Hard Knocks and Consequences is a series of vignettes taken from the life of a man who, by all rights probably shouldn't be here. As Mr. Venable said, "The Good Lord must have something special in store for Freddy, "cause the devil is sure 'nuff trying to kill him'. As you read each chapter, we hope you will see God's greater plan for us all. Every life has meaning. Finding that meaning and purpose is a major part of living. Cry with me, laugh with me, learn with me without having to attend the School of Hard Knocks - or suffer the consequences. Like my dad said, "You can learn from my mistakes or your mistakes". Which is less painful? I often wished I had learned more from his.

Hard Knocks Consequences

You Can Always Learn SomethingBy Fred G. Dickenson

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2012 Fred G. Dickenson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4685-5226-3

Contents

Section One: Surviving Childhood.............................11 Hard Knocks and Consequences...............................32 Mr Venable Across the Fence................................53 Buckets and Snowmen........................................74 Yo-Yo in the Treetops......................................105 A Hiding Place.............................................136 The Simple Life............................................157 What Didn't Happen to You?.................................208 Hammers and Fruit Jars.....................................249 Bicycles and Dirt Piles....................................2610 Fence or No Fence.........................................2811 I Was a High School Dropout...............................3112 Learning in Paradise......................................3413 Let Go of the Rope........................................38Section Two: Music, Music, Music.............................411 The Source of Music........................................432 Boys in the Bands..........................................463 Songs to Share.............................................494 Weddings and Funerals......................................535 In and Out of Prison.......................................566 1,000 Guitars..............................................597 From 'Alleluia to Christ is Come...........................62Section Three: Off We Go.....................................651 Just Salute, Smile and Keep on Walking.....................672 Blessings and Disappointments..............................703 The Grandeur of God........................................774 Who Am I?..................................................815 Thule Praise and Worship...................................846 Just a Minute..............................................86Section Four: Family.........................................911 36 Years and Counting......................................932 A Date With My Daughter....................................963 The Hand of God............................................994 Be Yourself................................................1035 A Honeymoon with My Brother................................1066 Reach, Teach and Keep......................................1107 Coming Full Circle.........................................1138 A Year in the Life.........................................1169 Eve........................................................11910 Let's Go To Kiowa.........................................12211 Vices and Victories.......................................12612 The Eye Has It............................................12913 I'm Gettin' Ready.........................................13214 Don't Retire, Retread.....................................13515 Make me a Promise.........................................138

Chapter One

Hard Knocks and Consequences

I'm not sure when my first memories of being in the world truly imprinted themselves on the wrinkles and folds of my mind. For that matter, were those memories more of the heart and less of the mind? Were they really my memories, or were they the memories of my parents, grandparents or older siblings woven together with flashes, glimpses of true memories of my own? Even those memories were subject to the influence of time and often "flavored" by our own experiences, vague recollections, dreams and wishes.

Still, just as the oral legends of history are full of the hyperbole of retelling and embellishing of parties to the event, our tales are more-often-than-not mostly truth. That's what I have tried to do with this, my story. I don't presume to say I am a legend, far from it. It's just that I don't believe anyone's life is meaningless. I know that there is a plan for our lives. I hope that you will find some truths in these "tales" that will ring true for you. Maybe you will see some of yourself in these experiences and apply them, laugh at them (and me, if you like), or simply make a connection to that Truth. Which reminds me; I had a professor once who jumped up on a table the first night of the course and yelled to the class,

"There is no truth with a capital T!"

Oh, really? That's not what I have learned in my life. If you don't believe in The Truth, maybe this glance into life of one True believer will convince you that God is real and that Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever!

"I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love which Christ Jesus our Lord shows us. We can't be separated by death or life, by angels or rulers, by anything in the present or anything in the future, by forces,"

Romans 8:38 (Gods Word 1995)

Chapter Two

Mr. Venable Across the Fence

Some would have called me "accident prone."

Others did say,

"Aw, he's just all boy."

Fact is, regardless of what they thought, I did have more than my share of accidents—mostly self-inflicted. I can't remember them all. I lost count how many incidents occurred, but here are a few examples: shot in the back of the head by a kid with a B-B gun, fell out of who knows how many trees, with resulting broken arms, the "bicycle incident" with broken shoulder blade and collar bone on my left side and broken wrist on the right. I missed several days of school over that. I was doing well in school at that point, and feel sometimes this incident was part of the catalyst for my first drop-out year.

But I digress. Back to Mr. Venable. Someone asked me once what his first name was. Best I could come up with was, "Mister?" Dad and the venerable Mr. Venable were chatting across the fence on our common boundaries. As was often done by fathers proud of their sons, the conversation turned to sons—for Dad, that was to me. I must certainly have been in a recent incident, because it was fresh on his mind about what happened. His comment was,

"James," he said. (He called my dad James.)

"You know what I think?" he continued.

"Nope," said Dad, who was a man of few words.

"I think the Good Lord has something really special in store for Freddy," Mr. Venable observed. (Yes, that's what they called me.)

"Oh, why?" asked Dad.

"'Cause the devil sure'nuff has been trying to kill him," our neighbor concluded.

If Mr. Venable could see me now, he would probably have the same feelings, except with even more evidence of my plight in life. What he could possibly miss, is how many spiritual lessons have been evident throughout those formative years. I guess the best lesson I learned in this process, was to always be aware of those around you. Your life is a living example of Christ, or should be. Mr. Venable knew our family well enough to make an observation of our belief in God and His power to heal and protect.

Life Lesson Learned: God is working in and through and for you and has been since before you were even conceived. Too many times in my life, I have seen evidence of His miraculous works borne out in consequences of my action (or inaction). God has a plan. I have learned to accept that, and to wait on Him to reveal that in His time, even if that time is never.

Biblical Truths: "(God) Who...