As this day of thanks and Thanksgiving falls upon us, it brings back memories of Holidays past
By Chuck Wiser, I write the words to share what my eyes see and my heart feels
In my youth our families were very close knit and a few annual Holidays were celebrated by the entire family, albeit only on the maternal side of my birthright. As stated previously my biological father took flight and my mother raised two children through many years of sacrifice and struggling to make ends meet. To my mother on this day, I especially give thanks. She made me who I am and taught me the true values of our existence here on this earth. This Wrambling edition will Wramble and give thanks to many, and in many venues.
On a near daily basis I am greeted by friends who actually thank me for my articles published here in The Wellsville Sun (THE WELLSVILLE SUN – News, Politics, and Culture from 14895). Passing by on the street, emerging from the David Howe Library, or just wandering the aisles of Tops and Giant, all seem to be where a vortex exists where lifelong friendships, acquaintances, and chance encounters exist. I am thankful for that, and for those many others, some of whom allow public notice of their names, and some who don’t. Later in this Wrambling, I will share some lifelong phrases or terms. They are derived from eons long common use and most are familiar to us all. As I have mentioned before, probably many times, my long lost friend Tom Geyer, one of The Family of Three, was a wealth of these terms and tomes, likely passed on by his family, and then to me. I am thankful for his friendship, and his “legacy of old-time sayings.
The embedded link encased herein is a YouTube connection that features Dave Dunbar and my musical concoctions changing simple daily poems into music, at least to, my ear. I have not been successful in isolating this one song that is part of a YouTube “channel” of my own creation. Perhaps at one point I can create a new YouTube link containing single items. I don’t readily recall how I went about creating the original link, but I will “git-er-dun.”
Noting above about “recall” brings up a personal, and in home, topic and is a sign of old age slowly creeping up on me. Memory is a fickle thing but fortunately it can be compartmentalized into a couple of categories. “short-term”, and “especially-immediately-short-term” are the typical signs of memory loss. Everyone, I believe, experiences the typical “short term” memory such as walking into a room to do something and then stand there puzzled as to what is was you were looking for, or intended to do. The “especially-immediately…” memory loss is a characteristic of “short term” but is most frustrating, as it can even be so close to the immediate action thought by popping up just as soon as you stand up to go do something and you can’t even remember why you stood up to do something.
I am especially Thankful for “long term memory.” This allows you immediate recall of any, and every, thing that you have experienced throughout your life. Long term memory is the most to be thankful for, especially if it dwells on the good things and not the bad. I have memories of things that I would especially be thankful for, if some of those were left far behind.
Some of those “long term” memory recalls are best left out of our, or at least my recall. I remember vividly a less-than thankful memory from my third grade year at Friendship Central School (FCS). Whilst on the playground one day I snuck up on our teacher, a Miss Geigle (sp) and poked her in the ribs. She swung around and slapped my face so hard that it knocked me on my ass. Another “less than pleasant” recall comes from an episode in my “pick-pocketing” experience where/when I was practicing my then improving “pick pocketing” skill. I managed to pick a pack of Winstons out of his jacket pocket and then asked if he would like them back. Once more I landed on my ass. The teacher’s name, which I recalled, was about to be typed and it slipped away from me. As best as I can now recall it was Mr. Becker. Talk about recall…just think about the fact that I recalled his brand of cigarettes. Another FCS recall goes back to my senior year when through our fund-raising efforts our senior class of ’63 went on our senior trip to Washington DC. I was fortunate enough to get a seat shared by Sandy Mann, now known as Sandy (Mann) Campbell, as we rode together on the trip south, we were inseparable throughout that trip and those few days we were in Washington DC. One incident which I will cherish unto my death, was our walking down the street holding hands. Mr. (Del) Mancuso, our adviser, and history teacher, who was walking behind us, gently tapped me on the shoulder from behind and indicated that he wanted me to slip his hand in and walk with Sandy “hand in hand.” We accomplished the handoff, and we walked down the street quite a ways before Sandy turned toward me to say something and was surprised to discover that she was holding onto Mr. Mancuso’s hand, not mine. What a thankful memory.
I will Wramble toward the end of this edition by sharing a few words that are famous, or infamous. Even the word “infamous” has a special memory recall, again for which I am thankful. I was in Mrs. Norton’s medical office there in school, and I used the word, learned through my insatiable readings as “In-Famous” with the “Famous” part having the “long A” vowel sound as in “say.” Mrs. Norton politely informed me that the word was pronounced with the vowel sound of a “U” sound as in “must.” I’m not 100% sure of the timing overlap, but at that time I was in “high-school romance” mode with her daughter Gail. If her sister Vicki is reading this, I am still friends with her.
For Friendship folks, her online address is https://www.facebook.com/vicki.nortonwebeck.
Here is my list of recalled old time terms or sayings.
Beware the Ides of March Mad as a Hatter
The Wreck of the Hesperus Spill the Beans
A Stitch in Time Saves Nine Don’t Throw the Baby Out With the Bath Water
Between a Rock and a Hard Place Mind your P’s and Q’s
Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels Put a Sock in it
Hit the Hay Paint the Town Red
Like a Broken Record Burning the Midnight Oil
Following is a link to my “Thanks-giving” song co-authored with Dave Dunbar, who had all of the musical talent among our relationship. I am indeed thankful for my friendship with Dave, who has passed beyond, and his wife Peg, who I am thankful is still with us and a friend.
The following link will play our “signature song” Thank You Lord, which was published by Glory Sound.
https://www.facebook.com/100000054473064/videos/359615879810522
I am especially thankful to Andrew Harris for giving me access to my publications, and to those many friends and non-acquaintances not known by me. The underlying poem that started it all says…
Thank You Lord
Thank You Lord for giving us the wonder of your love
And for teaching us to share it with guidance from above
Thank you for the birds on high that float upon the wind,
And for the children’s laughter that bubbles from within
We Thank You Lord for moments so peaceful to reflect
Upon the joy of living a life without regret
Thank you for the bounty you’ve blessed upon this land
And for nourishment life giving touched only by your hand
I leave you now with my thanks for reading my Wramblings, and especially to those who reach out to me with their comments, concerns, cares, and the occasional “Congratulations.” You can reach me at IM.Wiserdad@gmail.com
Thank You
