Obey Your Parents

Along Route 29 going north from North Carolina to Altavista near a city called Danville there is a little sign that tells about a Tank Museum. Uncle Byron and I have a church that has supported us since the very beginning of our time as missionaries in Altavista.  Whenever we would go to it from North Carolina we would see the sign, but we never had time on our way to the church for a meeting to stop.  Uncle Byron always kept it in mind that one day he would.

Sometime on our second furlough when all the boys were little we decided to try to make a point to stop.  I don't remember all the details but I believe we left early in the afternoon to stop there before an evening meeting at the church in Virginia.  We wouldn't have much time but the museum didn't seem to be very big so we packed every one in the car and off we went. 

All along the road the boys were fussing and bickering and fighting in the back seat.  At some point Uncle Byron wondered if we should take such fussy boys into a museum.  We decided to stop and hoped the diversion would be positive before a long church service with unhappy boys.  It was a big mistake.  In the gift shop where you bought the tickets to get into the museum, the boys were more grumpy and disobedient. The price to get in was quite a bit more than we expected, too.  That just added to our bewilderment about what to do.  He told the boys that we were not going into the museum.  He explained that it was a punishment for not listening and obeying.  He also said that he was sorry.  He explained it had probably been a bad plan to try to squeeze in the museum on a Sunday afternoon.  He promised to try to bring them back on a day when there would be more time, and off we went.  I'm pretty sure all the boys ended up falling asleep on the way to the church! 

Later on that same furlough we set a day to take the boys back to the museum.  It was a sunny Monday with nothing else on our agenda.  We were all very happy and excited.  When we drove up to the museum, we noticed the parking lot was rather empty.  We thought - tank museums must not get many weekday visitors.  Well they don't.  Not on Mondays, that is.  They were closed.  Every Monday they are closed.  My goodness, what disappointment.  But the boys were still very excited to be out and about.  We looked at all the tanks on the outside of the museum and took some pictures.  Then we found a place for a snack and went back home.

On our next furlough it never worked out to go back to the place again, and it looked like it wasn't going to happen on this one either.  But, Uncle Byron had not forgotten.  This past furlough when we were living in Reidsville again and William was getting to ready to leave for Brazil, Uncle Byron asked if the boys would like to do a few things that we had always wanted to do on past furloughs and never had time.  One of those was the tank museum!  They planned a day, and off they went.

Sometimes it's hard to know what to do when little boys are disobedient.  Sometimes the situation is rough especially when you are traveling about. Sometimes parents make promises that just don't work out.  Uncle Byron was really happy to see this vow fulfilled.  The boys were appreciative and had a good time, and they got to see a lot of neat stuff!

I know you boys travel a lot and sometimes you probably get fussy, grumpy and downright ornery in the car.  The next time everybody starts the mean and ugly game remember this story and think about the rewards that may be waiting for guys that can be unhappy without being disobedient.

Much love to each of you Texas boys and many thanks to all who pass by here to read these weekly stories. 

Colonel Mean and Sargeant Ugly