August 19th 2005
Dear sweet Amy and my two sweet great-granddaughters,Well today I want to tell you a little of my life growing up. I am the youngest of eleven children. There was my dear sister Pauline who I loved dearly, she was always so good to me. Jake, my beloved brother, I loved him so - he was always my big brother. Deck was the one who always teased me, but we still loved each other. Then there was Myrl, she was always there for me when I had my children and when I was sick. Then my mother had three babies and they all died. Then my mother had me and I lived. Then my mother had three more babies that died. I always asked, "Why did I live and the others died?" She would always say, "God had a reason." I still don't know, but maybe it was for my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Well first let me tell you we were poor, but we all loved each other, and Mama and Daddy were Christians that loved the Lord. They took us to church every time the doors were open. Some Sundays I would tell Daddy I was sick. He would say, " You can stay home, but if you are too sick to go to church you have to stay home all day." So I thought that over and said, "I better go to church."
Mama was a wonderful cook, she cooked on a wood stove. I stood behind that stove many a time to get warm when I would get up in the morning. She cooked bread at every meal, in those days bread was the main thing. In the morning, I would put bread in my coffee cup, with sugar, cream, and coffee - that was my breakfast. I know you will say, "How gross!" But to us kids, it was good. We ate it up like little pigs. On weekdays we ate some kind of bread, beans, cabbage and potatoes, or greens and cornbread. But come Sunday, we always had a big dinner. Mama cooked Saturday for Sunday dinner. We always had meat roast, chicken, or beef stew, and cake, pie or banana pudding. It was always so good. During the week we had fat back meat. Mama cooked it good and crisp, and it was good.
I started school when I was six. I walked to school every day. Mama always walked me to the front door of the our house and would kiss me goodbye, and she would stand on the porch until I crossed the railroad track . I always would turn and wave goodbye to her.
I learned to skate by skating back and forth in the house to Mama and Daddy. I loved to skate. I would skate at the Mill Hill every day. I always had skinned knees and elbows. I learned to skate good. I would look for broke pavement in the sidewalk so I could jump high. I think sometimes, what could I have done with the skates like you have today. All I had was the kind you hook on your shoes. Daddy would say, "I can't keep you in shoes." My sister-in-law gave me a bicycle, and I learned to ride, what time I wasn't falling or Daddy putting the peddle back on. I kept Daddy busy either fixing my skates or my bicycle.
I thought my Daddy was the greatest thing in the world. He would wait until I got out of school to get groceries, and we would walk down the railroad track to town. I almost had to run to keep up with him. I would say, "How much money are you going to give me today?" He would, "oh, about a nickle." And I would say, "Is that all?" Then he would say, "oh, about a dime." I would keep on until he would say, "oh, about a quarter." Then I would jump up and down and say, "oh boy!" I knew that was his limit. I could get a milkshake and a hamburger with a quarter.
My Mama had heart trouble for as long as I can remember. Back then, they didn't know what to do for her. The doctor would come and give her a shot and tell her to stay in bed for a week, but as soon as Mama got better she would be back cooking for us. She kept the house so clean you could eat off the floor. She would never let us sit on the bed. She said, "beds are to sleep on." And our beds always looked good. The doctor would tell her not to do anything, but she washed on a scrub board outside, boiled clothes in a wash pot, and rinsed them two times in a wash tub.
Well the first sad thing happened to me on June 6th 1942 when my Mother passed away. It was a shock to me, because she had been sick many times. But that time, the doctor gave her a shot one night and she passed away the next afternoon. I was standing by her bed and had my hand on her head. I asked her, "Mama, don't you feel a little better?" And she opened her eyes and looked up at me and said, "No, not much." A lady was sitting by the bed feeling her pulse, and she said "she is almost gone." Then she said "she is gone" and covered up her head. I said "Don't cover her head, shes doesn't like her head covered." That was a bad, bad time for me. When you lose your Mother, you lose your best friend.
Preacher Vern and Madie loved Mama. They used to eat every Friday night with us. I stayed with them a lot after Mama died. They really loved the Lord. We would all pray at night. My room was next to theirs, and the next morning I would wake up hearing them praying.
When I was sixteen I got married to your Grandpa, Louie Price. He was 18, and had finished school in June. We got married July 3rd 1943. Preacher Vern married us at his house, and Madie fixed us supper. Margie Pressley stood with me, and Fred Long stood with Louie. We went to Chimney Rock, and his Mama and Daddy went with us, but we got a little cabin by ourselves.
One month after we were married, Louie had to go in the Army. He was drafted, all men at 18 had to go. We were in World War II. My brothers had to go. Jake was in the Army in Germany, he was in a lot of fighting. Deck was in the Navy, he saw a lot of fighting. Louie was lucky and stayed in Hawaii. I saw Louie four times after he left . The last time I saw him, I was 8 months pregnant with your uncle David. He was born January 1st 1945. When Louie came home, David was two years old. We had a time, because he didn't know who that man was taking his place with his Mama. You see, he was all I had and he would sleep with me at night. He thought his Daddy was a picture I had him kiss at night. I had never had his hair cut, so Louie took him to get his first hair cut, and that made David like him a little less. I sat up many a night and held him. He didn't want to sleep by himself.
When Louie's leave was up, we moved to Florida. I won't go into all the bad places we lived. I got pregnant with your uncle Mickey while we were there. I came home and stayed with Pauline and Myrl in my eighth month. He was born February 21st 1947. When he was a month old we went to Georgia. We were there a short time and Louie got out of the Army. He went to work selling life insurance, and we bought a house. It was brand new and I was so proud of it. We weren't there more than six months and we couldn't pay for it, so we sold it to Jake. I was pregnant with your Mama then. Sandra was born March 13th 1951. Louie was with me when she was born.
Louie wanted to study to be on the Highway Patrol. I worked while he went to take his training. When he finished we moved to Scotland County. That didn't last but about a year and he got fired, so he went back in the Army. David was five by that time and had started kindergarten. When Louie left, I moved in with Pauline and Myrl. They only had two rooms though, so as soon as Louie found us a place, we moved to Georgia. We were there about a year, and he was sent to Japan. I went back home and got a place to live until we got all the paperwork, shots, and passports. Then we went to Japan for three years - I forgot, we went to Germany first and stayed there about a year. Both times, he would go first and I would go alone with the children. Sandra wasn't born yet when were in Germany.
I look back and I don't know how in the world I did that as dumb as I am. It's a wonder I didn't get lost. God had to be looking after us and we didn't know it. We were on the ship 10 days to Germany and 14 to Japan, not counting all the train time.
When we came home, we went to Oklahoma. We were there about a year. Daddy came to see us on the bus while we were there. We had money trouble again. I came home. We had a jeep, can you see us coming all that way in a jeep?! I had three children and three bags after 16 years of marriage.
In 1959 I started working at the hospital from 11 to 7 at night. I rented a house and bought a few things we had to have. Louie moved to Fort Bragg and came home on the weekends. On January 6th 1960 Louie shot himself. He had been home on leave that weekend and I thought he went back to camp. I called the camp Tuesday and they told me he hadn't come back. On Wednesday he came home, I was working. Mickey was home from school, and Louie told him to go to Granddaddy Price and get his shotgun and give Mama this letter. Then he told him to stay at Edna's until Mama came home. That was the worst time of my life.
The next three months were bad. We didn't have any money. But after three months, I started drawing from the V.A. and working at the hospital. We moved to a little brick house beside Daddy's. Pauline and Myrl helped me to take care of my children. When I worked nights Pauline slept at my house. Pauline and Myrl stayed with me most of the time. We all tried to go on, but it wasn't easy on any of us.
Two years later, I met Preacher Payne's brother. His name was Paul. We dated about six months or a year. He lived in Columbia, SC and drove a truck so I didn't see him too much.
Buford came to the hospital, he was a patient of mine, and before he went home he had made a date with me. We were married July 1st 1964 in Chesterfield, SC. We had a lot of bad times, but a few good times. He died April 1st 1997.
Well, you know all the rest. Mickey got killed January 7th 1971 and you know how bad that was.
The good thing about it all was I had three wonderful children and eight grandchildren and nine great and wonderful great-grandchildren. God has always been with me. I have strayed a few times, but God was always watching over me. I praise Him and thank Him for every blessing He has given to me.
Amy, I love you and you are a wonderful mother. You have wonderful children. I pray that the Lord will bless all of you and meet all of your needs. Bad times come to all of us, but we are never alone. Jesus is always near.
"I will give thanks to you, oh Lord, and sing praises to Your name."
- 2 Samuel 22:50
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