Of Insects and Pets and the Most Important Decision of my Life

We had a fuchsia hedge that grew around our property that attracted bees. Of course, bees always stimulate boy’s instincts. Samuel and I decided to try killing them by quickly slapping them between our hands. That was when I got my first bee sting. And speaking of killing insects, we indubitably discovered the pastime of incinerating ants with a magnifying glass. 

We were cat people and there were three, one at a time - Fluffy 1, Fluffy 2 and Fred. I think a car hit one of them and I’m not sure about the second but the third met its demise in a way I will never forget. 

My father had a tool shed in the back yard that he had turned into a study and my parents used to leave the cat in there when we were gone. There was a small gap under the door and when you came up to the shed, the cat would put its paw under to play. One day we heard a horrible noise and ran outside to see a Tomcat with our poor cat hanging limp in its mouth. The Tomcat had grabbed hold of our cat’s paw under the door and yanked it through the very small gap, crushing its skull and the rest of it. I had never heard my mother swear but I think she did that day.

One time there was a lost boy on our street so my parents brought him into our house until the police came. Meanwhile, it was dinnertime and we had sausage and beans. The boy started flinging the sausages against the wall. We kids thought that was hilarious because our parents were very strict and we were very well-behaved. We started laughing, which only encouraged him more but I think my parents even ended up laughing too.

Speaking of strict, spanking was a feature of our home life. There is a lot misunderstanding about spanking and some people use it to abuse. But spanking done the right way is a good thing. Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Ted Tripp is a great book for a discussion on doing it right. 

But I remember the feeling of knowing I was heading toward a spanking. I’d get in trouble for doing something and hope that it wasn’t enough to put me over the edge. Then I’d try to stay below the radar. But inevitably, I’d do something that would push the edge again. I’d be warned that I was heading toward a spanking and that anxiety would come over me again. The cycle continued until finally something happened that did push me over. I’d get the spanking and all would be assuaged…until the cycle started all over again. 

In later years, my parents said if they knew better they would have done it better because spanking is usually most effective when done right away. Rules are set. If you break the rules, you are spanked to bring correction and restoration and you move on. Then that feeling of constant dread doesn’t continue to hang over you.

My parents were not the type of people to just settle. They were always looking for an opportunity to tell other people about God. They began an after-school program for kids, which they called “Happy Hour”. Obviously they either did not know that was a term used by alcoholic drinking establishments or the phrase was not in use by such establishments where we lived at the time. They used to have kids come over after school and have singing and a short message and crafts. There got to be so many kids that they built a garage in the back yard to accommodate the 50 to 80 children each week.  

Of course I was personally challenged with the claims of Christianity during this time. My parents sat my brother, Samuel and I down when I was four years old and asked us if we wanted to become Christians. We both said yes and prayed right there in our kitchen/dining room. 

It was a simple faith at four years old but I remember something in particular that changed in my heart. Before I prayed the prayer I vividly remember crossing the street by our house one day and thinking to myself, “I’m not a Christian. I can swear right now”. It was a very unsophisticated depravity but it revealed a certain hardness in my heart. But after I prayed the prayer I felt a real tangible softening.

I can’t remember if my parents challenged Samuel and I to tell others about God or we just chose to do it ourselves but we decided to lead our own “Happy Hour”. I also don’t remember if we invited a number of kids or just the one boy that showed up. My brother and I did the music and lesson for this one boy and invited him to pray with us to become a Christian. He did. I still wonder if his prayer was sincere and where he is today. Maybe one day I’ll find out.