Proof. i have proof. The goofy guy has been many things. But the boy Jesus?

Maureen and i were back home in Lebanon, staying with my parents when Erma and Charlie Baird came to visit. Erma and Charlie were two of my favorite people back home, that is independent on how much i cared for their daughter Sharry. There was a great deal of talk about good times from the past. As they rose to leave, Erma announced she had something for me. She handed me a packet with six photos.

When Maureen looked at the photos, she went beyond her legendary laugh. She was practically catatonic. i was concerned she might fall on the floor laughing. You see, the 1960 photos were of a play put on by the Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) appropriately in the Lebanon First Methodist Church’s Fellowship Hall. It was a play about the boy Jesus. The fourteen-year old playing the boy Jesus was me! i don’t think i was convincing, and i am almost positive most or you won’t believe it. But here’s the proof:

◆ ◆ ◆

But the world moved on. It became abundantly clear that this guy was not cut out to be the boy Jesus. He ended up in Qui Nhon, Vietnam, taking Korean troops to and fro. The 101st Airborne’s main camp was outside of the Qui Nhon. Joseph’s…er, Henry Harding’s brother, Jim was the officer in charge of medivacs (i think i got that right, Beetle) for the 101st. He came to visit. And this is the two of us alongside his jeep.

Now, the kicker here is there is photo missing, It is one with most of the cast and the boy Jesus sitting on a stool in the middle of the stage. His legs are spread. You and the audience can clearly see he is wearing madras shorts below his toga. That’s the one that lit off Maureen. i think she has stowed it away somewhere for posterity. She denies that.

It is a small world, and i think Jesus, boy or otherwise, would like that