Our favorite place to be was on the creek under the hill from our house. Sometimes we would fish and sometimes we would just play in the trees and in the shallow water. I loved to lay in the shade and read and John & Sam loved to listen.

We also loved to climb pine saplings and ride them like a horse. Oh how we loved to pretend. Inspired by the books, we had a world of things to dream about.

One time Mom heard John & I planning to run away. She came in the room and packed our suitcases, gave us $10 each and asked us where we wanted to go. She said she would take us wherever we wanted to go. We cried, begged and pleaded and she let us stay.

One time John (9) & I (10) kept bickering at each other. Mom took us out in the yard and got a little peach tree switch. She made us fight. When we quit fighting, she would hit us with the switch. We were finally on our knees begging her to let us quit fighting. After that, John and I got along fine.

We disagreed but learned that we didn't have to be disagreeable in the disagreement. We just stated our case and got along. In Elementary and Jr. High School people thought we were twins. In High School, they thought we were boyfriend and girlfriend. We went everywhere together (not because we had to - because we wanted to), including a lot of double dates. We had fun.

Sam was 7 years younger than me. He was our baby and John & I spoiled him really bad. Mama tried to treat him like she did John & I but we interfered. We would defend him and hide him.

We played with him and watched him. When we got tired of playing with him we would pretend to shoot him. He would fall down dead and not move until we told him it was ok to come alive again. He would just lay there and wait no matter how long we took.

By the time we were in 6th & 7th grade, Sam had his own friends and we mostly went our separate ways. We were a loving family and all of us got along well.

I loved to read and most of the time when I got in trouble, it was because I was reading instead of working. I read to John all the time and as a result, John had a hard time reading. John would do my work if I would read his homework to him. Many times Mom would catch us and make me work and John do his own reading. I was a female Tom Sawyer. Thank God John learned to read in spite of me.

1 Pet 3:8 -12 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For "He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil."

Background picture taken by our Mother in 1957/studio picture taken by Olan Mills in Houston, Texas 1985