I reckon I was in the third grade the first time I floated the Mississippi.
What a sight to behold; the big steamers coming up and down the river. The huge red wheels with their wooden paddles sloshing through the Mighty Mississip’. Men with their black top hats and ladies in their long silk dresses were walking up and down the decks waving to us as they passed by. Yes, I remember, and I can still hear the loud roar of the steam whistle sounding as they went.
I was recently sharing this memory with a classmate when he stated emphatically that he did not remember any such thing! What? How is this possible? I simply do not understand, for it was this very same year that we played hooky, laying there on the riverbank and puffing on our corn cob pipes – mine had an exceptionally long stem.
Yes, and I also recall, that was the year Tom traded his front tooth to Huck for the first tick of the season! What a poor memory my classmate has. For we were all there. We examined Huck’s dead cat together, and we all hid in fear from Injun Joe after he murdered Dr. Robinson and blamed it on old Muff Potter. Yes, sir! It was the third grade in Cabool School, and Ms. Kimbrell in animated fashion read to us, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” How captivating, as she made that time period and those characters who lived in them come to life; I, for one, will never forget it.
I was blessed to have many excellent teachers in my youth, as I am certain many of you folks did also. Do you remember them? Mrs. Lowe was my second grade teacher; that was the first year I attended Cabool, mid-semester. I was so scared, but she took me right under her wing; what a peach.
And there was Mrs. Rader, Mrs. Mowry, Mrs. Edwards, and so many others too numerous to mention; all very fine ladies.
Yes, it is enjoyable to remember such a time, and I still idle past the Cabool Elementary in my old pickup peering through the windows in hopes of catching a glimpse of times gone by.
And yet (placing my cob pipe back in the drawer), yes, I have another teacher that I wish to share. And oh, how dear to my heart she is! This lady with the most beautiful name ever – I am certain you will agree. Yes, I am certain of it.
Anneliese and her husband Norman White lived on their farm in the community of Solo not too far from the Piney River; I was raised nearby.
Mrs. White, well, she was just different than many other ladies. Oh, she looked the same as other ladies in the church; nothing peculiar there. No, when I say different, I mean she was very sober minded, serious if you will. And unlike Tom Sawyer, her stories were not fiction, but truth; sometimes terrifying truth.
Anneliese was born Nov. 10, 1930, in Dulmen, Germany. First mentioned in the year 889 A.D., 90% of Dulmen was destroyed in World War II during Hitler’s reign. The year 889? Can you imagine living in a town so rich in history? The old German architecture? I should like to walk it’s cobblestone streets gently dragging a stick behind, listening to it go click, click, click. Yes, and observe the buildings that were constructed of handmade brick, and looking up at the tall spires pointing to the sky!
Oh, but Anneliese had seen it, and then she lived to see it all destroyed. The very village where Anneliese was living not far from Dulmen was bombed one night, catching their house on fire. She and her two brothers, Horst and Heinz, had to be evacuated further south to safety. Yes, Anneliese understood quite well how sudden all that one holds dear can come to nothing. And, no doubt, this assisted in forming her no nonsense character which very much influenced her teaching of the Bible, and everyday life.
As a young sprout, I was kind of a class clown and enjoyed making the other children laugh. But sitting under the teaching of Anneliese during vacation Bible school tamed that in me, although I did manage to make her smile a time or two (with her humble eyes closed to be certain, as was her habit). Yes, Anneliese had a way of settling me down and making me realize the seriousness of life, and the truth of the Bible. As I stare out the window this very evening, I am not certain where I would be today if the Lord had not placed her in my path. But it wasn’t the war stories and difficult times that Anneliese shared which really made the difference, although I do cherish them.
No, instead it was her manner of life; yes, that was it. Two thousand years ago, the elder conveyed this truth to his student, when he proclaimed, “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life…” (2 Timothy 3:10).
But where does this “manner of life” come from? Ah, this answer is without argument, for it comes from The Teacher, and make no mistake, it can come from no other. Dear reader, I ask in all sincerity, have you been taught by The Teacher? Have you heard His voice as He teaches us the way? Sadly, the apostle Paul spoke of people who walk in the vanity of their mind, having their understanding darkened, alienated from the life of God by the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their own heart. Paul explained that they walk in sin, and yet (long pause), he then said something very profound – life changing.
“But ye have not so learned Christ, if so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus” (Ephesians 4:20,21).
It is my sincere belief, living in the time in which we now live, that passage of Scripture should be pondered with all seriousness and gravity. For sadly, so many today speak of God’s grace as if it were a license to sin; nothing could be further from the truth. The very essence of Christ’s character is His grace, and it teaches us. Yes, His grace teaches us.
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” (Titus 2:11,12)
So, what does that look like, and is it even visible? The answer is yes. True Christianity is visible, and I saw it in Anneliese. She was not like the sin laden world. No, sir. For she had been taught by Christ Himself. His grace shown through in her manner of life – her sober mindedness, her righteous and godly behavior. Oh, that we can look to Anneliese, and others like her as examples, that we too may yield and be taught by The Teacher. Christ Jesus, Lord and Savior, for all that will open to Him.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock…”
Lord willing, until next time.
Michael Everett Jones is a Texas County native, old fashioned historian and purveyor of traditional Christian values. Email ozarksgrandpajones@gmail.com.
