Man, What a Time—Man, What a Life
Stories of My Life and My Family
by
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I don't remember how old I was when we went to the sale. Someone in the neighborhood was having an auction and I got to go, just Dad and I. Just Dad and I meant I got to sit by him in the pickup, the world always seemed right when I got to sit by him.
Now to a little boy things always seemed much bigger than they actually were. When we pulled up to the auction there were hills in the background, they looked like mountains. The few people attending the auction looked like thousands.
We get out of the pickup and I grab those two fingers. The world always seemed right with those to fingers in my hand.
We walked a bit, it seemed like everybody knew him. They all called him Earl, I just called him Dad. It seemed like we walked a mile among all those giants, but not to worry the world always seemed right with those two fingers in my hand.
I don't know how it happened, they just slipped away some how. I had lost those two fingers. I looked right, I looked left. Where did he go? I looked past all the giants to see him again. He was nowhere to be found. It seemed like forever, but I'm sure it was only a few seconds. I couldn't act scared, I was a big boy. Where did he go, why did he leave me? The tears are coming, please don't let me cry, I'm a big boy now. Then in a blink of an eye those two fingers were back, all rough and scarred. Nothing felt better, because the world always seemed right with those two fingers in my hand.
I squeezed a little harder, he squeezed me back. I didn't even look up, I knew it was him. I could smell him, I could feel him. The world was right again, I had those two fingers back in my hand.
That was many years ago and those two fingers have long since passed away. I am much older now and I think of these times often. And when the fear and uncertainty creep in, like when I was a boy, and the tears start to come I think of those two fingers and I put them back in my hand and the world seems right again.
Man what a time, man what a life.
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About the Book
Native Nebraskan Joe Brown has lived a good life. In his collection of true stories, Brown takes a poignant look back into his past and all the ways his family and friends have influenced his path in life.
Brown—who grew up on a dairy farm until his teenage years, when he moved to Farnam, Nebraska—offers an introspective, often amusing glimpse back into the simple times of his childhood when vacations meant traveling a few hundred miles to visit family, when holding two fingers of his father’s hand meant security, and when neighbors and friends came to help whenever they were needed. From the carefree, barefoot days on the farm to the tumultuous changes as he matured into manhood, Brown reminisces about both the good and the bad as he learned to appreciate hard work, those who loved him unconditionally, and his relationship with God.
Man, What a Time—Man, What a Life shares one man’s inspirational perspective on his life from childhood to present day as he reflects on his unique moments in time.
About the Author
Joe Brown was born in North Platte, Nebraska, grew up on a dairy farm near Maxwell, Nebraska, and later moved to Farnam, Nebraska, with his family. Joe currently works for Union Pacific Railroad. He and his wife, Ruth, raised a family of six children and continue to live in Nebraska today.