Billy and Bubba

When I was a lad in the 50s, there lived a man named Mr. Mac. He resided in a farming community in Northern Mississippi. Two of his sons are the source of a story living in my heart. It's a story of two brothers who may never grace the pages of a book. However, their memory is in my heart, and lest they are forgotten, I must tell you of them. They would best be remembered for their ability to drive tractors and handle farm machinery. As in history, so presently, the grand old market economy remains in motion. With few exceptions, whatever the market will bear is what will be paid. Also, back then, labor laws never applied to the people I knew. Billy and Bubba were very productive and knowledgable in their field of endeavor, but simply farmworkers. But they were more than simply field hands and tractor drivers; more than merely brothers who worked hard and drank liquor. I'm certain some remember the truth of their lifestyles. But there was so much more to Billy and Bubba than cultivating fields and drinking liquor for cheap thrills; more than cotton planters in spring and harvesters in the fall. If one simply saw them sitting on combines or drinking wine and whiskey to wash away their pains, then they never really saw them giving themselves so graciously to others. The demons attempted to destroy, wreck, and ruin their lives, but they were blessed with a praying mother whose prayers never fell on deaf ears. In their valleys of drunkenness, when overwhelmed by their enemy, their troubled souls found no other source to cast away their pain and ease their sorrows. Even so, the light of goodness managed to shine through. The devil's darkness never cast a shadow over their mother's prayers. Somewhere between their home and the cotton fields; between dirt roads and cornfields; between tractors and liquor stores; between birth and burial; Billy and Bubba were gentlemen with caring hearts and kind spirits. They were men who smiled without force and greeted with respect. Tall and handsome men, mild, gentle, and harmless. If or when the history books of the 'B' brothers are opened, let it be said that there were two good brothers named Billy and Bubba.11012007PoSpCtest, Strand Select L, Brian Strand. 3P Posted072817