[Granville-Hough] 17 Feb 2009 - BrotherlyLove

[Trustees and Executors for Granville W. Hough]

I did think of a little story I sent John and Bland Richardson three years ago.

BROTHERLY LOVE (FOR COUSINS IN EARLY 2006).

Today, John Richardson’s 80th birthday (7 Mar 2006) was celebrated in 
the Calvary Southern Baptist Church at 6866 Linda Vista Road in San 
Diego, CA, with a surprise luncheon. We hope it went off well, and that 
John will continue in good health and spirits. His brother, Bland 
Richardson, and I are about the only ones in the West who remember “John 
Bill” when he was a youngster in Mississippi, the youngest of four 
rambunctious boys. Well, I recently heard an apocryphal story which 
could well apply to those lads.
Uncle Jim Richardson was a hard-working Southern Baptist minister, and 
Aunt Maggie played and earned her part as the supportive wife very well. 
Of course, Sunday was a special day for a minister’s family just as it 
was for everyone else. As a special treat to get her four boys up and 
going, Aunt Maggie sometimes prepared pancakes. On this particular 
Sunday, she had the first pancakes ready to flip over and serve, when 
Bland and John Bill, being first to arrive for breakfast, got into an 
argument over who would get the first pancakes.
Aunt Maggie, always looking for an opening to impart a gospel lesson, 
asked the boys: “What would Jesus do in a situation like this? Of 
course, he would say to his brothers that they would get the first 
pancakes. Just consider that you are in Jesus’ family.”
The boys were silent for just a moment, then Bland spoke up in his most 
conciliatory tone: “John Bill, you can be Jesus, and I will be the brother!”
(Of course, apocryphal stories are tales that may have happened at some 
time to some family at some place in the 3000 years of recorded history. 
Their credibility rest on the characteristics of the people involved. 
Anyone who knew James, Bland, Jack and John could believe every word of 
it. So, Happy Birthday, John!! And Bland, Happy Unbirthday till your 
84th comes up this fall.)
A Cousin, Granville Hough.