Right before bed on campouts was story and joke time. That’s when the man’s father would dig out Grandpa’s diary of jokes and off-color stories he had picked up while working on the railroads in southern Utah. So of course, when he takes his kids on their first campout to Titicut, he figures he willContinue reading “What to Do if There’s No Toilet Paper”
Category Archives: Stories from Childhood
Damn You, Paddington Bear
Sunday morning, the boy sits in the second pew with his family. Stephen is next to him. They each have coloring books, and he is trying to stay inside the lines while Stephen is trying to draw bears on his. A speaker is at the podium saying things the boy does not understand or careContinue reading “Damn You, Paddington Bear”
What Did You Do That For?
Stephen is ahead of him coming back into the house from playing basketball in the driveway. As they reach the front room, Ruthanne comes from the hallway leading to the bedrooms. She is bawling and holding up her thumb. A sewing needle is sticking straight through it. “What did you do that for?” Stephen bellows.Continue reading “What Did You Do That For?”
After the Play at Ford’s Theater
The boy is standing in the checkout aisle at the grocery store. The weekend before, his parents decided he was mature enough to sit quietly through the performance and took him to Ford’s Theater to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. As he holds his mother’s hand, he listens to the cash registerContinue reading “After the Play at Ford’s Theater”
Baby Games
The boy has a July birthday. He is also unusually small for his age—short, slight, and skinny. He is the youngest in his kindergarten class when school starts that fall in San Antonio. He does not know it, but his parents are thinking of holding him back. After his first day of school, he sitsContinue reading “Baby Games”
Oh Lord, Won’t You Hear Me?
His father is lying in his childhood bed in the room where the previous owner died. The boy is sitting on the bed next to his father. “How do you know when the Holy Ghost tells you?” “The scriptures say it is a burning in the bosom.” “What does that mean?” “You feel warm andContinue reading “Oh Lord, Won’t You Hear Me?”
I Have Graven Thee Upon My Elbow
They have a bucket of thirty baseballs, and they carry it, their home plate, two bats, and gloves to the park. The park has a backstop. His mother walks out paces to where a pitcher’s mound should be. He plays catch with her until their arms are warm. Then she pitches to him, ball afterContinue reading “I Have Graven Thee Upon My Elbow”
The Greatest Joy in Parenting
The TV is on, and the boy is sitting in an easy chair. His father is rocking in his favorite rocking chair. Ruthanne races down the hall from the kitchen. “Hey! You were supposed to be in the bath!” She ignores their father and keeps running. “Get back here now!” She comes back into theContinue reading “The Greatest Joy in Parenting”
His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral 