FIRST LIE

I was probably 6 or 7 years old.

At the dinner table, my father caught me in a lie. I don't remember the specifics.

The results were shocking - this had never happened before. He told me to leave the table, go to the living room and sit on the couch. 

I remember that at the time we had a comfortable, deep-blue, soft couch.  I sat in the middle of it wondering what was going to happen.

My parents and my sister, Beverly, seemed to eat the rest of the meal in silence.

After what seemed like a long time, my parents walked into the living room and stood across the coffee table from me. I felt so small. They looked so big.

My father spoke.

My mother stood beside him quietly crying.

"Son, up until today you've always told the truth. But from here on in, when you speak with us we're always going to be wondering: 'Is he telling us the truth, or is he telling another lie?'"

I wondered why I'd lied. I felt terrible that I had disappointed my parents! I loved them and they loved me. 

I didn't realize it at the time, but it was a pivotal moment for me.

In my young mind - I reasoned things out and determined that I had a choice to make. I would either be a liar or a truth-teller. 

There was no debate!

After seeing the pain my lie had caused my parents, I made up my mind - in that moment - that I would be a truth-teller!

And to this day, I am still committed to be a truth-teller.

It guides me in conversations, in filling out forms, and in filing our taxes. I felt the anguish of being caught once and I never want that to happen again! 

Mr. Rogers

I just watched a great video of Mr. Rogers on my friend, Tracy Massey's Facebook page.  It reminded me of a story.  :-)

When Travis was young, he LOVED Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and watched it every day.

My mother was still living then and she dearly loved Travis - even though she struggled to pronounce his name properly.  She so wanted to connect with him that she started watching Mr. Rogers every day too, so that she could talk with Travis about things on the show when he came to visit.

In time, she developed heart problems and had to have open-heart surgery for a valve replacement.  In 1980, this was a critical, new procedure that required a long, step-down process of recovery in the hospital.

One day while she was in a regular, two-patient room, my Dad was there to spend the day with her.  As they sat talking, she could see into the hall and noticed Mr. Rogers walking by her room.

For those who don't know, Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister who often visited in the Pittsburgh hospitals.

Mom quickly told my dad to run him down and ask him if he would visit her! My dad obediently ran down the hall in pursuit of this famous man.  He readily returned to mom's room and spent twenty minutes with her - even praying with her!

Before he left, she told him, "Mr. Rogers, I watch your show every day! Would you give me an autograph for my grandson, Travis?"  He signed her lunch menu before he left.  I wonder what ever happened to that?