Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Richard was a hard man to beat at a game of horseshoes; he never bragged about his game, but put the proof on the peg! As my Dad (Bob Wilcox) said, we went to Idaho every summer for vacation time. One of the things that I anticipated was the stories that would be told when Dad and his siblings got together. I had several favorites. One was of a horse they owned in Montpelier that when the boys would ride, he would take the bit in his teeth and run, and the things that happened as a result of the horse doing that. Hard to believe they were told not to ride the horse when no adults were around! Another story that I never tired of was the story of Sweeneys lost gold mine in the South Hill near Hanson Idaho. I had many dreams of finding that gold myself, though I have not ventured into the south hills in my adult life. Another story is the one I am going to tell. I do not know the facts so I am going to tell it as I see it in my minds eye. I will call the story Betty Wee and the rogue tire. One day Richard and Dad, with nothing better to do, was playing with a tire. As they were taking it up a hill to see how far it would roll after reaching the bottom, Richard saw Betty sitting at the bottom of the hill making a daisy chain, minding her own business. Richard told Dad to continue up the hill and he went to talk to Betty. Richard caught up with Dad and said “this is far enough”. To Dads surprise, Betty was standing in the path that Dad perceived the tire would take. Richard had realized that the farther the tire rolled the farther they would have to go to recover it, and asked Betty to stop it for them. Dad had his doubts but Richard told him that it would be fine. As the rogue tire started down the hill, they watched as Betty made adjustments to the right and then to the left with her arms held wide to receive the tire; then the tire was upon her, knocked her flat and gone! To find out the truth of the story Dad or Betty will need to be consulted. The greatest story of Richards life is that he received Jesus as his personal Saviour and that all believers will be reunited with family and loved ones in heaven in the future. And the ones that are home in heaven are united now. We know that Richard is alive and with God and loved ones. The Bible says in Matthew 22:32 ?"I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead but of the living." Richard we will see you soon.
