Characters inLife { b y T erry K o nemann } When I was a kid, we would go downtown to hang out for the day. I saw very memorable people as we walked along the way. A lady sitting in the window of an old, abandoned store. She had a dog by her side and boxes all over the floor. I heard she lived on an upstairs floor, I heard it was her home, then one day she died there, she died there all alone. I’ve been told her name was Stella, her family owned the store, I hear her ghost still lives there on that upstairs floor. A lady who worked every day in a downtown store, she sat inside an elevator, she took us to each floor. She had a stool where she would sit and ask, “where to, which floor?” She would push the buttons for us and open up the door. Across the town there would be more people that I’d often see, that left an impression in my mind and a lasting memory. Like the man who carried a stick and bucket, he walked around the park, he smoked a pipe and picked up trash until the day was dark. I heard it said he had a name, and I don’t even know why, everyone called him “Catfish” and he was really quite a guy. As time passed and I had kids we saw characters just the same, some friendly, interesting people, some with funny names. Like “Ray Daddy” and “Weasel” that we would see walking down the road, we don’t know where they were going but I bet there were stories to be told. And then there was “Rabbit”, we still see him around, he hangs out at the courthouse and other places downtown. There are some characters that everyone knows, whenever Paducah Tilghman plays, he always goes. His name is “Evan”, their biggest fan, he has the most team spirit of any man. Or the guy that works at the Dollar General Store, he always greets you as you walk in the door. He tells you he loves you and Jesus does too, but don’t whistle around him whatever you do! The local mechanic who had a red beard and red hair, he always hugged me whenever I was there. He always would have a joke to tell, his name was “Bubba”, I knew him well. His heart was as big as he was tall, he helped out others whether the issue was big or small. I can’t leave out this gentle man, he was a very proud vet of Vietnam. He shared his stories as he stood tall, so proud of his country and his medals and all. His name was “J.J.” and many people knew he loved to help others and share his stories, too. Life is full of characters we see, some we don’t know, others we will meet. Pay attention to people you see on your way, they may leave a lifetime impression on your heart someday. 52 APRIL 2022 | PROMOTING EVENTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE | INTHEVUE.COM
