Being in real estate I have had the privilege of meeting many folks. Over the years I have encountered families from all over the United States moving to Highland County. Having lived here my entire life, I have always admired those that have not. What an adventure that would have to be to relocate, move to a new area, new schools, new church, new job, new friends, new everything. You could start completely over. Everyone you met would be completely new.
This week I went to a funeral service for a dear family friend, Max Roush. I can’t remember not knowing him or his dear wife, Irene. Max and Renee, as they were called, were the folks that seemed part of the family. No matter the circumstance, they were in your corner. They were as close to family as anyone could have been.
I have always credited Max for giving me my first chew of tobacco. Not sure why I remember the brand, but it was Union Workman. One would think that a young boy of about 12 years old with any common sense at all would never do something more than once that made him deathly ill. But that’s not correct. For some reason chewing tobacco made me the coolest kid around. Back then, being over 18 to purchase it was not a big deal. I would always place it in my back pocket for all to see, then when I got home, it would be transferred to inside my sock, then under the mattress. It was a full proof plan. I was pretty sure my Mother would not agree with the social status I felt it gave me. I found out one day I was correct. I had to swallow the entire pack while hugging the toilet! I wonder if I can blame Max for that horrific childhood event in my life. Probably not.
The funeral and dinner were held at the Danville Church of Christ. I had the privilege of going to church there while I was growing up and well into adulthood. A rough guess would be 35 years or so that I spent attending church there. Many of the people that I remember are not attending as I, or have passed on. But several familiar faces were still there. Walking in the church it was an immediate feeling of coming back home. It was like I had never left. There was no getting reacquainted, all was just like I had left it years before. The sense of community was overwhelming. That’s one of those things that are priceless. Don’t we all need that feeling of acceptance?
While I will always believe we have a wonderful community, don’t we all get caught up in our stuff? Our homes, our possessions, our status. When you get down to it, our relationships with others are what we need to focus on. That’s so vital not only in times of need, but in everyday life.
If you were around from 1982 to 1993, chances are you watched “Cheers” on TV. We would all watch Sam, Dianne, Norm, Cliff and Woody just hang out in a bar. The show was entertaining and humorous. But to me, it was the theme song that always started the show that I most remember. It explains perfectly what I felt as I attended the funeral for my old family friend.
“Making your way in the world today takes everything you got.
”Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot.
“Wouldn’t you like to get away?
“Where everybody knows your name.
“And they’re always glad you came.
“You wanna be where you can see, the troubles are all the same.
“You wanna go where everybody knows your name.”
Thanks Max.
Randy Butler is a lifelong resident of Highland County and a licensed real estate agent for Classic Real Estate in Hillsboro.
