Lehman B. Lyons Jr.

In the course of human affairs, we run across relationships that pique our interest and baffle our minds. Such was the often-touchy relationship between two particular brothers, and the lasting impression of one incident involving them has stayed with me from my youth.

For years, my dad has run—not jogged—down an unpaved road located just a few miles from our home. “The Old Dirt Road,” as we called it, was just one of the many farm roads that decorate the American South. This three-mile, undeveloped byway served my father well for his exercise of choice after a hard day’s work. It also served me, by giving me a chance to learn an important lesson from my father about planning for the future.

Do you have special memories of “the good old days?” Were they safer? More innocent, somehow? Many who grew up in former decades, especially the sixties, the fifties, and earlier—do remember: things were different! It’s not just wishful thinking and fond memories, distorted by time.

My parents have always been given to hospitality. They would encourage their children to bring friends “over to the house.” This invitation would enable us, their children, to have an opportunity to share enjoyable times with our friends and allow our parents to become better acquainted with our peers. We, as teenagers lacking the understanding of the physical effects a houseful of youngsters placed on two adults, would invite the “whole gang” to spend the night, and to leave from our home when we would be traveling with a group to an out-of-town event. Good times for everyone, right?