Peggy Harris
Brad was the quiet one, easy-going like his Paw Paw. He was so much like him. My sister and I agreed, 'We'll always have a little bit of Daddy, as long as we have Brad.' Oh, how we miss them both!
My fondest memory is Brad as a two-year-old toddler. If he was outside, he was riding his little red fire-engine, not in the middle of the yard like he was supposed to, though. He had to be as close to the road as his mom would safely allow, Thankfully he never strayed into it. What tickled me the most was his 'Fred Flintone/Ya Ba Dab A Do' technique. He drove lickety-split but those little bare feet never touched the pedals.
He earned our nickname for him when he was 13. His Nannie and Paw were in the gem and mineral business. They had a booth in a Rock Show in Opelika that was next to a really nice park. It had a playground, a rippling brook and even a cage of monkeys. Whenever his mom Pat wondered where he was, she would ask my husband, Jimmy to round him up. He was always found at the same place, in the park by that cage. So Jimmy renamed Brad. He was our Monkey from then on.
Brad told me later about the real attraction for him there . . .a pretty girl. Now, I'm not saying that she didn't appreciate primates, too. But, I bet Brad was what held her interest as well. He was just too shy to let Jimmy know the real reason.
Life wasn't always easy for Brad. He had his hardtimes and struggles like we all have. But the last few years were the most peaceful for him. He had gotten re-aquainted with his best friend Jesus. I suspect that his Uncle Jerry had something to do with that. They had a special relationship. But Brad was closest to his mom. He did everything he could for her with such love. We will all miss him but no one more than his precious mom.
I am hanging onto the hope of seeing our Brad again as well as other loved ones at Jesus soon coming. May we all be ready when the trumpet sounds.