(John 3:16) – Be Thankful, Grateful, Patient, Understanding, Charitable, Kind and Smile as it is infectious God Bless America; Protect Our President, 1st Responders and Military!
To set the stage think of the movie, Stand By Me but in a park near where we lived called Cobbs Creek In SW Philly.
It was me, my late older brother Larry, friends Butch and Bob who were all two or three grades ahead of me in school. It was the summer going into 6th grade. Bob had charge of watching his two younger brothers Steven (1st grade) and Paul (2nd grade) and his classmate Jimmy.
It was a time in SW Philly as the neighborhood was going through shall we say a transition. We climbed to the top of Indian Rock at the back of Mount Moriah Cemetery on the Yeadon side of the creek. Bob was going through growing pains and had trouble walking. We were getting ready to leave and Bob asked if I would go back down to the path, get his brothers and meet them at the stepping stones that crossed Cobbs Creek into SW at the backend outfield of the ball diamond. The far side ran up NU Cracker Hill to Whitby Ave.
His brothers were on the far side of the path that winds underneath Indian Rock a series of two or three outlook rock cropping’s that look down on the path and creek below.
I circumvented them from the top before working my way back down to fetch them at the base. As we worked our way towards the stepping stones there is a little hidden hollow centered under Indian Rock creating a blind spot from above. As a kid across from this spot there was a grouping of bamboo we used to fashion spears, bows and arrows, fishing poles and the like as kids often do.
As we came around almost to that spot there was a group of 10 or so early highs schoolers with sticks and the like. My gut told me they were trouble and it was right as I would soon find out later. I quietly cautioned his two brothers and their friend not to make eye contact and just keep walking pass them and maybe they wouldn’t bother us as three of the four of us were obvious early grade school. I was wrong.
As we passed by the group eyeing us like meat on a plate. I remember getting about ten paces pass them to just say calm and maybe we could make the stepping stones and make a dash for it.
Unfortunately, as we passed them the youngest Steven y(1st grade) yelled for his brother and at that they started for us. I pushed his brothers and friend to get up and across the stepping stones. I turned and crossed body blocked two and grabbed another before they beat the hell out of me. I at least slowed them down and gave them something to focus their attention on for a while.
The long and short of it was sometimes you listen to your gut, know what’s about to happen and due to circumstances you find out a lot about yourself and your character. I know I was committed to seeing it through one way or the other to the end I was going to be able to look my WWII MP Army Sgt. in the eye.
I was never one to care much for gangs, bullies and the like. In all fairness to them I was tall for my age so they probably thought I was older than I was. I played JV football for MBS in 5th and 6th grade (66-67 and 67-68 respectively) as a offense and defensive tackle and knew how to handle myself being the youngest of four older brothers.
The funny thing is my friend Bob’s father was a cop as and five of his fourteen siblings went on to follow in his footsteps. Go Figure!
I know one thing between his father and mine if things went south they would turn over every rock and stone to get those involved.
Point to Ponder: Hopefully you don’t ever face a traumatic event but if you do be wary in the recesses of your mind but NEVER let these event steal your joy of the outdoors and walking through a park, flying or whatever real or imagined phobia you have do to some unfortunate life event. That being said, especially, in todays world there’ still always safety in numbers and using the common sense you were born …be in tune with those gut feelings.
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