It seems I spend a lot of time talking about places and things from the past in Bandera. It takes over conversations everywhere I go. As much as it hurts to think of the things we cherished disappearing from our past history I know that the real loss is in the people missing from our lives now.
My parents have been gone for a while and the loss is still heavy on my heart. They are connected in many ways from the instant of our conception until their passing. They are there through the good times and the bad even if it's from a distance due to circumstances beyond our control or understanding.
The Lord said to honor your father and your mother. He didn't mention any exceptions no matter how hard that might be for some to accept.
Two years ago we lost the first sibling in our family of six kids when my sister Martha passed away. There was a time when we acted as though we would live forever. Her loss was a reality check for me.
I had friends and classmates who were with me all the way through elementary school and high school.
Names like Dugosh, Mazurek, Martinez, Kalka, Adamietz and Montague are familiar names of families who are still around but some from my school days at St. Joseph's Catholic School have gone on.
Many of the girls from those early years took on a new last name as they started a family of their own. There is only one of the boys I used to run with as a kid left still living here in the neighborhood where we grew up. Charlie Fellows and I are here to stay.
My high school years brought me closer to kids who had attended public elementary school. Some I had known for quite a while like my friend Margaret Davenport Lovelace and the Jacoby boys, James and Harper. Richard Kinsey and I became best friends and we shared many adventures during our high school days and beyond.
Richard became a part of our family and we remain friends to this day. We know things from the past that will never be shared except with each other. Everyone should have a friend like that in their life.
The loss of my wife two years ago brought all good things in my life to a screeching halt. Nothing will ever compare to that missing piece of my Growing Up In Bandera. I manage to carry on because I believe The Good Lord planned for me to be the head of our family taking care of the babies for a while longer. She is a hard act to follow in that respect.
