Tarzan in Nana’s Backyard
My sisters and I watched Tarzan every Saturday afternoon at one o’clock. Ron Eli, the 1960’s Tarzan was wonderful with his sidekick Chi. However, were equally excited when Johnny Weissmuller filled Nana’s black and white TV portraying the 30 and 40’s hero swinging on the vines avoiding the quicksand to save Jane!
After Tarzan went off, what were four girls to do? Go outside and play Tarzan, of course. To be truthful, three of us went out to play. Lynn, my oldest sister, had her fill of the jungle life by the watching of Tarzan and was ready to settle into a good book. So, Gail, Julie, and I run to the massive rope that hung from the big oak behind Nana and Granddaddy’s house. It once adorned a tractor tire, but at some point the tire retired, which was okay because we were still enthralled with our “jungle vine”. Gail was always Tarzan, no matter how much Julie or I begged. Thus, Jane became my role.
Poor Julie! This left her with few choices: boy (from the older movies), Chi, or Cheetah–Tarzan’s monkey! Luckily for Julie, one episode featured Ron Eli helping a deaf and mute girl. Julie was forever saved! She was no longer stuck with being a boy or a monkey. In our minds, the little child was a regular in Tarzan and Jane’s lives. This also had another perk; she couldn’t talk! We had to remind her of that often. We climbed trees, looked for the poachers, faced fierce alligators, dodged the quicksand, and managed to always safely return to our imaginary tree house
The Jungle’s Quicksand at School
I must have been totally fascinated with quicksand, because at school during recess, I protected my best friends from the quicksand that covered our playground. There we had no Tarzan; Gail was across the catwalk in the other building. So, I was not Jane during the week. I was just plain Karla, who with my friends, had dangerous missions. Our goal required us to strategically move from one landscaping timber to another avoiding the massive quicksand pits.
The Quicksands of Adulthood
As I continued into adulthood, I found quicksand there too. At times, the quicksand took on the form of loneliness after a relationship breakup. Managing a part-time job with college tests and project deadlines caused pitfalls. Career choices and house hunting has swept me off my feet at times, and I don’t mean in a good way.
Endless bills and deciding where the money for those would come from have entangled me on many occasions. Being a mother, even in all its joy, is like continuously swinging above the quicksand, not knowing when you might fall. (Broken arms, teenage hormones, didn’t make the team, first dates, and the endless mounds of laundry.) Life is tough!
However, I have a Savior, and He saves me from all the quicksands in the world.
In Psalms 18:2, “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” There have been so many days in which I am overwhelmed by people or my circumstances. I have held tightly to this verse to carry me through uncertainty.
For, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”
Mamaw loved everyone, and she let them know it. Even in the days of technology, she wrote letters and cards to people weekly. Each one signed, “I love you and God loves you too.” She had that unconditional love. It didn’t matter who you were; she cared for you. Mamaw’s love came from knowing God. She knew his love and passed it on to others. Mamaw was the chosen “grace” sayer in the family. Anytime we had a family gathering, big or small, she blessed the meal. The words varied, but it always ended the same. “…and most of all, we thank you for your love.”
Because she took the time to be a part of their lives, to love them and show them God’s love, her legacy will live on.
In Dr. Seuss’ book, Horton Hatches an Egg, we see Horton the Elephant wronged by everyone. He is ridiculed, imprisoned, and left responsible for what doesn’t belong to him. But Horton chooses his “thinks”. The sour kangaroo comments on Horton, “Someone is thinking different than us!” But no matter what, he doesn’t change his thinking. He continually chooses to be positive. “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent.” In the end, Horton’s path, though unpleasant, leads him to happiness.