Lonzie was a soft spoken, gentle sort of man that lived in one of the houses on the farm at Myrick's Mill. Lonzie, although claiming to be in poor health, was usually smiling and in a good mood.

I overhead the family discussing who might be brought in to stay with my grandmother and help her around the house for a while after my grandfather died. There were a lot of good neighbors in the community to help, but most were employed full time. It was a bit hard to find someone who was both available and trustworthy to bring into the house. For reasons that I didn't fully understand at the age of 5, the family felt that a man would provide greater personal safety than a woman. The family thought that Grandmother would sleep better knowing that a man and a shotgun were guarding the place. Lonzie was chosen and slept for several months in a small room off the porch at Grandmothers house. In my young mind, that made Lonzie special.

Lonzie had been injured in a kaolin mining accident which left him with a bit of limp when he walked and pain that he said never went away. The accident also left him with a phobia about someone touching him in the ribs. Most of us are a bit ticklish in the ribs. But, Lonzie would jump and squeal as if someone had punched him, even though the jokester was standing 3 feet away pointing a tickle-threatening-finger at his ribs. He really didn't like for people to do that to him. It was really funny to us chillum to watch him jump when no one had actually touched him. The chillum were innocent in messing with Lonzie like that. But, as I reflect on it, I guess it was a cruel sort of childish humor, maybe the same as the chillun's amusement of Lonzie shouting and sometimes passing out during revival services at church. Several little boys about my age that went to Lonzie's church would tell how Uncle Lonzie was overcome and "fell out" (fainted) during some of the services.

As with quite a few folks then, Lonzie walked a mile or two to the store, depending on where he lived at the time. After he bought his groceries he waited around the store until someone came along who would be driving the direction of his house. It was never a long wait before he got a lift for himself and his groceries. As he gathered his groceries from the car or truck beside the road at his house, he always insisted on paying for the ride. When the driver refused to accept money for the ride, Lonzie never failed to show great appreciation for the lift and let out a big missing-tooth smile, tipped his old felt hat, and said Tah……meaning thank you, thank you and ambled toward his house. It was a simple thing. There wasn't anything uncommon about the courtesy of giving someone a ride, or offering to pay for the ride, except that Lonzie made one feel that the simple gesture was truly appreciated.

Lonzie, a man probably forgotten by most, lived a simple life, demanded little, evidenced the gentle spirit of a humble servant, offered kind words to willing listeners, loved our Lord, and with a smile from inside as well as the outside, gave thanks for everything.

©2003 - William C. Humphries, Jr.