inthebeginning

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“In the Beginning”

My name is Bryan Lee Woods. I was born in Dallas, Texas on February 23, 1959, in the morning sometime I believe.
My dad was Herbert Otto Woods Jr.. He was born John Wiley at the Hope Cottage for Unwed Mothers in Dallas, Texas on January 21, 1921 and was adopted to Herbert Otto Woods Sr.
and Iva Lee Woods as an infant.
My mother was born Bonnie Jean McLendon in Gilmer, Texas on December 14, 1926.
Mom and Dad were married on October 26, 1945.
Their first child was Herbert Otto (Woody) Woods III who was born in Dallas, Texas on May 31, 1946. Their second child was Rita Joy Woods who was born in Dallas, Texas on October
27, 1950.

When I was born we had five acres in Colleyville, Texas. We had a ram and chickens, geese, a pig and a cow, and firefly’s were as plentiful as sand on the beach. Life appeared to be
good.

My first memory: I was two years old (I’m told). Mom was yelling at dad and I remember an Orange Soda (it was mine) and mom throwing it at dad. Mom left dad and us kids when I was
two years old. I have no memories of the event.
I was told that Mom had got a job at Texas Instruments in Dallas. She met a man named Bill Powell and had an affair with him. I don’t know whether dad found out or whether mom told
him, but mom moved to Houston with the guy and left all of us behind. It really hurt Rita.
I also remember catching firefly’s in a jar, with Rita I think, and a pet frog (toad). I was told his name was Froggy.

I guess Mom wasn’t happy or maybe just not satisfied with life as it was. She always had a bad temper and was quick to fly off of the handle. She was very involved in the church and
spent a lot of time helping with events and even taught Sunday School often.

There are several things I have no personal memories of, but I was told many a scary story by Rita and Woody about mom.
Dad confirmed a few thing when I was older, but generally never spoke negatively of, nor made any derogatory remarks about mom. He also never allowed us to speak badly of mom.
Supposedly Mom and Woody didn’t get along very well. Woody was pretty wild and I think he new mom was sleeping around on dad. Dad demanded respect towards mom, but when he
was not home she and Woody were at odds.
One time mom was cooking and had a pot of potatoes in her hand she had just pulled from the stove. She and Woody were arguing and she turned and poured them on his head. He
was lucky he wasn’t burned severely.
Another time she chased Wood under the bed with a German Officers Sword dad had brought back from the war. She was on her knees stabbing at Woody while he was under the bed.
Dad came home from work about that time and Rita told him mom was trying to kill Woody. Rita later told me that dad grabbed mom and threatened to hurt her if she ever did anything
like that again. Don’t get me wrong, Woody was no saint and was probably out of line. But mom had a crazy temper.
I think Woody and I both got our temper from mom. It seemed that nothing got dad mad, he would take all kinds of stuff without ever loosing his temper, but when he did loose it, he
seemed to just snap, and if was usually me that snapped him, but that wasn’t until my teens, when the evil Bryan came to life.
Anyway Woody was always in trouble. He came home one time with a brand new Tachometer. Dad kept inquiring about it till he found out Woody and some friend had stole it. Dad took
Woody immediately to the Police Department and turned him in and Woody spent the night in jail. He was eighteen at the time. Dad didn’t tolerate lies and he didn’t tolerate thieves.

Woody was also an expert gift wrapper. Years later Mom and Rita would tell me stories of Woody opening his Christmas presents and re-wrapping them. One Christmas day he opened a
present that was a carton of cigarettes and the carton was empty when he opened it. He had smoked all of the cigarettes weeks before Christmas and no one could tell. I remember
seeing a picture of him with dark blue jeans cuffed at the bottom, a white tee-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the shoulder and a pack of cigarettes under his right shirt sleeve. I don’t
remember whether he had a butch haircut or a pompadour haircut. I can’t remember, but it was like looking at James Dean.

I’m told mom had a “few” affairs. I never would ask dad because I knew it would hurt him. He never really stopped loving mom as far as I know. He did however tell me when I was older
that his and moms problems were his fault. He said that she always wanted to go dancing and go to fancy restaurants like her twin sister did. That she wanted to do more things alone
without the kids, but dad always wanted to take us kids along and to do family stuff. He said he should have dome more things with her alone. Dad also told me not to make the same
mistakes when I got married. He said that a man should never put his children before his wife. He said that “children are a gift from God that we’re to teach and train, protect and love, but
that a man’s wife is his partner and a part of himself, and that he should always put them first before the children”. He said “it was a mystery the way the Lord allowed a man to love his
wife that way without loving his children less” and that unfortunately he learned that too late and “that’s why you cant wait to serve the Lord, because the longer you wait, the more pain
your apt to go through”. He told me I was to learn from his mistakes.

Dad also told me that when he and mom first got married mom jus wanted them to be alone and raise their family, but dad allowed several of mom’s brothers to move in with them to help
them get a start. He said mom was never happy about it and often complained about them being there. I now know from experience how stressful it is to have people living with you when
you’re young and starting a family. Even when it’s people you dearly love.
However I can’t count the time that those uncles of mine have told me how much they loved my dad for his kindness and his help in their younger years.

I have a few memories of when I was young, but not many.
I remember catching firefly’s.
I remember being pulled outside of church and getting a spanking outside the truck (I have several of these memories).
I remember a drainage ditch and that’s about it until I hit grade school. No real time frames or anything.

"Forever and a Day"
a story of grace

by: bryan woods