Larry is Missing and Sondra is Stubborn 10/27/2011
When would Willie get home? Helen was hoping it would be before too much longer. Raising two children alone has been a challenge. It gave her a new appreciation for those women who have been widowed with a family of youngins. How do they do it? How do they continue day after day, knowing that it wasn't going to change? They would never look forward to their hubby coming home from anywhere. At least SHE had the hope that her sweet man would be home soon...even if she didn't know when. Times had been tough for everyone during the war and it was no different for Helen and her children. She always made sure they had food to eat and clean clothes to wear, but that's a given. What about when they misbehaved or put themselves in danger? She was probably a little more strict than she would've been if daddy had been there too, but she did what she had to do to make sure they were safe - even if it meant a switch to the backside on occasion.... Larry was an adventurous little boy and was known to run off without telling anyone where he was going. On one such occasion, he decided he would go down to the cotton gin and check out what was happening with the trucks and the cotton trailers. From their apartment you could look across the school yard and see the trucks coming in to weigh their cotton. Larry was just so curious about this process that he decided to run as fast as his little legs could carry him across the school playground to the gin. He didn't even tell Sissy that he thought he'd head on over to look at the cotton trailors... Helen went in to check on her cornbread that was in the oven. She was looking forward to having a piece of cornbread fresh out of the oven in a big glass of milk. She had only left Larry and his sissy in the yard for a few minutes when Sondra came running in the house saying, " Larry is gone! Helen swooped Sissy up and took her to her moms so she could hunt for Larry. As she looked across the way toward the gin...there he was...her little guy amongst all the big people. Her heart leaped in her chest! He was okay, but she needed to get to him fast as she could before anything happened to him. She tore out across the schoolyard and pulled a switch off of a pear tree along the way. Her heart was pounding as she began to realize just how this could have ended. He could have gotten run over by one of those big trucks...he wouldn't have know what hit him. When she reached Larry, she grabbed his hand and starting pulling him as fast as he could run - lifting him off the ground with each step. She used that switch from the pear tree on his back side and across his little legs. Of course he had on heavy jeans and barely felt the switches, but he had never seen his mommy so upset with him. She never wanted him running off again and giving him a switching was the best way she knew to show him there were consequences for disobeying. _____________________________ It was church day, so Helen dressed in her Sunday best with her pocket book across her arm ... holding a child's hand in each of hers as they walked along the road singing Sunday School songs anticipating a great time at church. Helen loved this time to be with friends and hear the preacher bring a message that would give her strength to face another week without Willie. The congregation sang 2 hymns before the message, Victory in Jesus and Standing on the Promises. Helen didn't need a hymnal because she knew the words to these two songs by heart. But little Sissy loved the hymnals! She loved the sound they made when you dropped them in the holder behind the pew. She loved to turn the pages and see how they sounded when you slammed them shut. Basically she just loved making noise and seeing how much she could get away with before mommy had enough. Helen whispered to her, "Be still and quit making so much noise, I wanted to hear the preacher." Sondra was a stubborn little thing with other plans. She kept grabbing the hymnal and dropping it...then picking it up and dropping it again, all the while looking at her mommy as if saying, "What you gonna do about it?" Helen quietly rose from her pew with Sissy in her arms and they went outside to have a heart to heart. A switch was pulled off of the tree beside the church and used. That little strong-willed girl didn't shed a tear, but when they got back into the church service, she sat still. The only movement the pastor saw from her while he was preaching was when Sondra took the Sunday School book and fanned her legs to ease the sting left from the switch. Helen loved her stubborn little Sondra and her little runaway Larry! They both found out that a moms love sometimes included a switch to keep them in line. Those little stinkers!!! CommentsBob Maupin 10/27/2011 2:41pm
10/27/2011 2:58pm
"Those little stinkers" Paula Maupin 10/27/2011 5:53pm
I am proud of you Mr Bob for taking the time to write a comment. I'm glad you are enjoying the stories. Take care! Love ya! Your comment will be posted after it is approved. Leave a Reply |  Author
Paula Tollison Andrews Maupin I am married to Bobby and live in the Nashville, TN area, working as Executive Assistant to both the Director of Sales and General Manager of FOX17, MyTV30 & CW58 television I have 3 wonderful sons and daughters in
love (Brad & Holly Andrews, Bryan & Stacy Andrews and Brandon
& Ashley Andrews) from Tulsa, St. Louis & Springfield
respectively. They have given me 9 precious grandbabies. (Joseph,
Cooper, Margo, Sloan, Jonas, Nora, Everett, Lawson and Blythe & Gma
loves them so much) I also have 2 great stepsons and daughter in love
(Jonathan & Kathryn Maupin and William Maupin) from Lexington,
Kentucky.
As a lady who's lived through both good & bad circumstances in my life, I've learned and continue to learn a lot of "life lessons". Along the way I have been inspired to be a better me. God is faithful in ALL circumstances and His love covers all. My hope is that you will be inspired to be who you were meant to be. I have been writing this blog about my mom and dad since September of 2011. You can find their story from the beginning by going to the Stories link. Happy Reading!!!   ArchivesMarch 2012 |
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