Precious Time

The year 2010 has come to its end. In these first few weeks of 2011, television anchors have been recounting the significant news stories of the year. Disc jockeys are cueing up the top songs of the year. Critics are preparing lists of the year’s best and worst movies. Newspapers have listings of the year’s notable deaths. It is time to pack up the memories constructed throughout the year and store them away.

Memories are pieces of time stitched together in a patchwork style, much like that of my grandmother’s quilts. There is no real pattern to most of my grandmother’s quilts, just remnants of cloth sewn together to create something useful out of scrap. Some of these old quilts have lost their luster over time. The brightly colored fabric has faded and regular use as bed coverings has yielded tears in the patches with the cotton batting exposed. Yet these old quilts are priceless works of art to me and many 'faded' memories come into brilliant focus when I look at them.

Reflecting on times past is a journey each of us travels alone. Even when we are reminiscing with old friends and reliving old times together, every remembrance has a personal slant. The importance of a single same event experienced by many is measured only from the vantage point of each individual engaged in remembering. And the ‘trigger’ for each recollection of a past moment is unique to the person holding the memory of that particular moment being recalled. Whether a happening from days gone by is considered ‘happy’ or ‘sad’ depends on personal perspective. We spend much time reflecting in the end…the end of a year, the end of school, the end of a job, the end of a love affair, the end of life.

Most often I look back in time through my ears. I’m confident that is true for many of you. A song comes on the radio. It immediately transports you to a distant time, an old familiar place.

It doesn’t matter what route you take
Sooner or later my heart’s gonna break
No rhyme or reason, no master plan
No nirvana, no promised land

I’ve been a Van Morrison fan since I first heard his music in the early ‘60s when he was the lead singer for the group Them. Songs like “Gloria” and “Baby Please Don’t Go” won’t let you forget them. His first solo chart topper, “Brown Eyed Girl,” released in 1967 remains a classic hit today. Van the Man’s songs pierce my heart and move my feet. Time passes freely when listening to Van Morrison’s music…and it passes swiftly. His song “Precious Time” released about a decade ago addresses the realities of living. My foot taps to its beat.

Regardless of the “route you take” on life’s pathway, I’m confident you will encounter love. Along the way, heartaches are sure to occur and even broken hearts will be experienced with “no rhyme or reason” attached. The cause and the cure for matters of the heart are in the same ‘potion.’ That ‘potion’ is love with all of its magical ingredients and its undefined properties reacting in unexplainable ways.

The peaks and valleys of life’s terrain are usually tied to relationships with loved ones and the happenings in their lives. A loved one is happy, your heart pounds with pride and lifts. A loved one experiences disappointment, your heart shakes and sinks. Simple. When one’s heart is broken, hope dissipates, visions of a “promised land” fade. When love repairs the broken heart, faith gains strength, you smile within.

In my life, 2010 was not unlike the other years I have known. In some respects, the twists and turns on the road of life were a bit sharper. Some of the ravines were a little deeper. Laughter and tears occasionally shared the same stage.

Uplifting gests during the year include welcoming a new grandchild into the world and watching his personality shine, moving into a new home and seeing the elation in my wife’s smile (it is her design that has come to life in the construction), having all four of our girls and their families present with us for Christmas (what a gift!), attending the 40th reunion of the Newport High School Class of 1970 with many aging littermates gathered together to celebrate lasting friendships and to remember times past.

Heart breaking moments were centered in the notices received when persons dear to me departed this life. While I like a good martini shaken, not stirred as inspired by the fictional James Bond, I prefer my heart to be stirred, not shaken by life’s events. Some deaths in 2010 shook my heart in seismic scale. Most notably, the passing from this life of my sweet forever friend and littermate Mary Wynne Parker Perryman, my fun loving and ageless Newport neighbor Margaret Van Dyke, and my devoted scout leader and mentor Bob Guthrie truly saddened my soul. My heart hurts for the families of classmate Bobby Ruddell, fun loving friends Edward Kinney and Mike Payne, former teachers Ima Jean Paige and Billy Hobbs, and NHS Class of 1971 pals Mary Lynn Pinkett, Danny Ray, and Calvin Roberts. Just in the last month of 2010, classmates Billy Matthews and John Sink lost their fathers, Mr. Wayne Matthews and Mr. Ralph Ford Sink, in death. And littermate Cherry Lou Smith Johnson’s beloved aunt, Mary Kunkel, departed this life. Mrs. Kunkel worked in the office of Newport High School for many years and was a loyal member of First United Methodist Church. She, along with the late Natalie Madison (mother of good friends Phil and David Madison), were the gatekeepers to the principal’s office during my school years and both served as ‘guardian angels’ for me and many others at church and school during those years.

I ask that you remember these individuals as we strike out into the unknown of future days. I’m sure many of you know of others I have failed to mention whose families need to be held close at heart. When news of Karon Adcox’s (NHS ’68) unexpected death was circulated among dear friends, Mike Dallas (NHS ’66) initiated a memorial guest book for Karon for the posting of condolences and remembrances. Karon’s memorial guest book can be found at www.legacy.com/guestbook/DignityMemorial/guestbook.aspx?n=karon-adcox&pid=146096305. You can also leave personal remembrances for Karon or any other deceased Newport graduate in the Memorial Garden section of the NHS alumni website at www.nhsalumni.net.

Que sera sera, whatever will be
But I keep searching for immortality
She’s so beautiful, but she’s gonna die someday
Everything in life, it just passes away

Our memories remain alive through our conversations whether in person or on network sites like the memorial pages mentioned above. The remembrances expressed by loving hearts among the living are essential elements of “immortality.” As I listen to the lyrics of "Precious Time" on this day I think of my mother and the beautiful person that she is. She has been gently knocking on Heaven's door for several months on end. Heaven's doorkeeper will answer that knock in His own 'precious time.' Yes, "everything in life, it just passes away," but those we love are immortal in our hearts.

Well this world is cruel with its twists and turns
But the fire's still in me and the passion still burns
I'll love her madly til the day I die
Til Hell freezes over, til the rivers run dry

My thoughts resemble one of my grandmother's quilts...no particular pattern...just colorful visages of beautiful people I've known and fascinating places I've seen randomly stitched together in my mind. I'm gathering my thoughts today in the aftermath of the tragic shooting rampage in Arizona at a constituent forum initiated by U. S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her staff. Six people ranging in age from 9 to 79 lost their lives in a maniacal moment. I knew none of these people, but I think I shared the spirit of freedom with them all. There are those times when "this world is cruel," and this inexplicable instant in time is one of them. Yet this heart-breaking event has not dampened 'the fire' within me that burns with love for my fellow man and the America I call "home." "Home is where the heart is" is an ancient saying that resonates true. I'm sure folks everywhere across this country know the truth in this 'saying' whether they be from Tucson, Arizona or Anywhere, USA. The love that surrounded me as a youngster growing up in Newport, Arkansas influences my heart. Newport and her people inspired a sense of loyalty, provided me a safe haven, enabled me to forgive indiscretions, allowed my own errors in judgment to be forgiven, fostered tolerance amidst intolerable instances. I hold Newport in highest esteem and will "love her madly til the day I die."

A genuine reflection of this Newport 'spirit' can be found in the fictional pages of "The Ghost of Bud Parrot" authored by Newport native Dr. Judson Hout (NHS '53). "The Ghost of Bud Parrot" is a story about a relationship rooted in Jackson County and based on love and respect. For those who grew up in Jackson County in the 1940s, the place names and characters' names referenced in the book will rekindle memories. The experiences depicted ring just as true for those of us who grew up in the area in the 1950s and 1960s. While the Jackson County landscape has seen considerable change over the past 60 to 70 years, the heart and soul of the community remains full. My youngest daughter, Elizabeth, gifted me a copy of "The Ghost of Bud Parrot" at Christmas and I am grateful. Elizabeth really purchased me a ticket for a journey back in time to a place filled with fond memories. I encourage you to grab a copy of the book and take your own journey.

Precious time is slipping away
You know you're only king for a day
It doesn't matter to which God you pray
Because precious time is slipping away

Indeed "precious time is slipping away." In the first few days of this new year, two others, Mildred Holden and Maisie Manning, with whom I enjoyed caring Newport ties, have passed from my line of sight. Mildred is the mother of my childhood friend Carmen Holden (NHS '69) and her brothers Charles and Mike. She and my mother annually celebrated their birthdays together, along with their late friend Margaret Van Dyke, the last week of November each year. What a trio of funny ladies! Maisie is the wife of my former scoutmaster Van Manning and stepmother to friends Susan (NHS '78) and Mark (NHS '75). Maisie had a fun loving attitude true to the spirit of a Razorback cheerleader, which she had been. Both Mildred and Maisie were talented pianists. I'm thinking Heaven's music is being jazzed up a bit since their arrival.

This past weekend I traveled over to Newport to attend a surprise birthday party for long time pal and fraternity brother John Pennington. Friends from far and near gathered at the Depot in downtown Newport to celebrate the occasion. A good time was had by all in attendance. I salute John's wife, Sue, and their children, Lindsay and John Ward, for planning the fun affair and crowning John "king for a day" in honor of his sixtieth birthday. Oh yeah, John's twin brother, Bruce, is also sixty. Boy howdy, this "precious time is slipping away."

Time spent with friends and loved ones is the most "precious time" on the clock's face. With the snow falling outside my window on this cold winter's day, I think I will wrap myself up in a patchwork quilt of memories, relax, and take up "The Ghost of Bud Parrot" for a second reading. I can already feel the smile on my face warming my heart. Enjoy the day!

I'm Miles from Nowhere.... guess I'll take my "precious time"......
joe