. Absolutely, AMAZING you could hear that familar voice after all these years. 'Tis the season for joy... I say, "Get your poor neglected Gibson out of the case and sing." Then you can watch It's a Wonderful Life. Take care.

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  3. What's also so strange but, as it turns out, wonderful, is how this Facebook thing can shrink the world in such wonderful, surprising ways, isn't it?

    Good for you.

    Enjoy.

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  4. Wait, though.

    "A mouthy, spoiled brat"?

    I don't get that. Not from what I've read.

    ReplyDelete

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