All the discussion of late around the Confederate flag brought the band Lynyrd Skynyrd to mind, since that flag is part of the band’s logo.
(I didn’t use that version here on The Sticky Egg because, um…no.)
That led us to talking about where we were when we learned about the plane crash that killed half of the band members.
[If you’re too young to a) know who Lynyrd Skynyrd is, or b) remember the plane crash, move along.]
I was in bed asleep. The phone rang — a corded phone, no less — and I walked down to my mother’s bedroom to answer it. A good friend of my oldest brother was on the line, and he was crying. I may have been young, but I knew a call that late at night could only mean one thing…
Someone had died.
We woke up my brother, who came to the phone in a fog of sleep. We heard him say, “Oh no. Oh God. Oh no.” Then he hung up the phone and turned to go back to bed. We stopped him, saying, “Wait — what happened?”
He said simply, “Lynyrd Skynyrd died.”
I’m not sure either my mother or I knew exactly what that meant, so we went on to bed. When we questioned my brother the next morning, he barely remembered the phone call.
But it stuck in my memory, all these years — the day Lynyrd Skynyrd died.
Smile!
A good friend’s son recently announced on Facebook that he was getting braces.
His status updates on the big event were a countdown of sorts, beginning the day before, then that morning. After the orthodontist had done the deed, he posted, “Four hours down, 21 months to go.”
Oh, how I know that feeling.
Of all the gifts my mother gave me in life — and there were too many to list here — I look back on those two years in braces with much love and gratitude. I know they were costly, especially multiplied by three. But what an investment they were for our future health and happiness.
Plus, since the orthodontist was in Paducah, Kentucky — a 30-minute drive from my hometown — the monthly check-ups meant missing a half-day of school. Oh, how I loved those trips with Mom! We’d get the dental appointment out of the way, then go shopping or eat.
And she’d always made sure there was a treat I could eat (since so much was nixed by my mouth full of metal).
So, I hope my friend can appreciate his time ‘under the wire.’ Thanks to my mom, it put the smile on my face.
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Posted in Beauty, Children, Commentary, Family, Fashion, Health, Holiday, Humor, Life, Relationships
Tagged beauty, bicycle accident, brother, children, commentary, dental appointment, Facebook, Facebook status updates, family, Fashion, front teeth, Health, Holiday, Humor, life, metal mouth, monthly checkup, mother, mother's day, orthodontist, Paducah Kentucky, Relationships, smile, under the wire