I'd like to introduce you to my Grand Dad, Alvin Moore. I remember many times when I would sit on his lap, while the two of us would sing David Crocket. Of course I never really said David Crocket, I would sing David Ocket. You see I have a problem with any word with r in it. He use to sit for what seemed like hours trying to teach me to say Grand daddy, Of course all that would come out of my mouth would be And Daddy. I wish that he had lived long enough to hear me say it right, but he had a heart attack on the way home from work and died. I don't have any bad memories of my grand dad, all are memories of playing games, singing while sitting on his lap. I remember his smile like it were yesterday. He had a kindness about him, and a fun loving nature. I found out later in life that the fun loving nature may have come from his drinking. Many men back then would take a drink, but whether the smile come from a bottle or from his heart. I remember feeling loved.

I remember his corpse laying in the widened hallway, which was made into a sitting room. It was common back then to have the body in the homes, rather than a funeral parlor. I remember laying in bed that night, afraid of his corpse in the other room. Now whether I dreamed this or it actually happened is any one's guess. I have always truly believed it was real. I saw my grand daddy standing at the foot of my bed, with his face smiling back at me. As I saw this, the feeling came over me that he was there to say goodbye, and let me know he loved me.

It took me many years of speech therapy to say the r words. I have regretted my whole life that he never heard me say Grand Daddy. But when I get to Heaven I'm going to look him up, ''first thing'' and say hi to my grand dad.

Until next time, God bless and God save.