He was hoping doctors could restore his eyesight. Glaucoma and a detached retina (surgery was performed to fix that). The eyesight loss was especially vexing because Johnny Elmore was a reader. Most recently loss of balance and eyesight.
Regularly Johnny would tell me, “Getting old isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.” Sometimes I’d say, “It beats the alternative.” And he’d quite often quickly reply, “I’m not sure about that.”Īge does that. Say what you want about aging, it’s still the only way to have old friends. Stuff that’s been part of my existence since I was that little boy in the dark suit (and before) And it’s among the many things I’ll miss most about Johnny. But acting stupid together is still what I miss most since Stanley died. Here we were, two old men now, and memories of long, long ago were at the forefront of our mind. He whispered something about thinking about me and Stanley jumping on the bed as little boys. I entered the funeral home and hugged him.
My imagination kicked into full swinging trying to understand what it must have felt like to bury a child – albeit a child in his 50’s.Īs a dad myself I was especially sensitive to Johnny’s emotions at that time. I was sad for my own loss, but I was especially sad for Stanley’s folks. I know I’ve contributed MORE than my share. We’ve been plenty stupid around each other through the years. It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. Randy, Lexie (Randy’s sister), Joni (Stan’s sister) and Stan – Ada, OK circa 1960 or so? They were a family of four – they’d soon become a family of 5. My life began in a small Oklahoma town, Ada, where Johnny was the evangelist working with the congregation where we all worshipped. Johnny Elmore and his wife, Sally, who preceded him in death were close friends with my parents. Losing grandparents, especially “Peter Pan,” was sad, but she had been suffering badly…relegated to a nursing facility because of the constant care she required. Losing Stanley was the most devasting loss for me because we had so much history together. Even when Stanely, his son and my best friend, passed from this life in 2013. There was never a time when he wasn’t in my life. Then there was this robot creature, easily the most captivating character there. Walked right up to her, calling her by name (“Re” is what everybody, including me called her) asking her to pick me up. I had already identified my grandmother, Marie, dressed as Peter Pan. There was no way to know who was underneath the garb of spray-painted cardboard boxes forming this ultra low-tech robot. Up the driveway walking like Frankenstein was a gray robot. We were gathered inside the garage, sitting in a circle with folks mingling…watching all the new arrivals. Dressed in garb where hiding one’s real identity was the goal. Best friends from our beginnings.Ī “Halloween” ? costume party. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | RSS | More
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