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This brother left home and went to the army. While he was in service he came home on a furlough. While he was home he married this very special girl that he loved before he went into the service. Let me tell you, that broke my heart. I didn't want to give him up to some 'old girl' because I loved him and I didn't need any help from her! They tried to convince me that I was not going to lose him but would just have a sister. You see, I had never had a sister because the sister that I had was old enough to be my mom. Time passed and the age gap was so wide with seventeen years difference in our age. We didn't have much in common. While growing up I was too young and he was too old. The years past and I met the girl I loved which has been my lover, soul mate, best friend and wife for forty seven wonderful years. She has seen me through some pretty tough times in health (like five weeks in a hospital without leaving my side for even one hour of rest or a single meal outside of the hospital). And then I could understand why he wanted to marry that 'old girl'! By this time in our lives we both lived in the same city and we really began to enjoy each others company. We visited, had meals together and the love that bound us just grew deeper. Never in our life time do I remember of having a cross word with him. One time we were going squirrel hunting together in the swamp. We both had always hunted in the hill country and it is different from the swamp. So he told me we needed to get a compass to use in the swamp so we wouldn't get lost. I had never used a compass in my life. When I got ready to come out about dark, being a country boy, I pulled out my compass to see which way I needed to go. But the trick was, I hadn't looked before I was going into the woods. So I just went the way the hand was pointing. Believe me, that was the wrong way! At that time it was about 5:30 p.m. in the winter time. It was almost dark by then. About 10:00 p.m. that night I found the truck. You see, he could not go for help because I had the keys safe and sound in my little pocket. Well, over the years I have took a lot of ribbing but we have had a lot of good laughs over it.
My Mother had gotten old and was unable to stay by herself out in the country. She decided to move into town. He and I went to move her one Saturday in that same truck that he could not go for help in when I got lost in the woods. On the last load the battery went dead in my truck. It was in the Winter time and it was almost freezing that day. We pushed it off to start it and he thought I was going to just back up to the house. So he stepped up on the back bumper. I didn't know it, so I thought I would just run it down the road a piece and charge the battery not knowing he was on the back bumper. Boy, I just aired it out about 50 miles an hour. It was freezing cold. I had my window up and couldn't hear him hollowing, "Man, I'm freezing"!!! Oh, he was so cold but there would be more laughs. We had a 300 watt bulb so we could have plenty light. My Mother said don't forget my big bulb. So he reminded me of that. It had been burning all day. I got up in the chair to change the bulb. I had on gloves. He handed me the small cool bulb. He had no gloves. I unscrewed the large bulb and handed it to him in his bare hands. He didn't think that hot bulb was near as funny as I did! But we laughed and come on home We moved away. They would come and visit us for the week end. We would watch and also go to football games together. He was old enough that he didn't sleep well away from home. The next morning I ask him to return thanks at breakfast. He started out and as a lot of people do said while giving thanks in the morning, "Lord, I thank you for a good nights rest". He got about half way through and realized he didn't sleep well so he changed it right in the middle of thanks and said, "Lord, thank you for being here in this home". A lot of good laughs was had about that one. Really the most I remember about him is the good times and laughs. There was this lady that had surgery and all she wanted to do was talk about her operation. My brother had a dog that he had took and had spayed and he taught her when he would say, "Show me your operation", she would flop over on her back and show her belly to you. And again we always laughed. They came over to spend the week end with us one time. While they were at our house the dog disappeared. The funny thing about it was no one except him could put a hand on the dog. The Lord called my precious brother home to be with Him May 1, 1970. We got the word about 7:00 p.m. that night and we rushed there to be with my wonderful sister-in-law (that 'old girl' that took him away from me.) That night at 12:00 midnight, twelve months to the day from the time that the dog disappeared, she come home just as fat and well taken care of as could be. You see, I lost a brother , a best friend and almost a Dad to me. Time and your attention span won't permit me to tell you about all the good times his and my family had together. I would like to dedicate this to the memory of that very special brother, "Harry Lee Dawson".
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