Wild Grapes: A Memoir
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"Once a Texan, always a Texan," I heard my sister's daughter say. "and if I can, I'll see that my children are born in Texas." I might have said the same thing at one time, until I found other fair places. Yet sometimes I get a longing I can’t describe and I start remembering . . . .
Some glad morning when this life is o 'er, I'll fly away
To a home on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away
Uncle Gord helped Mama into the front seat of the car while Sister climbed into the back with us. I concentrated on the funny little feather bobbing on Mama's hat and how the car seat scratched the back of my legs. Patsy clutched June's hand and watched me closely to see if I would cry. We followed the hearse the few blocks to the church. Aunt Estelle, Tad and Toot were already waiting on the church steps when we arrived. Toot held one of Uncle Gord's big handkerchiefs to her nose and Tad cried openly. I felt the tears behind my eyes, deep in my head, the back of my throat ached with them and the corners of my heart hurt with them but I couldn't let them out. If I did, it would be true, this awful thing, this awful bad dream would be true. And there certainly couldn't be a God. If He was there, He wouldn't do this to us. I'd been a fool to ask Him to live in my heart when we went with Mama to the revival in town.
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About the Book
This memoir recalls the lives of three sisters growing up in East Texas during the Depression and World War II. Their father and uncle were partners in a lumber mill, which required them to move many times. It was difficult changing schools and meeting strange new kids. The strength and faith of their mother and the closeness of their three female cousins—Sister, Tad, and Toot—made it easier to cope after their father died. Although sad at times, this memoir is amusing and heartwarming.
“Walk with Alma Hereford through the pages of Wild Grapes as she and her sisters come of age in the heartland of Depression-era America—heartwarming, empathetic, and very funny.” —Georgia I. Hesse, founding travel editor of the San Francisco Examiner
About the Author
Alma Dariel Hereford, born and raised in East Texas, thought she would never leave—until she fell in love with an artist who swept her away to San Francisco. But part of her heart is still in Texas. She has three sons, three daughters-in-law, and six grandchildren. She is an avid gardener and flower arranger. Her cup runneth over.