As I wrote earlier, my mother kept a baby book for me. In it, there are some pictures of me from day one, as well as letters, articles, and memorabilia. One of the things she kept was a group of funny or inspired words I said from early on. Here is another group:
Just after I started talking, my mother took me to Heflin, Alabama to visit my grandparents. En route, I looked at my mother's wrist and said sadly, "Daddy--tick-tock; Mommy--tick-tock; Johnny--tick-tock; Baby--no tick-tock!" My mother bought a 10-cent watch in Heflin for me.
On my 6th birthday, I went to Sunday School in Columbia, where my birthday was recognized with singing and a prayer for me by a teacher. I came out of Sunday School angry and burst out: "Mother, that teacher prayed I'd grow up to be a good Christian! She ought to know we're not Christians--we're Baptists!"
Shortly after my hernia surgery and post-operative check-up, my father and I were at the New Orleans airport. While we were waiting there, an announcement boomed out on the loudspeakers: "Come to Flight Deck to check operations!" I looked at my father, dismayed, and said, "But, Dr. Willoughby just checked my operation!"
My Aunt Frankie died the same year as my grandfather. I said, "Isn't it nice that Granddaddy can take care of Aunt Frankie now that they are together again?" I was 6.
