For my daughters Amy Zoe and Brett One named after you and one whose heart was nearly broken when we nearly missed the train that took us to meet her Grandma for the very first and only time
But mostly for me Your wayward son who rarely found the time to visit you–
Thank you for all the $20 bills that came unsolicited through the mail assuming I could use the money because I had a family
And for the examples that you set– Cheering on the girls I grew up with who played a sport or sang a song or gave a speech against oppression Telling them they were a credit to their sex
Thank you for your courage– Standing up to Jim Crow rules relegating blacks to balcony seats ‘He’s not a black. He’s a little boy He’s with us and we don’t care for the balcony’
Thank you even for your anger when I tried to quit my Babe Ruth League team because we had no uniforms and a manager we did not respect Telling me point blank ‘You’re no quitter’ Go back to your manager and apologize And while you’re at it try to play better’
And lastly let me thank a schoolmate I met at a school reunion who said to me– “I remember you and how nice you always were to your mother” It did not excuse my callousness But it did make me feel better for my mother The Bard of Appanoose
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