I have to admit that being a writer for the Marcellus World News, on occasion, I do take some good-natured kidding. My favorite of course is, has the number of those folks who read my column reached double digits yet? Ha Ha. I always respond by indicating it may be as high as fifteen to twenty readers each week.
And one of my friends refers to the paper as the Marcellus World News. This of course gives rise to a hefty number of readers on the world stage. One never knows.
I also make it a point to NEVER address the subjects of politics, religion, or controversy. Not that politics or religion would enter into those categories.
I also know and have heard other people indicate that it’s not good to dwell on the past. I agree with that and try to stay current on many fronts in my daily life. HOWEVER, it is enjoyable to look back from time to time and share stories that connect anyone who has lived in Marcellus. Any time someone asks me where I’m from I may well respond by saying, “I had the great privilege of growing up in Marcellus, Michigan.” That may be one of the most accurate statements I have ever made in my life. I loved it.
One of my most enjoyable challenges in life is when I hear about a person, place, or thing relative to Marcellus. I immediately rummage through my mind to see if I can make a connection. Many of my former teachers I’m certain would be thrilled to see that my mind works and that I’m using it.
Here’s how the “connection” concept works:
Several days ago, I went to our mailbox to retrieve the mail. Inside the box there was a business envelope with my name and address on the front (I note that it was handwritten) and the return address indicated the message was from a Higgins. Further examination indicated that the correspondence was from Bill Higgins (formerly Billy Higgins during his youth) who now lives in Rockford, Michigan.
As for the people connection I know the entire Higgins family. Good people. Great friends of my parents.
Place: The Higgins had a house, and barn, and fence that kept horses in their place over on the east side of town. It was a very spiffy place.
In this envelope there were two photos: one was my Dad and Bill Higgins, Senior, sitting on a bench together. The other photo was of Dad, Mrs. Higgins (Lois) and Mom. Bill took the picture when they were all on a trip together.
Place: Dad and Lois were both employed by the U.S. Postal service. Dad was a rural mail carrier and Lois worked the desk at the post office. If you went into the post office, Lois would retrieve your mail and give it to you over the counter. During the exchange she would engage you in conversation. But the greatest happening with Lois was when you picked up your mail and, in the event, you had a postcard she had already read it and might have a question for you. “I see so and so is on vacation in Florida, sounds as if they’re having a good time.” IN DEFENSE OF LOIS, I WOULD CERTAINLY READ THE POSTCARDS IF I WORKED AT THE POST OFFICE. If ever I sent a post card to the Marcellus post office, my message always contained a “Hello” for Lois. It was just standard procedure.
Now as I’m writing this I also recall recently receiving a letter from Marlene Beard (formerly Marlene Rumsey), a great friend of my sister Susan who grew up on rural route # 2. That letter also contained a picture of her husband and me. He was my first basketball coach in fourth grade and I thought the world of him.
To make a “thing” connection, when Susan would stay overnight at Marlene’s house they would sometimes leave “things” in the mailbox for Dad. An example might be a few of Mrs. Rumsey’s wonderful cookies, or some of Archie’s wonderful homemade sausage.
No doubt a postal employee reading postcards and children leaving “things” in a mailbox are probably FEDERAL OFFENSES but as I reflect on yesteryear, it was during a time when we were still living the lessons of common sense.
So to Bill Higgins in closing, I say thank you for inspiring this article.
And given these times we live in, please remember, in Marcellus, people, places, and things matter.
Have a great week, Marcellus.
You’re the best.
See you in an upcoming column.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.