published June 16, 2011
in the Stockton Sentinel
Stockton, Kansas
A
few weeks ago, Bob and I made a trip home (Goessel, Kans.) to meet the newest
member of my family. Back in March, Felicia, a niece of mine, who we knew was
engaged, surprised us all by sending everyone a wedding announcement. This was
not the typical wedding invitation announcement. Instead, this was a post-wedding
announcement, letting everyone in the family know that she had gotten married that
weekend. It might have seemed strange if it weren’t for the circumstances. Her
husband, who goes by “Junior,” is a sergeant in the Army and was stationed at
Ft. Hood, Tex., in anticipation of his second tour of duty. But before Junior
left, he wanted to marry Felicia so that she would be taken care of with family
benefits through the Army. He was going through very rigorous training and had
limited free time, so after several phone calls and some quick planning, Felicia
and Junior got married in a beautiful park near the base. Junior’s parents, a
brother and a grandma, Felicia’s parents (my brother), and her sister and
brother, were there for the occasion. While it was a whirlwind of a wedding, it
was understandable, given the situation they were in. And at the end of May, Junior
was deployed and is now in Afghanistan.
Some of you
may remember that last fall I told you about our family “hooey stick” which my
dad introduces to every first-time visitor. This two-piece contraption – a
dowel rod that you rub against a second wooden stick with carved “bumps” on it
and a “propeller” at the end – manages to make an appearance to nearly every guest
in the Goertzen home. Since this was Junior’s introduction to my family, I knew
it was only a matter of time before the hooey stick showed up. And sure enough,
after supper was over and cleared away, it happened – there was my dad, demonstrating
to Junior the fine art of operating a hooey stick: you rub the hooey stick just so and the little
propeller turns clockwise; you say “hooey” and the little propeller stops
momentarily, then turns counterclockwise. After watching in amazement as the
propeller first went right, then left, right, then left, Junior was ready to give
it a spin. He was sure he get this little whirly-gig to obey his commands, but
it didn’t work for him any better than it works for almost anyone else.
Of course,
the hooey stick had to get passed around the room for some in the family to
prove they knew the secret and for others to admit they (still) did not.
Junior, with his military determination, was not giving up however, and he
watched as my dad demonstrated it again. Suddenly, Junior noticed something he
had missed before. He took the hooey stick back and, sure enough, he had that
little propeller spinning so good it could have lifted him out of his chair.
But try as he might, he could not get it to change directions. No amount of
“hooey” or stomping his feet or holding his nose just right would get it to
reverse its spin. It finally took just a little coaching to see the trick
involved in changing the direction of the propeller. But this was a major
accomplishment! To my knowledge, Junior is the only person who has figured out
the mystery of the family hooey stick.
That’s a
good sign. We were all thoroughly impressed with this young man and quickly
learned to appreciate him. He blended well with our family as if we had known him
for a long time. That, in itself, says a lot for a young guy meeting his new bride’s
family for the first time. And then, to top it off, he mastered the hooey
stick! Junior scored big that day! I should mention that Junior’s position in
the Army has him in the “Intelligence” department. We think that may have
something to do with his ability to decipher the code in the hooey stick
department, too.
Godspeed,
Junior, as you serve our country in Afghanistan. We’re praying for your safe
return in a year and a much larger wedding reception and welcome home celebration.
And “Happy
Father’s Day!” to my dad, who finally has someone in the family with as much
hooey as he.
My dad, giving lessons on the "hooey stick"
Junior is the only "new" member of
the family to figure out the mystery
of the family hooey stick.
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