Ecelles M Garrison:  

Life ... am the mother of two daughters (janis & ruthie) they both have completed college; one of them went on to acquire her (ma) degree from one of the universities of chicago ... have three of the sweetest grand-children - two boys and one girl - jeffrey is a ninth grader; he plays football; he plays baseball also ... gillian is a third grader and loves any toy or item of clothing that smacks of (barbie) connor is in the first grade; he is big for his age and he simplely dotes on his big sister, gillian ... have one son-in-law at this time ... my sister phillis lives in pine bluff arkansas with her family; she is really enjoying the surroundings of her family members; she has attempted to work at one of the (special) job programs here ... ... do not have any pets at this time; recently there was a dog show at our local convention center and the dogs were just beautiful; there were quite a few (designer) dogs among the various groups; this is a new (type) of dog-group on the american scene; you are dealing with dogs who have a (mix) from two pedigrees (parentages) they are dogs from foreign countries, usually; this mix-procedure, takes place in america; so america is a prefix placed before the foreign pedigrees' category of the (designer) off-spring; I saw one dog that I really liked; an (american pitbull terrier) once I have arrived ($$$) I plan to get a (pair) of these lovely animals; their food bill is going to set me back a bit because this dog-type is the size of a (little light horse) but I will be prepared for that; will need to provide the space for them as well ... ... am planning to get married soon; am an older woman now but once I am married, with the use of advance technolgy, my (soon to be) husband and I are going to have children; have been following various medical documentaries on this matter and those fields of medicine are doing wonders these days to assist older couples in their efforts to become parents ... a note of thanks to you the reader ... I always wanted to be a an attorney when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a terrible idea. As it turns out, they were definitely wrong. If I'm going to work somewhere, I need to have reliable transportation, an expense account, and working attire to be able to deal with the day-to-day. ... have several heroes - both living & dead ( most recently ( Dr Benjamin L Hooks ) passed away in Memphis Tennessee / 15-yrs ) he served a our national president ( NAACP ) as he was serving in this position - Dr Hooks made democracy safe for his people - he will be sadly missed ... ... there are two ( social & political ) issues that have worked against african americans in our nation ( getting rid of our black school systems & loosing our black farmlands ) under questionable circumstances - the surprises to me that are in question - is the fact we as a people - allowed these two things to happen ... ... wish to become a successful writer - and own a chain of bookstores ( self publishings & bookstore sales ) so that I could sale my literary works ( books / magazines / newsletters / etc ) to the public at large ... ... according to the citizens of jefferson county - am the best dressed african american woman in pine bluff arkansas - or so they tell me ... In 10 years, I hope to be multi millionair. I'm going to get there by being a successful writer .... My first job was at majestic l & c, where I got paid $20.00 per week to fold shop towels. What I remember most about it is it was my first job in the outside world - but thank God I was located by my rich uncle - after working for one year - got to relocate in pine bluff ( june 1966 ) became a freshman in college ... ... having a wonderful grandfather - who was a positive male image to me & my sister ( phillis ) we were his grand babies from the big city - papa shared the love of his farm animals with us - especially ( ole dan ) his quarter horse - papa was a pillow of the community - a professional cotton farmer & an expert horseman - and of course - there was a remarkable ole big tree - right in the heart of our community ( it was a community wide / a county wide & a state landmark ) and as it stood at the corner of ( Ole Dan Avenue & Immanuel Blvd ) there were community members & strangers alike - both comings & goings - so - it became a friend to all of manknind - as well ... ... do pray that my old friends will remember me as a person - who can be depended upon - to be the one - to spearhead efforts - that will revitalize our community back home ( Immanuel Arkansas - Arkansas County ) founded - no doubt by a freed slave ( 1865 ) by four original founding families - and replace our ole big tree in the process ... ... we were the largest class ever ( 75-classmates ) to have graduated from your high school ( there were two black schools in arkansas county - and our school was one of them ) therefore - the school system assigned two class sponsors to us ( Mr Andrew Carr & Mr Eddie Johnson ) one teacher for the college bound section ( Mr Johnson ) and our other sponsor ( Mr Carr ) was assigned to that section of us - who wanted to leave the south & head for the big cities of america - but first we had to have our papers ( old negro dialect ) meaning our high school diplomas - there is one of our teachers left however - the other one passed away ( Mr Eddie Johnson ) but it would be nice if we could see them both ... . . . HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW IN MY GRANDFATHERS FOOTSTEPS ( FARMLAND OWNERSHIP ) BACK HOME - A SIZABLE PIECE OF LAND HAS COME UP FOR SALE - SO I THREW MY AGRICULTURAL HAT INTO ( THE PROVERBIAL PURCHASING RING ) MADE CONTACT WITH AN INVESTMENT AGENCY & APPLIED FOR THE ESSENTIAL ACQUISITION - NECESSARY TO MAKE MY PURCHASE - AND BEFORE TOO LONG I SHOULD BE IN BUSINESS - AND THE REST AS THEY SAY - SHOULD BECOME HISTORIAL ASSETS . . . I always wanted to be a AN ATTORNEY when I grew up. My family and friends thought that was a TERRIBLE idea. As it turns out, they were WRONG. . . . LIVED ON CAMPUS - COLLEGE LIFE WAS THE HAPPIEST TIME OF MY LIFE - LIVED ON CAMPUS & MY ROOMMATES WERE A RIOT - BUT I NEVER ALLOWED ANYTHING - TO KEEP ME FROM ATTENDING MY CLASSES ( EXCELLENT COLLEGE ATTENDANCE RECORDS ) AS IT WERE . . . . . . TO BECOME A SUCCESSFUL WRITER - AND OWN A CHAIN OF BOOKSTORES - AND SOME DAY PERHAPS - MY ASPIRATIONS MAY BECOME A REALITY . . . My first job was at A CLEANERS, where I got paid $20.00 PER/WK to FOLD SHOP TOWELS. What I remember most about it is MY FRIENDS WISHED ME WELL - WHEN THEY LEARNED THAT I WAS HEADED TO COLLEGE. . . . ME - MY MOTHER & MY SISTER - WERE SEATED ON THE PORCH OF MY MOTHERS PRETTY HOUSE - AND OUT OF NOWHERE - AN ENORMOUS BIG FISH - SAILED OUT OF THE FLOOD WATERS - AND LANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF A CARPET OF WEEDS - AND THERE IT HAD THE FIGHT OF ITS LIFE - DURING ITS MIGHTY FIGHT - IT TIRED ITSELF OUT ( IT THEN STOPPED TO REST ) ROLLED UP ON ITS STOMACH - THUS CREATING A SELF WEDGE - AND THE WEIGHT OF ITSELF PRESSED THIS CARPET OF WEEDS DOWN - AND A POOL OF WATER ROSE UP AROUND ITSELF - AND JUST LIKE THAT - IT SWAM OFF INTO MY GRANDFATHERS WAGON TRAIL TO THE RIGHT - AND JUST DISAPPEARED - HUMP & ALL . . . . . . THERE WERE THREE OF US ( ME - MY MOTHER & SISTER ) SEATED ON THE PORCH OF MY MOTHERS PRETTY HOUSE - AND OUT OF NOWHERE - AN ENORMOUS BIG FISH SAILED OUT OF THE FLOOD WATERS - AND LANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF A CARPET OF WEEDS - AND THERE IT HAD THE FIGHT OF ITS LIFE - AFTER TIRING ITSELF OUT ( IT STOPPED TO REST ) THEN IT ROLLED UPON ITS STOMACH - THUS MAKING A SELF WEDGE - AND THIS ACT CREATED A POOL OF WATER AROUND ITSELF - AND JUST LIKE THAT - IT SWAM OFF INTO THE WAGON TRAIL TO THE RIGHT - WHERE IT DISAPPEARED INTO THE DEEP - HUMP & ALL . . . . . . BRINGING THIS QUESTION CLOSER TO HOME ( TUES 24 DEC 1951 ) THIS CHILDHOOD MEMORY STILL TROUBLES ME - MY FOUR YEAR OLD SISTER ( PHILLIS ) CAUGHT FIRE AND BEFORE MY MOTHER COULD CATCH HER - AND PUT THE FIRE OUT - MY SISTER BURNED NINETY PERCENT OF HER BODY ( TOOK OUT TIME THIS MORNING & FLASHED BACK - BY UTILIZING THE CALENDAR ON MY COMPUTER - RIGHT LOWER CORNER ) AND THATS HOW I CAME UP WITH THE APPROXIMATE TIMESPAN ) IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE - THE DAY BEFORE MY MOTHERS BIRTHDAY - SHE MAY HAVE DECIDED TO GO & VISIT OUR GRANDFATHER - BY TAKING THE SHORT CUT ( DEEMED AS A PEOPLES PATH ( CREATED BY FOLLOWING OUR NEIGHBORS BACK FENCE LINES ) IN THE RURAL ) THAT PAPA HAD TAUGHT US TO TAKE - THAT WOULD HAVE PLACED US DIRECTLY ACROSS THE ROAD - IN FRONT OF HIS ESTATE - AT ANY RATE - MAMA LAID OUT OUR STARCHED IRONED DRESSES - AND TOLD US TO GET DRESSED - SO - MY SISTER DECIDED TO GET DRESS FIRST ( OUR WOOD HEATER HAD SEEN ITS BEST DAYS - AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED - LONG SINCE ) BUT HOW DO YOU EXPECT CHILDREN TO HANDLE SUCH A TASK . . . THEN THERE WAS ONE OTHER ISSUE - THAT STUCK IN MY MIND PERTAINING TO THIS DISASTER ( IT WAS THE 3-DAYS IN THAT WEEK ) FRIDAY WAS WHATS HIS NAMES PAYDAY - AND REMEMBERING THIS FACTOR - BACKED BACK UP THREE DAYS - AND TODAY - ACCORDING TO THE CALENDAR ON MY COMPUTER ( IT WAS ON TUESDAY ) WHEN SHE CAUGHT FIRE ( DEALING WITH A LEAP YEAR - ABOUT THIS TIMESPAN ) AND AFTER WHICH - THE DAYS JUST TICKED AWAY IN MY CHILDHOOD MIND AFTER THAT ( WAS A GROWNUP BEFORE I LEARNED WHEN MY MOTHERS BIRTHDAY WAS ) SO - RIGHT OFF THE BAT - THERE ARE TWO CHILDHOOD MEMORIES - THAT STICKS OUT IN MY MIND ( MY SISTERS UNFORTUNATE ORDEAL - A DISASTER ACTUALLY & THE BIG FISH ISSUE ) YOU WOULD BE SURPRISE HOW SUCH ISSUES CAN AFFECT A SMALL CHILD ( MAMA COVERED MY SISTER WITH BUTTER - THEN WRAPPED HER IN A BLANKET & THEN A QUILT ) AND SET BY HER BEDSIDE BOTH NIGHT & DAY - FOR THREE DAYS - AS WE WAITED & WAITED & WAITED - AND IT WAS THE THIRD DAY - WHEN WE HEARD A LOUD HELLO ( THE SUPERINTENDENT OF OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL - AND A MEMBER OF THE ARKANSAS COUNTY SO-SATION - WITH MY GRANDFATHER ) AT THE FRONT GATE TO OUR YARD - AT THE FRONT OF MY MOTHERS PRETTY HOUSE . . . MY GRANDFATHER A...Expand for more