Brother to a Dragonfly
As a boy, I was fishing with my grandfather. I had not had even a nibble on my fishing line. Dragonflies were darting all around. One hovered close to me, and I was afraid. Then, it disappeared from my sight.
My grandfather could still see it. “He is on the brim of your hat. Hold really still.”
I did just as Pappy instructed. In a few minutes, the insect flew away.
“Don’t worry. They don’t sting,” Pappy said, “Now, you’ll catch fish.”
Within just a short time, I had a bass on the bank. Before the afternoon was over, I had also caught several bream.
Appalachian folklore says that if a dragonfly lights nearby while you are fishing, you are going to have good luck. If he does not stop, you might as well pack up and go home. You are not going to catch any fish. That day it was the truth.
Watermelon Season
Elaine was one of my classmates at Cooperative Elementary School. Her birthday was right after the beginning of the new school year. She invited every student in Mrs. Pearl Fairbetter’s fourth grade class to her party.
Even though I was scared of girls, Mama said I had to go to Elaine’s party. She was our neighbor. Not going to her party would be rude. Reluctantly, I went. There were thirteen girls there. I was the only boy who attended.
I guess Elaine’s daddy felt sorry for me. He told me I could help him cut the watermelon. That was just fine with me. I liked watermelon, and I didn’t like girls. Turns out the girls were too prissy to eat watermelon. Elaine’s daddy said I would have to eat the whole thing by myself. I ate as much as I could. I got as sick as a dog. I have never especially liked watermelon since that day.
The Value of Clay Pots
Hear now the Word of God:
For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed’ perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
This is the Word of God for the people of God.
Juma, fourteen, was like most boys who are fourteen years old. He liked to climb on rocks and go into caves, just exploring wherever his adventures took him. Juma was charged with the responsibility of taking care of goats. One day, some of the goats climbed a little higher than Juma felt comfortable. He followed them up the side of a steep, craggy mountain. At a certain point, he noticed a cave and thought he might explore it. Instead, he picked up a rock and slug it side-arm into the cave, thinking he would hear the sound of rock on rock. When that rock hit, however, it sounded with a distinct thud. Clearly, the rock had hit something that was hollow. He wanted to explore, but he did not because it was late in the day. Instead, he told his cousins, Khalil and Mohammed, about the cave. They determined to return the next day to find out what was inside. The date was January 1947.
