Are you a fan of somebody famous? If so, are they still alive? Or better yet, were they alive during your lifetime?
When Tim and I first started dating in 1982, his little sister Penny was 12 years old. The first time I saw her bedroom, I was a little speechless for a few seconds. The first thing I noticed was a rather large velvet poster of Elvis Pressley hanging on her wall. The image was of him from the 1970s. He was wearing his white jump suit while holding a microphone and singing. As for my 12-year-old bedroom, I had Shawn Cassidy posters, but that’s another story.
I know another huge fan of Elvis: my mom. When I was a child, I thought only old (over 18) people were fans of him. But here was a young girl who absolutely loved him. Her favorite song was: “Jailhouse Rock!” Yep. That was very surprising to me. Recently I asked her a couple of questions. For one, did she still have that velvet poster. That would have made an awesome picture for the article. Unfortunately, she said it was lost when they moved many years ago. For another, how did she become such an Elvis fan. She answered: “Mom listened to him all the time and I enjoyed his singing.”
A few months ago, I came across a similar scenario. No, it wasn’t another young Elvis fan. It started at lunch one Sunday when my mother began to reminisce about grandparents’ old house. Different people live in it now, but my mom still likes to talk about it from time to time. Can’t say that I blame her. It holds a special place in my heart too. Anyway, mom was talking about how it had been the hub of the community back in the day. She said people were constantly visiting. Some out of town guests even spent the night there. Sara’s husband Jodan wasn’t aware of the house’s history, so she gladly told him.
Mom’s grandfather and my great grandfather, was E.O. Clark. He was a deacon at church. At some of the revivals, there would be visiting preachers, singers, or singing groups. Papaw would invite them to stay at his home. Also, he was the principal of Green Hill Elementary School. Small concerts were held at the school for the community to attend. The entertainers were invited to stay at my grandparents’ house. One of them was Patsy Cline before she became famous. When Mom said that, Jordan’s eyes widened. “Patsy Cline? I love her music!” Needless to say, Mom and I were speechless for a few seconds. Patsy Cline passed away almost two years before I was born, so how did this young man who was young enough to be my son love her so much? Of course, I asked him how he knew about her. His said his mom listened to Patsy when he was a kid. Her music always calmed him down and relaxed him. His favorite song of hers is “Fall to Pieces.”
“My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.” Proverbs 23:26 (KJV)
Did you see the similar responses from Penny and Jordan? They were both influenced by their mothers’ choice of music. I think we often underestimate just how much we influence the children around us. So, watch every word, phrase, or what you do when you are around a little one. You may forget about what you did, but they won’t.
So how was I influenced by my parents? While I’m not the Elvis fan my mom was, I love Motown because she listened to it as well. As for my dad, he watched Star Trek when it first aired and I still watch it. As for my love of sweets, when I would visit Mamaw Holbert, she always had a large bag of M&Ms. We would watch TV and eat the whole bag.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.