My husband and I were watching the trailer for the Adjustment Bureau last night and he commented that he would like a hat like Matt Damon and I remembered my Great Uncle Howard wearing that kind of hat. I suddenly really missed my Uncle Howard. Uncle Howard has been gone for a long time but I still have such strong memories of his hat, his smell, his smile.
My Uncle Howard was a very tall, bean pole of a man in my memory. My Uncle Howard served in World War II. He was a teacher and then Superintendent of the Audrain County Schools. He never married or had children of his own but he knew how to play. He was an old man even when I was a little girl. But he allowed all of us rowdy cousins to climb all over him and bop him on the head over and over again. He never seem to mind our sticky, grimy fingers stealing his hat over and over again. Eventually we would just slump down in his lap, snuggle in for one of his stories until we caught our breath and then get wound up again for another round of stealing that hat. He never had a harsh word for us, always had time to share a smile or a laugh us, and was a constant joy for us spending time at our Grammy’s.
Sometimes I don’t really like being the grownup. I don’t really have any laps anymore to crawl up into and slump down for awhile letting a popsicle melt down my chin. Sometimes I really miss having someone tell me a story. I miss my Uncle Howard and I didn’t really realize it until last night. He has some invaluable lessons I’m sure you can see.
1. Don’t get caught up in appearances or age.
2. Take time to laugh and make a child laugh.
3. Always have a cool hat. 🙂
Did you have an Uncle Howard? What are some sweet memories from your childhood?
The Rabid Mime 