Last 4th of July may have been my most favorite. I spent the weekend in Columbia with my sister, Beth. I'm sure we saw at least one movie, but can't remember which one it would have been. I am also sure we more than likely ate at Chili's. Although she was not a big plan of that place, she knew I was and we would eat there most everytime I was down visiting.

On the day of the 4th, we went out to Lake Murray and spent the day at our cousin Susan's house. She and her husband, Bill, have a boat and we spent a good deal of the day on the lake with them, our older sister, Amy, Susan's daughter and grand daughter, Meg and Caroline and Meg's husband, Trad.

And then came Christmas. Once again, I spent part of it with Beth. On Christmas Eve, we spent the day in Union, South Carolina with my mother's side of the family. On Christmas Day, our father and step mother came down and we all had a quiet day at Amy's house. In between those two events, Amy and I had to take Beth to the hospital. I wrote a rant about it titled "So That Was Christmas."

On June 3, 1999, Beth passed away at the same hospital in Columbia from circumstances relating to the trip there last Christmas. She was thirty four years old.

I have a few lasting memories of her. One is from last June 4th. Nothing spectacular happened that day. But to see her having fun with Susan and to see her interact with Caroline reminds me of how warm a person she could be. Another is from years ago. I was maybe ten years old. Mom and Dad had recently bought me a watch that played "Dixie." (You must keep in mind that "The Dukes Of Hazard" was still popular at this time.) I confess that I played the alarm way too much and Beth hated it. It got on her nerves bad.

Then one day, a neighborhood bully stole it from me. He was older than me and bigger. So I went home crying. As I recall, I was so embarrassed that someone had stolen it from me, that I lied about it at first and said I had lost it. The truth did come out later. By this time, I was at my grandmother's house.

And then Beth came over with her friend Carol Stewart. She didn't say a word to me, just reached in her pocket and pushed the button on MY watch that played that annoying muzak version of "Dixie." She had gone to the boy's house, literally walked right in and took the watch of his night stand. His mother could do nothing since she knew she had not bought it for him.

Beth was five years older than me and never failed to stand up for me when I  was younger. And I will never forget her. I loved her very much and she died way too soon.

Joseph C. Hinson
July 4, 1999
2:10 p.m.

Click here to go to my next rant.
Click here to return to my rants page.
Click here to return to my index page.