John and Tom Weaver Letter

December, 2005

Dear Johnny Mack and Thomas Henry,

I’ve been thinking much about you two lately…so thought that I would move on from just thinking about you and write. Every time that I think back to my days as a kid and about the wonderful people who blessed my life, you two always surface in my mind. Those days when Mom and Dad would bring Bubba and me to DeLeon were special to say the least.

Of course we did a lot of fun things when we came  like walking the tracks down to the Leon River with Uncle Burt…going to soft- ball games with Charlie Page pitching…swimming in Rush Creek, the Spring Hole or Neighbors Pond or that big pool in Eastland…going to the picture show up town and drinking 400s at Weaver drugs….eating melon hearts at  the Watermelon Festival….playing ball in the lot between your house and Aunt Lela’s….sleeping outside some nights under the milky way till giant Comanche County mosquitoes drove us inside…watching both of you at track meets (I especially remember one over at Gorman)…driving down to your Dad’s farm in his pickup….seeing that old guy with lived in the house out there, had chickens running around in the house….getting chased by a great big hog or two in a stall out on the farm….Uncle Burt trying to teach us city boys how to wring a chicken’s neck or skin a catfish….shelling peas or beans with Eula or  Lela…..and of course, eating Lela’s baked goods. I’ve never had better meals than the ones we had at Lela’s table.

Of course one of the great things which made it all so memorable was how special you two treated Bubba and me.  You guys seemed genuinely happy when we were there, from start to finish. And one of the first things you would do was get some of your friends to come over, like Jr Perry, T. H., William Campbell, and wasn’t there someone named Roland?  And then there was Richard.  Others too.  I guess we had our run-ins from time to time but I can’t remember any.  Then, at some point, Bubba and I would head  back to Dallas to go about our lives there…..and you guys would continue with your lives out in DeLeon…different worlds but essentially the same.  

I guess I am writing to you just to let you know how much it all meant to us. Those times and memories that are nothing short of golden.

                                                                                                      (over)

As for me and Jeri , we’ve been here in this crazy, wonderful city for 21 years now and I’ve worked here at the Madison Ave Church for 20. The city is in a crazy stage right now because of the transit workers strike. I never dreamed that I would live or work here. The Madison Ave Church is the smallest one I’ve ever worked with but the most effective one. Since the church owns property in the city we’ve never been very limited financially in regard to the work we’ve wanted to do. A lot of the work has been with mid-town seniors, the homeless and for a period of years we worked heavily with people with AIDS. The contrast to my work here and my work at the Military Academy with cadets couldn’t be more different. At the same time, people are pretty much the same in regard to personal, human and spiritual needs.

Jeri has been an incredible partner with me.  One of the great days of my life was when in God’s providence we met.  We actually met at a Community Lawn Sale in Alexandria VA in 1983. In a hard bargain, I bought a second hand Mexican cape from her. A few weeks later in downtown DC, I saw her again by accident in a gift shop. We talked for a while and the rest is history.  We just celebrated our twentieth and they have been wonderful years.

Tom, every time the Tigers play I think of you and of course how you are feeling when they win or lose. I still think about the time we had in DC and also the time you and Gwen visited with Jeri and me in NYC.

John I think about how welcoming you and Ann were when my family and I moved to Ft. Benning.  Also, your kindness to me and family during Bubba’s illness and death.

Well, I better shut this letter off…it could go on and on… something which I tend to do more and more as years go on.

Jeri and I remember you in our prayers and wish for you and your love ones a beautiful Christmas and a healthy and happy 2006.

With thankfulness and love,

Mike (your city cousin)