LOCAL RESIDENT SHARES SPECIAL MEMORIES

I want to thank Morgan County High School Graduate Sarah Frances Slate of the 1948 Class for sharing some of her special memories with our Hartselle Enquirer Readers. An Unlikely Parallel by Sarah Frances Slate:

It was October of 1947 when a group of us seniors were involved in setting up a “Haunted House” in the gym. We worked hard and I don’t even remember who “we” was. Plans for the haunted house went well and all of us were looking forward to a great time that Halloween night, October 31, 1947. Later that day when we all got home from school, things changed.

My Mother and Dad announced that I had to take the little ones, my sisters, Margaret, Melba and Mearleen to our grandparents for the night. I’ll always remember the disappointment because my “boyfriend” from Priceville was to come see our “Haunted House”. We, the kids and myself, were spending the night at our grandad’s. We had no idea what was really going on. It was not like today when even little kids know when a new baby was on the way, not us, we were very protected and also no one ever mentioned things like having a baby. The next morning we were brought home and waiting on us was a baby brother. Daddy finally had a son after having six girls, one of which died in 1936 after having pneumonia, she only lived for 11 months and now we all had a brother to love and spoil. At about six weeks of age, he had an illness, then sometime later, we discovered that he was a special needs child, who never walked or talked, but was our special brother.

I am sure I was disappointed because as a senior, all attention was upon the welfare of our mother and brother, who turned out to be such a blessing to us. For 34 years, if the phone rang during the night, all were aware of Mother and Daddy’s situation and away we went to their house. Mother was born in 1912, and Malcolm came along in 1947 in my senior year and my Mother was 35 years old, still a young person when my brother was born. Where does the parallel come in-I married in 1948 at the age of 17 and my first child was born in 1950. When he became a senior in 1967/68, I became pregnant with my 5th child and wore a maternity dress to his high school graduation. Our youngest was born in 1968 when I was 37 when our son Jimmie was 18. They have always been very close and it seems now will remain so for many years.

Love abides forever when families are close. When their Dad died in 1990, Jimmie was able to fill that position to help me as our family grew up. Darris and Sarah Slate Halbrooks have 5 children, 17 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and expecting three more. Ours is a family who has borne many sorrows and many blessings. God has blessed us all and we are a very close-knit family. If one of us has a problem, then we all help. Love, humility, hard work and the presence of God is a blessing to our family. Many of our Life Lessons, were learned through a handicapped Brother named Malcolm Lymon Slate, from 1947 till 1982.

Special belated happy birthday wishes go out this week for Whitney Holbert and Whitney celebrated her birthday on April 24. Belated happy birthday wishes also go out this week for Corbin Mears and Corbin celebrated his birthday on April 25.

The Members of Shady Grove Baptist Church remember in loving memory, David Jones, from April 5, 1960 till Nov. 22, 2010, Jewel Lake, from April 8, 1913 till Sept. 25, 2004, Odis Morris, from April 20, 1923 till Dec. 27, 2009 and also Hannah Lacy, from April 12, 1999 till April 12, 1999.

The Members of Shady Grove Baptist Church express Christian love and heartfelt sympathy for Britt Harvel and family in the death of his cousin, Sherry Diane Banks Porter.