THOUGHTS FROM THE DEEP END WITH MISS JULIE’S POOL BOY:

On Christmas Eve 1985, MJPB’s paternal grandfather put his arm over his shoulder, pointed at Miss Julie, & told him he really liked her. He affectionately called the Pool Boy’s grandmother, with no hint of misogyny, his “tough ol’ broad”. He didn’t know before midnight, the future Pool Boy would ask Miss Julie to forever be Bacall’s tough Slim in his attempts at Bogey’s Steve, but the words of a man who had read his Bible through at least 11 times eased the nerves, it turned out he knew a “tough ol’ broad” when he saw her.

The next day, Miss Julie broke the news “she said yes” to the Pool Boy’s maternal grandmother & she responded with among other plaudits, “I’ve been praying for my grandchildren’s spouses before they met.”

Today, the aquatic super couple’s very able pastor spoke on The Beatitudes, that “blessed” meant to be congratulated by God on the way you lived. MJPB thought of those two people as the man who answers to Papa looked down a full pew, opened his camera & saw the woman who answers to Jules, their 2nd generation, their daughter-in-law & one soon to be, his mom two rows back, & both members of Gen 3 in the nursery, one his grandmother’s namesake. The Pool Boy would like to think God looked around Heaven while he tried unsuccessfully to keep his tear duct closed dwelling on those two individuals, who through short years & long days, were less concerned with who they knew or didn’t know or what they did or didn’t do, but concerned with how they lived in the skin & bones God loans to all of us & He said to Red & Lottie “Congratulations!”