Family History By The Numbers

Populate 37 blank pages with meaningful notations before Christmas morning. That's the one present my wife requested, so it had to be done.

Here are her specific instructions: "This homemade ABC book is for you to fill out about our lives. You can go any direction you want: childhood memories, our engagement, early marriage, friends, children, church, jobs, pets, retirement, problems or joys."

The little book she handed me had a blank 4x5 page for each letter of the alphabet and for numbers 0 through 10. Each page was to have entries beginning with or related to that letter or number.

So let me share a brief glimpse into our history "by the numbers," if you will. The alphabet may come later.

0. Barrett had zero living grandmothers but one mother--the best in the world. She has a smiley face medal (actually a sticker a clerk gave him at the lumber company) he pinned on her to prove it.

1. Barrett had one sibling. But he loved Jenny dearly and did so much to help us take care of her. He encouraged us to see her even when we were tired. "Who'll go if we don't?" became his consistent challenge.

2. #2 Narragansett--our home by Indianhead Lake in Sherwood when Barrett was born. There he learned to climb stairs, get his head hung in chair rungs, and run from honking geese.

3. Three amigos--Dad, Barrett, and Old Smiley--launched many an expedition together. Cadron Settlement Park, Woolly Hollow, Mount Nebo, Petit Jean, Rush, Buffalo Point, Lost Valley. And many others.

4. The most cats we ever had at one time. Ooza Puddy Too, Not Abraham, Little Backie Too Too, and Zibbert.

5. The number of houses we have owned since the first in 1971: 123 North Ridge (West Helena), 10 Leacrest (Sherwood), 2 Narragansett (Sherwood), 15 Morningside (Conway), and 1240 Sea Breeze (Conway).

6. "Six years of College!" This has been my excuse for not being able to perform countless trivial tasks.

7. The number of vehicles we have owned: Red Dragon, Silver Bullet, Push Kitty (a.k.a. Whitey) Bluie, Van Go, Old Red, and Mrs. Trot.

8. Brudderman's age right now, I think. But he's not telling.

9. The number of people who attended your 58th birthday party: four Boltons, two Bakers, two Gillioms--and me.

10. #10 Leacrest--our little home when Jenny was born. As one visitor from DHS noted in Jenny's file, "Her room has lots of books and plenty of light." We labored in our yard, planting trees and garden, hauling hefty stones (in the back of Silver Bullet) for flower beds, building a patio roof to replace the one ripped away by wind. Church friends lived nearby: the LeCrones (Paul, Cathy and Matthew), Hammetts (Linda, Kelly; and Kim), Sims (Randy, Pam and Joshua) and Grahams (Gerald, Sharon, Jeff and David).

And there you have it. But send me your own "numbers," and I'll put some of them in a column if I get enough.

Copyright 2005 James McAlister

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