Sunday, September 5, 2010

I read a quote from George Will this morning on Facebook. "It is extraordinary how extraordinary the ordinary person is." And I agree with this statement. I think of people like Mama Cooper--what an extraordinary person she was! Wonderful cook, family cementer, painter, on and on I could go. I think of her coming in from the garden with fresh corn in her apron. She had shucked it on her way into the house--she would always say if your apron touched the ground, the corn would not be nearly as good. I have watched her kill chickens in the back yard and wring their necks--I admired that talent though I never tried to learn the skill. She would say such wonderful things from her days in the hills: "The successful mother is the one who can untie the apron strings", "It's better to marry the black sheep of a good family than the white sheep of a bad", on and on.

She was not overly impressed with people. Bill Stacy told her once that he had his Ph. D. And she said that that meant -- Push, haul and dump to her--he could get back to cleaning out her basement!

Ordinary people are truly extraordinary! I think of so many people who think of themselves as being ordinary but who don't even come close --I hope that my sisters --Velna and Julia--knew how extraordinary they were/are, so was Pearl Scully, Glenda Brock, Dr. Leo Bruce, Rex Lambert, Mattie Henry, Miss Mabel Roberts who made me love history forever, Warren Moss,

Martha Ann Keener and Bob Thomason. And of course, the man who taught me to walk, Mr. Bill Chron though I pronounced it "Fun". I have been most privileged to know them all.