Two things happened to me this week that caught me off guard. That doesn't happen very often, especially so close behind one another. The first was a comment by a cousin on her blog. She mentioned my blog, nailed the description and told the world that the two of us don't see eye to eye on many things, but long ago agreed to disagree without becoming disagreeable. Why was this surprising? I don't know, but it was. She challenges me to view things in a different light often, perhaps I didn't realize I had such a similar effect on her. In fact, her affect on me is the desire to correctly use effect and affect, but that's a matter for a different blog.

The second thing was just as flattering to me. A co-worker who, like me, is here temporarily until they process our permanent change of job locations from Alabama to the Mississippi Coast told me that she was in Beef O'Brady's just down the street (in Gulfport) and she saw a picture of a guy in a football uniform that looked exactly like me. That picture is of my paternal grandfather, Edgar Byrd. Like her, he had no middle name. There are actually two pictures of Daddy Byrd in the restaurant, and the one she saw was from 1930.

The "other" Beef O'Brady picture. Daddy Byrd is the left guard just to the right of the center in the picture. Blue is on the left in the back row. Until I saw this picture I had no idea what his first name was.

In 1930 Biloxi High School was not only undefeated, they only had 7 points scored against them the whole season. I laughed about it to my grandfather one day during my freshman year when we did not win a single game and got the explanation from him. Blue Caillevett had committed a penalty that gave St. Stanislaus the ball on the one yard line from where they scored. Daddy Byrd still cussed Blue, fifty-five years later for that penalty. The game was the first in the state that incorporated a public address system for commentary on what happened in the game.

I was flattered both by my cousin who is challenged by my writing and by my co-worker who told me I look like a man I admire a great deal. I've blogged about Daddy Byrd before, I'll be blogging about him again, too. So as always there's the desire to tie these points to show the Providence that manifests itself in both my life and my view. I will have lived my life fully if my actions portray my Father, and looking upon me reminds people of my Father.

Thanks to Edee for the pictures, all but this one. I grew up two blocks away from my grandparents. My current residence is about that same distance from their resting place.

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