[Granville-Hough] starting up the stories again

[Trustees and Executors for Granville W. Hough]

Today I am driving a uhaul away from Laguna Woods full of bookcases and boxes
of my father's papers, all of his remaining possessions except for the
furniture that will be shipped to my sister Bonny Miller and the load that
my wife and son took with them when they returned home yesterday.
Granville's ashes are safe with Bonny and Jerry awaiting the military
inurnment ceremonies on 18 August at Arlington.

So on mornings when I have computer access - not always the case when
traveling - I will rebroadcast one of my father's stories.     My general plan
is to start with January 2009 and go forward to this month; then
January 2009 to October; then 2008, 2007, and then any other stories in his
archive that I haven't covered yet.

Much of this material is familiar to many of you.     Remember you can
unsubscribe or resubscribe at any time at

 http://mailman.oakapple.net/mailman/listinfo/Granville-Hough

using the password that you'll be automatically reminded of on the first of
each month.    If you just want to keep track when convenient without having
an extra email each day, you'll be able to look at the archives at

 http://mailman.oakapple.net/pipermail/granville-hough/

and I will eventually set up a link to allow you to search those archives.

David Hough

First broadcast is from January 1 2009; first a message from Bonny,
then from Granville.

*****

Happy New Year from Jerry and Bonny! We are cooking Hoppin' John today
(black eyed peas and rice). It's traditional for good luck in the coming
year. One is supposed to hide a coin in the dish; the finder gets good luck.
But I think that we will forego the coin. One would hate to bite down on
the coin--that would be the dentist's good luck.

*****

From: Granville W Hough <gwhough at oakapple.net>
Subject: New Year Activity - 1 Jan 2009

As I end the year 2008 and my 86th year, I have made a New Year's
resolution, the first of my life.  I will send a story with each day's
message of my health and well-being.  So when I start tomorrow, I will
have a one sentence report on my activities of the day, then a story.
Some of the stories will be repeats, but most will be new.  If you wish
to, you can copy, reuse, keep, or discard the messages.  If you so
elect, I can drop your name from my list of Hough Relatives (and
friends).  My regards and best wishes for the New Year for all of you.
Granville W. Hough

-----------------------------------------

A LA DERECHA vs A LA IZQUIERDA

When I was assigned to the 504th Field Artillery Battalion in Fort
Bundy, Puerto Rico in 1950, I soon learned that there were two basic
categories of actions to Puerto Rican soldiers, “a la derecha” (those to
or on the right) and “a la izquierda,” (those to or on the left). Those
a la derecha were legal, acceptable, and honorable. Those a la izquierda
were what you could get away with if no one were looking, Bernard Madoff
fashion. I learned that a few men in our battalion (which was a
Caucasian unit) actually had two wives, one a Caucasian, a la derecha,
married in the church; and another, a la izquierda, negro, not married
by any legal definition. These few (fortunate or unfortunate?) men had
two families to support, and they were eager to do anything which would
gain them promotion and additional pay. I later learned that this
curious custom was somewhat common in armies of the old Spanish Empire,
where one’s a la derecha wife had to be left in Spain, and the lower
class women, Indians or negro slaves, were eager to become wives, a la
izquierda, wherever Spanish soldiers were stationed. It spread from the
Spanish Army to the general population, and it probably exists today in
many countries with Spanish origins.
I also heard the terms “a la derecha” and “a la izquierda” applied to
all kinds of situations where you could take an acceptable action or
take one which was not honorable. I began to wonder about the origins of
the terms. The answer came over 65 years later.
Our church is named Lutheran Church of the Cross, and as it faces El
Toro Road, and it has three crosses, the cross of Jesus in the center,
and the cross of the two thieves on the right and left. In my mind the
thief who scoffed at Jesus and hurled insults at him is the one beyond
his left arm, the Scoffer. A la izquierda.
The one who defended Jesus is beyond his right arm. He rebuked the other
thief with these words: “Don’t you fear God, since you are under the
same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds
deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he must have looked
at Jesus and said: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
He was the Repenter, asking for forgiveness. Jesus answered him, “I tell
you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” A la derecha.
So we have three crosses, right to left: the Repenter, the Savior, the
Scoffer. A la derecha to a la izquierda. Which is my cross? I am not the
Scoffer. I am not the Savior. But I am the Repenter. That is MY cross, A
la derecha.
So we may call ourselves the Church of the Cross, but we are also the
Church of the Three Crosses.

1 Jan 2009