Late afternoon yesterday, the General set out a bowl of Pistachio nuts and a bowl of cherries as an appetizer. Our company had not yet arrived, but the General doesn't usually wait until the last minute to do anything. You'd think after years of living with me, she'd pick up a few of my traits, but she is far too responsible to do that.
It is strange how memory works. The bowl of Pistachio nuts transported me back in time. We were visiting with dear friends who lived in what I referred to as a treehouse. Because of the elevation of their land and the dominance of trees, the walk around porch on the backside of the house gave one the impression they were high and lifted-up. It was in that home that I was introduced to Pistachio nuts. Trust me, they are addictive.
I didn't know at the time that the nuts have fiber and high qualities of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, all of which are linked to healthy cholesterol levels and reduced risk of heart disease. All I knew is that I liked the taste and years later associate it to shared time with wonderful friends.
The charm of the old house where Lee and Peggy lived was a sanctuary, and it was filled with antiques. The fact that we had become very close friends with the owners was nothing short of a miracle. They had moved from the Hyde Park area of Austin many years before; in part to distance themselves from the neighborhood they loved that was strategically being bought up by a large Baptist church and being converted into parking lot space.
I can tell you, that didn't play well with Lee and Peggy Arbon. That scenario played itself out long before we met them, but old tapes are hard to forget, and "Baptist" wasn't an endearing term. The fact that I was introduced to them as pastor of the Baptist Church in Henly could have gotten me shot.
We met Lee and Peggy at the 40th birthday party of a close friend who is now 82. How could that possibly be? The years have evaporated, and the memory seems like it took place yesterday. Actually, I probably met Lee several months earlier, but we really had not engaged in any significant conversation. He kept his airplane in the hanger belonging to my friend. At the night of the party, I found Lee and Peggy to be amazingly personable and wanted to know the two of them better.
Lee and Peggy were equally yoked and full of life even though Lee was retired, and Peggy was the owner of an antique store in Johnson City. The couple had met decades before and theirs was a whirlwind romance. They met the week before Lee went off to war for the first of many deployments. He was a sergeant pilot in the United States Army. He actually had flown a military plane into Bergstrom the week that they met.
After a 5-day romance, the two were the first couple to get married at Bergstrom Air Force Base. The next day, Lee left for the war where he piloted aircraft in active combat. I know with certainty that Peggy saved every letter that Lee wrote to her throughout his military career. Following Lee's death a lifetime later, Peggy found solace and comfort from reading his love letters from the war years.
Forty-two years ago, they offered us the gift of friendship and our lives were greatly enriched by their presence. Who would have thought that a bowl of pistachio nuts on the counter could have transported me back in time? I'm glad it did. I really miss them.
All My Best!
Don
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