Fleas and Friendship

Hez and Ermie

                During the 1930s, scores of families lived in the Big Bend. One family found their way to the location some have dubbed a “peninsula” of the Arkansas River. Hezekiah and Erma Hutchison Herring took up residence with their children in the Bend. Four children were listed in the United States Census of 1930. Wayne had been born in 1924, the same year as my mother, Bernyce Smith Gates. His brother, Jack, had been born the following year. There were two younger siblings, Wanda and Merle.

                Mother and her parents, Calvin Callcayah Smith and Gladys Rainey Smith, lived on the Oliver Morton place. To see a photograph of Oliver Morton, the owner of the land, access the blog posting entitled Miracle at the Little House at: http://bernadeanjgates.blogspot.com/2014/07/miracles-at-little-house.html

                A new house had been built on the Morton land. A new barn was erected, too. The Herring family lived near the recently constructed barn on the Oliver Morton place. Mother and her parents relocated from the “little house” to the brand-new house. In the 1920s, not many families had the luxury of being the first to move into a new house. What excitement for my grandma who liked to add little homey touches to her home, even though it had to be done creatively on a shoestring budget!

                Mother, as a preschooler and only child, enjoyed playing with the Herring boys. Mother was the smallest of the three of them. The Herring family had a large, hairy dog with a long, bushy tail that curled up. The gentle dog allowed Wayne and Jack to ride him. Of course, the two boys invited Mother to ride, also. She hopped on the back, behind the Herring boys. The flea-infested dog swished his furry tail up during the jaunt enjoyed by the children. Mother dismounted from the dog with, what my grandma believed must have been, every flea from the Herring family dog! My mother was sternly directed to never ride that dog again. Flea control for dogs ranked quite low for families living in the Bend during the late 1920s.

My mother and the Herring Boys along with an
unidentified boy posing in front of the new barn
on the Oliver Morton Place. Photo taken in the
late 1920s.

                During this era, families subsisted, as Dad would characterize, “from hand to mouth.” Making a living required hard, manual labor. Hez Herring picked cotton, as did many Benders. One necessary accessory for this body-wearying task of harvesting cotton was a pair of knee pads. Construction workers in the 21^st century use updated versions of the knee pads. (I recall my father, Edmund Gates, Jr., being unable to find “industrial”- type knee pads. He had Mr. Bill Thieme, an older man from Fairfax who excelled in leather work, custom-make a pair for him.)

                One day the two Herring boys and their little sidekick, my mother, were busy exploring on the Morton place. The two boys yelled, “It’s a snake!” The boys spotted the snake’s head emerging from one of their father’s knee pads. Erma, the mother of Wayne and Jack, heard the commotion. She rushed out to investigate, arriving just in time to see little Bernyce leaning over the reptile and responding in a matter-of-fact voice, “It’s just an old turtle.” Wayne and Jack had misjudged the shell of the turtle for one of their father’s knee pads.

                As a young child, I remember Mr. and Mrs. Herring coming to visit my grandparents. Ermie delighted in telling the turtle story. Erma and Grandma commiserated on how hard they all worked to make a living but how much they enjoyed the friendship between the families.

                Little did I know that I would meet Erma Hutchison Herring’s namesake. Erma’s brother, Bryan Hutchison and his second family moved to the Big Bend. (His first family, with children around Mother’s age, had lived in the Bend when Mother was young.) His second family was comprised of: Lynn, Bryan, Nancy, Mattie, Betty, Johnny, Dorothy, and David.

Soon after they arrived in the Bend a baby boy, William Robert, was born, but died in 1966, drawing our families together in sorrow. Later Michael would be born to complete the Hutchison family.

Nancy Erma Hutchison's senior portrait
 at Ralston High School

Nancy Erma Hutchison, the second Hutchison daughter, was given her middle name in honor of her aunt. Nancy and her sisters often rode to church with us. My father liked to make comments about Nancy’s infectious laugh which only made her laugh harder and louder, inciting the rest of us to do the same.

 Nancy and her siblings knew my grandfather and her father had known each other "in the old country." They referred to eastern Oklahoma where they had both descended from Cherokee ancestors as "the old country." Bryan's children knew my grandparents had a relationship with their older siblings who were near my mother's age. 

The long continuity of friendship earned Grandma a place of respect. Nancy has mentioned how much of God's Word my grandma had shared with her family. Grandma made sure each family member knew only Jesus could forgive their sins and make their life worthwhile here on earth.

In our busy, harried lives, it remains important to recount memories of days long past. One of life’s blessings continues to be the lifelong friendships of people who helped create enduring remembrances. May we never allow the cares of our days and the apparent aggressive necessities of the present to rob us of holding dear to us relationships of yesteryear.

If our lives are enriched by recalling friendships of long ago, how much more must we recount the goodness of God to us. Here are some verses on recounting God's loving grace and mercy. These verses prompt us to remember the undeserved kindness of the Lord. We are reminded to reflect on His judgments – the truths of His Word. Find more promises and truths in your Bible this week, allowing God to enrich your life.

Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things He does for me. Psalm 103:2 (TLB)

 Remember the wonderful works He has done, His wonders, and the judgments He had pronounced.  Psalm 105:5 (HCSB)

              A Final Thought or Word of Caution - Each week when reading and studying God's word, I am reminded of truth that "cuts crossways" with my own way or will. For instance, this week when things weren't going as I wanted, and complaining words were coming from my mouth, reading Philippians 2:14 that says, "Do everything without grumbling or arguing" "cut crossways." At another time, after feeling ticked off inside, a truth I often hear Mother quote from I Corinthians 13:4 came to mind. It clearly states, "Love suffers long and is kind." In plain language, "You put up with alot and stay really nice about it." Just because His truth and "judgments He has pronounced" is in opposition to how I am conducting my life, should not cause me to stop reading His Word daily. Instead let's bring our lives into alignment with His truths. Isn't that one of the main reasons we were given the scriptures?