At Mark's house

I remember so many gatherings at Mark's house. We have a picture from Christmas 1959 of the entire Speagle clan gathered in Mark's living room. Nearly everyone is looking at the photographer - only the smallest children are looking elsewhere.

Mark's mom is pregnant with his sister-to-be, Diane. My sister Susan is a baby in my mom's lap. Mark is a toddler in his dad's arms - he's looking off to one side. Other charter members of the Speagle Boys' club (me, Randy, Tommy, and David) are sitting or kneeling on the floor in front of the adults. I am only three years old but I do remember posing for that photo. It was the first Speagle Christmas gathering I remember.

Perhaps my ease with crowds was developed over the years of Speagle holiday gatherings. Uncle Clarence, who would watch me navigate the crowds each year, would joke that if I ever ran for governor, he'd vote for me.

There would always be lots of food and fun. The emphasis always was on how lucky we were to be together, not on the presents.