September 28, 2011

My mother, Peggie Jane (Hargrove) Akin,
age 26, in her passport photo.

In May 1966, my family was living in Alice, Texas, a small town about 45 miles west of Corpus Christi and the Texas Gulf Coast. We had lived there for five years, which was the longest we had lived in one place. Daddy was in the oil industry, which meant we usually moved once a year. I loved Alice and my friends, so I was completely devastated when my mother causally announced to me – and a car full of friends – that Daddy was being transferred and my family would be moving back to Houston. By the end of June 1966, my idyllic small-town life – where my best friend lived down the street and we rode our bikes all over town with no fears – was over.

Forty-five years later I still think lovingly about my childhood in Alice. I often wish I could go back in time – as an adult – to when my family lived in Alice. My parents were in their 30s, and I would like to meet them at that age. I wonder if I could convince my mother to quit smoking and eat healthier. When she was about my age, she developed age-onset diabetes, which I attribute to her poor eating habits, weight and lack of exercise. When she was 65, she had the first of several strokes. Three or four years later she had one of her legs amputated because of poor circulation, which I associate with smoking. She died at age 72. If I could go back in time and change her habits, would my mother still be alive today at age 82? I guess I'll never know.

Today I'm creating a report for my Bayou City Art Festival Board of Directors' meeting, which is tonight. But first, I think I'll go for a bike ride.