The Memory Wrinkle

I really like the idea of writing a novel in one month. However, I don’t think there’s a novel inside of me right now fighting to surface, yet I wanted to write. I admit that deep in my heart I’m a nosy person and dearly love learning about people and their lives. So I’ve decided to invite people I know to share with me how they earned their wrinkles. I do not plan to direct the path they take in talking about their wrinkles – I want them to decide what to share. So let’s get started…

Butch
You can sometimes define the success of your life upon the quality of your friendships. Butch has been many things in his life – he was a soldier serving our country in the mid 1960s, a manager of a lighting company in Nashville, and most recently a Realtor© in my office. Butch is very serious about his business, but he is also sincere about focusing on the happiest times in his life. This should be no surprise to anyone who knows Butch because he laughs easily and is just plain funny. For example, when I described my “epiphany” about my November project, he said a little penicillin would quickly clear that up.

Butch blames his gray hair on the more difficult times in his life, but the wrinkles are from his joyful moments and aren’t we lucky to be talking about wrinkles and not gray hairs? He believes most of his wrinkles are caused by his marriage to the caring Stephanie, the birth of his sons, and the great friends that the good Lord has blessed him with.

He told me about Tom and Barbara Collins and Norm and Harletta Spencer. They have traveled to many wonderful places in the last 30 years and always have a great time together, including the Dominican Republic and sailing around the Virgin Islands on a 31 foot sailboat. Another time, he and his friends went to a cabin on Watts Bar Lake. One evening, this group of friends were having some wine and relaxing. They started talking about a book called Shauna (or Shonna). Butch got his hands on the book and randomly opened pages for dramatic readings. He said somehow every page he opened contained a lusty moment. By the time he finished his readings, even the most straight-laced of the friends were laughing so hard they couldn’t stop.

Butch and Tom also ride a vintage 1924 Model T fire engine, and they allow kids of all ages to ride it. When he’s on the fire engine, he becomes a different person because of the fellowship and the fun. It’s something he treasures most in his life.

Another wrinkle he treasures is from his military service. He flew air evacuation, and taking the injured soldiers to hospitals near their homes is something he will always hold dear because he believes it was the most rewarding. Also, Butch said he will never forget a little girl from our Christmas for the Children party last year. She came in a velvet dress that was obviously very old. Even though the dress was worn and looked to be from the 1970s, that little girl wore it with such pride that her eyes absolutely sparkled. This, along with seeing the joy the children were experiencing as they had their faces painted like snowmen and Santa Claus, was very humbling for him.

Sometimes folks think that selling real estate is just about the money. Money is not a bad thing, but Butch is most pleased when he sees families, grandparents, young couples, single people, older people, etc. find that place to call Home Sweet Home.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s entry!