Mr. Arthur's Story

My nonfiction piece, Fish Bones, is now online at The Cossack Review.

Mr. Arthur's story had been floating around in my head for a very long time before I finally wrote it.  Fifty-six years, to be exact.

Advice From a Sage

Have a heart that never hardens,

A temper that never tires,

And a touch that never hurts.

~Charles Dickens~

A Man of Many Talents

Tommy J. Wilson
Summer of '61 

My father was a man of many talents.  He was a very hard worker, a great conversationalist, a good listener, and a wonderful storyteller.  I was mesmerized by his stories of the past.  He loved his home and family, working the land, and the music of Hank Williams.

I miss you, Daddy.  Especially today.

Fish Bones

Several months ago, I began thinking about Arthur Elliston.  He was my grandfather's hired hand.  I had not thought of him in years.

Mr. Arthur was around long before I was born--since Mother was a child, in fact--so he was like one of the family.  Though he didn't have much to call his own, he was always in good spirits, constantly laughing, joking.  And he was always kind to my siblings and me.

Since I couldn't get him off my mind (as often happens before I write a biographical piece), I scribbled down a few memories and shared them at our monthly literary meeting.  But the memories kept coming.  There was no way around it; I had to write Mr. Arthur's story.

I sent the story to The Cossack Review, a new literary journal in California, and "Fish Bones" was accepted.  It will be published in a future issue.

A Good Author

What I like in a good author is not what he says,

but what he whispers.
 

~Logan Pearsall Smith~

Pause and Remember

Some Gave All

A Mother



A mother is the truest friend we have,

when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us;

when adversity takes the place of prosperity;

when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us;

when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us,

and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate

the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.

~Washington Irving~