Thursday, February 4, 2016

HOT SHOWERS

A hot shower is a common feature today. But, not so long ago, showers--let alone, hot ones--were rare. And very much appreciated! My daddy, who was raised on a family-owned farm in Mississippi, in the 1920-30s, and who escaped the drudgery of farming just in time to join the Jim Crow-conditions of blacks in the World War 2 army of the early 1940s, was one man who could, and who did, definitely appreciate the later "luxury" of hot showers. Often, as he exited the shower, ensconced in towels, he would say, "Ahh, Lord! That was a good hot shower!" He expressed it with such exultant sincerity in his voice's tone and timbre, that you just knew that he meant it. You also knew from his smiling face that his having had no prior access to such hot toilet, consistently, in his earlier days had deepened his appreciation for them in his latter days. Whenever I exit my own hot shower now, I think of my daddy and smile!