I was born at a very early age*; but I
don't remember it. Dad tells me that we moved from Hollinger's Island
to Huntsville in July 1965. That would make me 3 years and a few
weeks old when we moved, so there are only a few snippets of memory from
the very earliest years of life on Hollinger's Island, which is a few
miles south of I-10 on Mobile Bay. Whatever has happened since then,
started on Hollinger's Island with Jack Edward Parker, Sr., Delma Key
Luke Parker and my sister Cathy (Debra Catherine, whom no one ever
calls Debra).
I remember only two things from that
time. The first doesn't mean anything. The second made me what I am
today. I remember standing behind the first house that we lived in,
which Dad calls “The Canal House”. I looked across the canal and
saw a small island with an open area surrounded by trees and bamboo.
I've no idea what was happening, if anything. It's like looking at a
snapshot in my mind with the water moving sullenly past a small
island where the water moccasins would sun themselves.
The second thing I remember is standing
in the Hollinger's
Island Baptist Church singing “Come Thou Fount Of Every
Blessing”. There is no way I could have understood the song at that
age, of course. It is a song with deep meaning and rich, Biblical
imagery that takes years to assimilate. However, the melody stuck in
my mind; and it remains a favorite to this day. I am convinced that
these experiences at a church that I don't really remember, hearing a
song that I couldn't possibly understand, set me on course to
eventually become a minister and music director. Deep faith
and profound music work themselves into your heart, from which they
are not easily removed. If the people around you are wise, loving,
and patient, they can become the treasures of your life.
----
*Apologies to Groucho
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