For the first time in a long time, I got to see Sue Wood. She is always so full of pep and a joy to be around. She told me that she really misses Geraldine Ingram, June Cramblett and my mom. The four of them used to run around together a lot. They never cared where they went, they just wanted to go. What a great group. Sue said she and George were doing okay. I probably need to get George’s opinion on that matter….Bill Anderson was also at Save-a-Lot at the same time as Sue. I hadn’t seen him in a while either. Angela Gibbs told Bill to be on the lookout for pigmy rattlesnakes as they had found some in their area….Many of us “old timers” remember Dr. Joe Danel and his wife Melba. They had a daughter, Sandy, who graduated from HHS in the 1960’s. After they moved from Holdenville, Melba started writing a weekly column for the Daily Oklahoman. It was one of their most popular columns and widely read all across the state. It has been a number of years back that Dayna and I were in Oklahoma City at an event and ran into Melba and Sandy. We had a great visit. I did not know until this week that Melba had passed sometime last year. We have not taken the Daily Oklahoman in many years and did not know about her death. If any of our readers know where Sandy is, please let us know. We would like to visit with her and tell her how much we thought of her mom and dad…..Jack McCoy has been one of my good friends for many years. However, it was not until Monday that I knew he was a Korean War Veteran. He and his cousin Glen McCoy joined the army together and went to Korea together. Glen was killed in action and Jack suffered major injuries. There are so many local heroes and Jack is at the top of the list. His late wife Colene was such a joy to be around. I worked with her at Burton’s IGA and she was one of the sweetest people I ever knew. Jack shared the story about when he got saved and it blest my heart. Our dear friend and Jack’s pastor, Rev. Jimmie Freeman led him to the Lord. We honor people for doing many things but those that are doing the greatest of things often go unnoticed. God bless them…..

I recently heard a country western song by Kyle Park titled “Don’t forget where you come from.” It tells the story of a man whose father always advised him “Pray out loud. Make us proud. And son, don’t forget where you come from.” Kyle sings that it took years for him to figure out what his dad meant, but he ends the song with these words “No matter where I am each night before I fall asleep, I’ll always think of what my daddy said to me…”

My friend and fellow classmate Errol Douglass called this past week. I haven’t seen him in many years. We grew up in church together. His parents were Vodette and June and they were always so kind to me…. Saw Donnie McCarn Thursday and had a good visit. His two sisters Bobbie and Debbie are coming down this week to visit and I hope I get to see them. Bobbie, Marcia Sanders and my sister Penny were very close friends and actually lived together after graduation in Oklahoma City where they had moved to get jobs…. Bob and Carol Irby and Dayna and I had lunch together Sunday after church and had a great time. We consider them part of our family and I can tell you I have never known a finer Christian couple….The Methodist youth group just returned from visiting The Ark in Kentucky. They had an incredible time. It is the one place that Dayna and I would like to visit if it is ever possible….

This is a mental fitness evaluation for people who are considering retirement or for those already retired and might be experiencing second thoughts. If you get one right, you are doing OK. If you get none right, you might better go for counseling. (I’ll meet you there).

Dr. Andy Bowman was the guest speaker at our church recently and what a blessing! His wife Renie, brought the special music and it was one of my all-time favorite songs, “The Anchor Holds.” It was a day we will never forget. Pastor Andy’s column, Coffeetime has over 80,000 readers weekly. We hope to have Andy and Renie again in the near future and when we do, we will let you know ahead of time so you can attend. After the service the Bowman’s, Dayna and I and Dayna’s mom, Beth Leewright went to lunch together and they are so much fun to visit with. If you are a reader of their column you know what a great sense of humor they have. Writing, preaching, and singing – they have it all!......Speaking of church, we had a great group of youngsters go to church camp this past week and what a great experience they had. Combining Bible study with fun-filled activities is a winning combination. Church camp was always my favorite time of the year and I will never forget those great times…..Congratulations to Alex and Bonnie Workman on the birth of their new son, Alex Allen Workman, Jr. and also to grandparents Bill and Julie Wilkinson. From the looks of his first picture he may be a future lineman for the Holdenville Wolverines!....I recently stopped by Granny’s Garden in Calvin and had a good visit with Sam McClure and Larry and Debbie Wilson. They are special friends. Not only did I enjoy the visit but left with food and flowers. I will definitely be stopping by there again in the near future….Bronko McGugan was not only my lifelong friend but also my junior high football coach. He was a delight to be around and excelled at so many different things. However, his greatest achievement was marrying Shirley Baldwin. I haven’t seen Shirley in several years, but she is such a great lady. As well as I knew the family, I did not know that Bronco was at one time head coach of the Norman Tigers until I found the following article from October 8, 1954……

Dear Sirs, I don’t know if you have any way to help me. I am asking that an editorial or story be published for the benefit of my brother.

I went to a pretty tough high school. It was so tough our student newspaper had an obituary page. We had gangs who wore identifiable jackets and you didn’t want to cross any of those guys or the whole gang would be after you.

One of the real problems with aging is that we sometimes end up with too much time on our hands. As an avid lover of naps, that has never been a problem for me. I can conk out for a quick “picker-upper” during most any of the 24 hours in a day.

Strength to Get Through I went to a pretty tough high school. It was so tough our student newspaper had an obituary page.

Comments to: andybowman839@gmail.com Coffeetimecolumn.com As a young boy, I would ask my dad for permission for something I wanted. Sometimes the answer was “Yeah sure, that’ll work, go ahead.” But all too often the response I received was not exactly the answer of my dreams.