I'd like to introduce you to my daddy,
George Erwin.
Or, as he always answered the phone,
"General Electric!"
That was his joke because of his
G.E. initials.
This was real humorous to him,
but for me
it was an eye rolling moment
each time he did it.
Oh, if we didn’t waste
so much time
being cool in our youth!
Now I treasure that little joke, and wish I had laughed more at it.
However, with my daddy
I had many more
opportunities to laugh,
and see the positive side of life.
Daddy had a BFF
long before
those 3 letters
would fly off the fingers
of texting teenage girls.
long before
those 3 letters
would fly off the fingers
of texting teenage girls.
These two were quite a pair...
socks and shoes,
moon and stars,
grits and eggs,
that was Erwin and Cliff.
However, a better description
of these mischievous boys
would be…
of these mischievous boys
would be…
Joker and Wild.
When they were together
you could be sure some trouble
was being made, and
some trash was being talked.
Though not related at all,
it was as if they were
brothers with one mission…
to have the time of their lives.
it was as if they were
brothers with one mission…
to have the time of their lives.
They grew up together, in the small town of Lilly, GA.
They lived their childhood days like Huck and Tom,
and as young men they joined the service together and fought in WWII.
They played baseball together,
and stood up for each other
at each others weddings.
and stood up for each other
at each others weddings.
They were at a dance together the night Daddy met Mama.
Mr. Cliff told me that when Daddy first saw her, he said he was going to marry her, and he meant that thing.
Through their friendship our families bonded like kin, a gift I count as a blessing each day.
Not a weekend went by that our families didn’t spend time together. Sometimes we children were put to bed on quilts, spread out on the floor, as our parents sat around the kitchen table talking and laughing way into the night.
Those weekends turned to vacations together with all the kids,
and eventually,
back to just the 2 original friends
and their wives
spending time together.
and eventually,
back to just the 2 original friends
and their wives
spending time together.
As always happens in life, happy times turn sad, and before any of us would ever be ready,
funerals started to take place.
Daddy left Cliff to hold down the fort, tell the tales and watch the weather.
He’s keeping mama company, visiting with family and friends, and planning pranks in his usual Erwin way.
This picture is poor quality, but it says a lot about my Daddy. He would take us out to our farm every Sunday to ride our horse, Apache.
He would patiently let
each of us have our turn,
and would stay as long as we liked.
He loved each of us,
and loved seeing
how we would turn out.
I imagine he is still enjoying
that part of his story.
Just a little side story…the sweet little boy in the cowboy suit, sitting a little nervously on top of Apache will be 50 this summer.
The gorgeous girl, who was real sure the pink sweater went with those red pants, will be 57 soon.
The little trouble maker in the striped shirt, who was probably about to goose that horse, he will be 52 in the fall.
We are all vintage now, I guess.
Vintage...things that endure because of good quality and that hold fond memories.
If you are wondering about that fuzzy, pink sweater I am wearing…yeah it was real cashmere…HA!
I miss you Daddy.
Happy Father’s Day in Heaven!
Possum
