By Joe Rector
One positive aspect about being retired and older is that a person has plenty of time to think about all sorts of things. Just the other day, I thought of Milton Nelson, the choir director in high school. He’s still alive and kicking, so I gave him a call. For an hour we caught up after 50-plus years.
Lately, I’ve also been thinking about the good things in my life over the years. Sitting on a mower at 5:30 a.m. on a golf course lends itself to that kind of reflection. What my mind has tried to figure out is what is the happiest moment of my life. So many things came to mind, and all of them appeared in my thoughts with the same vividness of the time they occurred. Anyone who wants to stop reading at this point can do so because the list might be a bit boring.
One Christmas, Jim and I received bikes from Santa Claus. They were used, but Daddy had them cleaned up and painted. That Christmas was a wet one, so Jim and I mastered riding our bikes in tight circles around the basement.
A birthday when we were maybe in eighth grade was special. Our gifts were new baseball gloves, and we spent hundreds of hours throwing baseball in the yard and using the gloves in summer games.
High school was filled with happy moments. Band trips, choir trips, and football games all made life good. Of course, the music of the mid-60’s and early 70’s still brings smiles. During those years, Karns had a good sports program, and that made cheering for our basketball team and snarling at the other schools’ fans more fun.
I’d be less than honest if I failed to admit that girlfriends made times happy during high school. I never understood why Carolyn Forsythe went out with me, but I sure understand her breaking up with me after I’d managed to tangle her long, straight hair with a piece of gum during a slow dance at a sock hop. Neither did I ever figure out why Anda Inman went with me for a few months during my junior year. I know she could do much better, and she did, but the fun we had was something that still is a good memory.
Two of the happiest moments of my life came when Lacey and Dallas were born. I wasn’t a particularly good dad, but no man ever loved his children more than I did. Listening to Lacey play the French horn and watching Dallas play baseball filled my “happy cup” to overflowing. Lacey’s wedding was a perfect event on a perfect day. Dallas’ moving back to Knoxville after fifteen years was a joyful surprise. Grandson Madden’s arrival just added to the good times of life, and learning that the boy will attend UTK and be closer to us almost makes not smiling impossible.
Yes, when I think of my life and the happy moments that have occurred, I know that I am one lucky person. I owe the people who have touched my life and brought joy my warmest thanks. With that said, I know the happiest moment of my life, the one point in time when my entire life changed.
I took Amy out after the minister at the church we both attended goaded me into calling her. I’d had only two dates in college. Earlier girlfriends had made me gun-shy, and I sure didn’t want to be dumped again. To my surprise, Amy accepted my date request. We attended a night football game at Tennessee Tech, and then I don’t remember where we went.
I took Amy home and walked her to the door. Unsure what to do, I panicked. Then I leaned in to kiss this gorgeous person, and she leaned toward me. The happiest moment in my life happened with that kiss. I know it sounds ridiculous, but immediately I knew that Amy was the “one.” Love-at-first-kiss floored me. That happened in 1973. For some reason only God and Amy know, she’s still here, my best friend, my love, and my wife.
Sometime before long, take a bit of time to discover what the happiest moment of your life has been. It might change over the years, or like me, it might be one moment from another century. As those times come up, they will put a smile on your face, and you will realize that this life really is one filled with happiness.
