I went out south of Bertram one Saturday morning back in 2014 to a Texas Ranger Cross Dedication.

After the dedication we were invited back to Fort Croghan in Burnet for lunch. I got my plate of catfish and set down at one of the long tables. Seated across from me was a nice couple that I started chatting with. The Angora Chronicles was something pretty new at that time, so I told them all about it. Actually it was mostly the lady that I engaged with. I got her name and invited her to join us in our story telling. She did give us some early stories about growing up in this area. She went quite for a while and I didn’t hear too much from her.

First one thing and the next happened. I became disgruntled with going to church so I mostly went on strike on Sunday Mornings and stayed home writing stories, doing woodworking and lasering stuff. Now I know I can be honest here with you so I’ll tell you why I became disgruntled. It had to do with politics. Not really politics of the church, although I may have a few thoughts on that but I’ll just leave that buried for now. It was about our Pastor giving her views on the current political situation that didn’t square with my views. They really didn’t square with my views. But after a talk with her on that subject it didn’t seem to change so I found my life to be more at peace if I stayed away.

Why does all this come into this story? The couple of years after I quit going, our church inherited a retired Methodist Pastor and his lovely wife. Then we got a new Pastor with a house full of boys, that I thought I’d probably like and we also have construction in common. Yes he was a construction man before he went into the Ministry. Besides that, he was a Marine, and I know what the Marines did for making good men out of a couple of my sons and a grandson, so I thought I better get back in the habit of going to church. With my church strike over, I went back and low and behold there was that great couple that I had met several years ago over plates of catfish.

So now when I show up to church I get to see Virginia and Billy Hammond. They are both as steady as a rock and I’m so pleased that she is continuing to bless us with her great writing.

This is a post from way back about a book written by Virginia Box Hammond’s brother Thad Box. (Posted more than 4 years ago)

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