I think I Must have majored in Obtuse ..Part of this project is called " Real People " . I keep waiting to find some real people. Only to realize I already am . I am so eager to meet "new" real people I overlook the ones God has put full in my face.
Every person I met last night at Lees Birthday party has a remarkable story . Steve was telling me of His trip to Alaska this year and being a Spectator at the Iditerod . Steve's wife Chedda is an accomplished salmon fisherman . Roy , owns a mattress company in Portland that is flourishing because of His hard word and honesty.
Since the occasion was Lee's Birthday. I would like to talk about Lee.
Lee and I met when we were in Second grade , at Multnomah Elementary School in Portland Oregon. We met at the Tether ball court . I really don;t remember much about how a chance meeting flourished into a friendship I just know that was the beginning . We lived several miles apart . and would often call each other , in the early years I suspect we had our mothers call . and we would start waling toward each other and meet somewhere in the middle of our Journey .
We spent a lot of time playing at each others house , I think Lee preferred mine and I preferred his . More than likely one of our parents were involved in the returning of one of us back to our homes.
Each of us frequently ate at the others home ..in my memory I believe that My Mothers sweet tooth was a great attraction for Lee , but Lee's mother seemed to win out in the Entree Department . It was at Lee's house for instance that my teeth first scraped an Artichoke Leave , and snapped through a fresh Spear of Asparagus .
I would say that both of our Families would Identify themselves as Christians , but it seemed to me that Lee's Family actually did something about it .They were Catholics and each meal was blessed to God , and even now I think that was pretty keeling , and perhaps that explained the difference between the canned Asparagus and the Fresh .
Lee and I each had a brother ..but out brothers never " clicked " together . We often went on family picnics and adventures with each others family. Lee's mother taught me to swim and stretch my self , I am not sure what my father taught Lee ...Perhaps the value of a good sense of humor , but I think that is a question I will ask Him today. When I asked Him He told me the biggest lesson he learned from my father was that of hard work, he remembers my father going out on second shifts and overtime during the frequent Ice storms and wind storms we had ..to repair broken and downed electrical lines . ( My father was a lineman ) He also remembered how much time our parents spent with us even after a full day of work.
Lee and I played Little League . Lee was much better than I , He easily made it to the majors ..I was in the Minors. Both of our Fathers Coached ...And both of our fathers seemed to miss the class on Yelling and Berating the Team. Instead they were patient , and encouraging , and perhaps most important both felt that if you practiced you should play .
The six years from second Grade to eight grade went very fast . Two fast for a memory to keep track ...I do know that when it came to childhood friends Lee was at the top of my list . Sometime in those six years Lee started going to a Catholic School ...but we still kept in touch
At one point both lee and I were driven kicking and screaming to the Norm Stoll School of Dance . There we learned the art of asking a girl to dance , basic ball room dancing including the tango and foxtrot and how to properly introduce our dance partner to the instructor . While this must of seemed like pure torture and Child abuse to us ..in time this was perhaps the best gift our parents ever gave us .
...then came High School .
For some odd reasons It was decided that I should go to a All boys School called Benson Polytechnic ..It was a trade school , which classes in Welding , Auto Mechanics , Foundry , electronics , Carpentry and Machine shop. It also hade a very good science curriculum which was what I was interested in . The fact that I was not interested in Shop classes at all was not considered a deterrent , but it would have a profound impact on me in two more years .
Lee went to Wilson High School , the Public High School in our District . By Public I mean it had both boys and girls going to the school. By eight grade I began to recognize the possibilities in girls ...and just as I was strting to see the possibilities ..I was shuttled off half way across town to a School that had no girls .
Lee on the other hand was in Soft Feminine Heaven....
To Be Continued ...
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