Our Lost Longhorn

“I don’t know what I’d have done without you!” – Susan McDonald

Our Longhorn Lost!

“It is so nice to look around the room and see so many familiar faces that have been here since the beginning!”  Walt Hesleph said quietly to me as we stood in Jay and Donetta Anderson’s kitchen.

Walt was right!  It was good.  And, it was sad at the same time.

“There is something fulfilling about it.”  I replied, while continuing.  “We’ve all sort of grown up, grown old together!  And, we hardly see each other since our kids have grown and gone.”

Many of us in the room all built our homes about the same time.  It was when our houses were new and our children were young.  My heart filled with memories as I looked into those faces swimming around Walt and me.

When I greeted Lynn and Mickey Falkner my mind faded back to one of the first times I met them.  We were visiting them at their place, when one of their large multi colored roosters jumped as high as my daughters Jessi and Kilee were tall, scaring the two small girls, who ran away as fast as they could, to the protection of the Falkner’s huge St. Bernard.  It was something no one in my family has ever forgotten.

“I’m sure we can all remember some of Mike’s little sayings?”  Donetta said as we gathered around to hear her speak.

“Our lost Longhorn!”  Were the words that raced through my mind as she was speaking.

Mike McDonald came into our lives from Texas and he stayed here, came home here, and became a part of our neighborhood family, almost right up to the time he left us.  We were gathered at the Andersons to remember him.  To celebrate his life.  And, to show our united love and support for Susan, his wife.

As I stood next to Susan, I remember her once telling me that she thought Mike had seen every Texas, Longhorn football game ever played, more than once!  He was at home with us and forever a Longhorn fan.  He never forgot his roots.  We loved him for that and everything else he brought into our lives.  Now, Susan was whispering something more to me.

“I don’t know what I’d have done without you!”  She said.

“I don’t know what we would have ever done without you and Mike!”  Was my answer back to her, as my eyes moved from hers in a motion to gather everyone in the room as one.

Walt was exactly right! It was so nice to look around the room and see so many familiar faces that have been here since the beginning, I mused quietly to myself as we all stood in Jay and Donetta’s kitchen.

It was good.  And, it was sad.  Sad because we lost our beloved Longhorn!  Good, because he added so much to our little community.  We would have been incomplete without him.  Happily, we’ll never forget him, we still have Susan and we still have each other.

Go Longhorns!