I’m thinking a lot this week about the loss of a spouse. Not my spouse, fortunately. We went through that scare seven years ago when Diane was diagnosed with cancer. Fortunately, she has been cancer free since going through surgery, chemo, radiation, hair loss, and the emotional rollercoaster they call “treatment. Her scans have all been clear but that scare makes recent events even more poignant to me.

This is an excellent reminder; Worth repeating. In 57 years of teaching, there are many things I wish I had done.

For many of us the end of this pandemic is at hand. And I say, “Praise the Lord.” Being cooped up and suffering through one of the coldest winters in history has also been hard on us. I am a guy who loves getting out and seeing my fellow man. Going to church and other community events is my wife’s and my life stream. I consider myself fortunate to live in the house I live in. A place where I raised my four children and spent much of my life. But as comfortable as my house is, I sure got tired of being cooped up. But like I say, now it is nice to be able to go to church and even go into a restaurant.

In the living room of my childhood home there were two chairs, a couch and a television set. My mom always sat in the rocking chair. My dad’s territory was the Barkerlounger. My sister and I usually ended up on the couch or the floor if my folks were sitting in their designated places. I didn’t realize it at the time but we had assigned seating in our living room.

We were dressed and ready to go out for the New Years Eve Party. We turned on a night light, turned the answering machine on, covered our pet parakeet and put the cat in the backyard.

Easter Sunday was such a great day. Our son Tim and Allen and Kathryn Brigdon brought the special music and I have never heard better. What a blessing. Dane brought a wonderful message and it was almost 1:00 before Dayna and I got home. It was the largest crowd we have had since the pre pandemic days and it was so good to see so many that we had been missing, Every Easter my mom would fix a ham, cole slaw and potato salad for all of us. That is what Dayna decided to do since we had all of our grandkids except one and the meal was delicious. WE have to give some of the credit to J.R. Inselman who smoked a ham for us and it was the best I have ever tasted . . . A special thank ;you to our local Kiwanis Club for sponsoring the Easter Egg hunt. There was a large turn-out and the kids had a great time and no one left without a bunch of Easter eggs . . . Sister Kelly called me recently to tell me she had just been to Allegiance Health in Midwest City for physical therapy. The therapist asked her where she was from and she said Holdenville. He replied that some of his family used to live there and in the past he had visited his grandparents often. His grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Gene Ball and his dad was the late Randy Ball. Randy was not only a life-long friend but also my classmate. Randy’s grandfather was Sheriff Harve Ball who was well known not only in our area but across the state. The last time I saw Joey was at out 40 th class reunion when he came with his dad. Randy was so proud of him and so are we . . . My good friend Phillip Wood was asking about how much we thought of the late Ronnie Cherry. Phillip told me that he would never forget that Ronnie had a steering wheel from a car on his bicycle. Phillip said that was the only bike he ever saw like that. He added that when he would go to the Dixie Theater he could always tell if Ronnie was there by looking for that bike. Our good friend Dave Carter receiving several compliments on how great the church lawn looked Sunday. Dave is a blessing to so many in so many different ways . . . For the first time in a long time I had the opportunity to visit with Dale Jenkins. I don’t know of anyone that has done more for this community than Dale. Dale, Vicki Mackey and Della Cherry did an incredible job when they were in charge of the HHS alumni reunion. No one will ever know the hours these three put in but their accomplishments are still remembered . . . Also saw Mike Stallings and learned about some very special chickens he is raising and hope to have a story on them in the near future . . . While voting Tuesday I saw Jerry and Norma King and had a good visit. It has been a long time since I have seen them.

I had the opportunity to visit with my classmate and lifelong friend Lou Jean Tampleton. She has always been one of the sweetest people I have ever known. We were trying to come up with the names of former classmates of hers in the second or third grade at Parkview. Lou told me that she had recently visited with another of our classmates, Esther Clark. The three of us all grew up in the Church of the Nazarene. In fact, Ester’s mom, Vera, was my Sunday School teacher for many years and she was such a precious lady. Vera’s husband, Gene, was a house mover and one of the finest Christian gentlemen I ever knew. Lou’s mom and dad were such wonderful folks and her dad, Everett Skinner, worked with my grandfather for the City of Holdenville for many years. My grandfather and dad both thought so highly of Everett. And everyone loved Lou’s mom, Marie. She was a piller of our church and countless people were touched by her thoughtfulness and kindness. What great memories……Speaking of our church, Audry Landers from Kansas City, Kansas, was our guest speaker last Sunday. She is a missionary for the Church of the Nazarene and the granddaughter of HHS graduate Earl Lavon Leewright. She was an incredible blessing. As she was speaking, I thought back to her great-grandparents. Earl and Lula Leewright. They also were two of the finest Christian people I ever knew. I kept thinking about how proud they would be of their great-granddaughter. The fourth generation of their family to dedicate their life to serving the Lord. Her greatgrandfather brought me some Armadillo stew that he had made, and I will never forget the day he brought it. My dad ate it and I….well, I smelled it and suddenly became NOT HUNGRY. I did try a spoonful just to say I tried it and as I swallowed it, I thought, NEVER AGAIN!......A friend recently recommended the movie “Resistance.” It is the true story of the famous mime Marcel Marceau, who used his theatrical skills to rescue imperiled Jewish orphans in WWII. Both Dayna and I highly recommend it. You can find it on Amazon Prime… .I just found out this past week that my good friend Ronald Guinn has some very serious health issues. Please keep him in your prayers…..Visited with Don Merriman Thursday. I always have appreciated all he does for so many folks and no matter what he is going through he will have a smile on his face……Saw Bessie Allen and daughter Denise. Bessie is 92 years old and doesn’t look anywhere near that age. She is still sharp as a tack and had just been to vote.

The Buck family and the Atwood singers are probably the two most well-known gospel groups in our area. The members of both groups have been singing since they were small children at countless events and many funerals.

Jim Priest is CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Oklahoma and can be reached at jpriest@okgoodwill.org..

Even though we are in the midst of March Madness, baseball is in the air. A few years ago, I experienced a trip I had long hoped to take: Spring Training baseball in Florida to watch my New York Yankees. I have always loved baseball and watch as many of the Yankees’ games as I can. I suspect my children will watch many of the games as well. You see, baseball is in the DNA of my family. Devotion to baseball was bred into me by my father and I have passed this gene on to my kids.