My latest blog series -word association memories of a Baby Boomer- continues today with Part 2 of the A words. Today’s words are: Alphabet, Apocalypse, Apostles, Adoption and Antediluvian. In case you’ve just tuned in, I’ve picked words from each letter of the alphabet that I have very specific memories about from my growing up years. Some of them may surprise you. I hope they all make you smile as you remember those days, too.

Alphabet. You have to know the alphabet to be able to read. I wanted very badly to read by age 5. My dad was ALWAYS reading. He opened his book right after dinner and buried his nose in it– unless “Bonanza” or “Combat” or “Perry Mason” was on the television. He had stacks of books by his chair. My mom redecorated our playroom (removing the ping-pong table it housed), and added built-in book shelves as soon as my brother and I made it to junior high school. The alphabet opened the world to me!

Apocalypse. That was when all life would end, wasn’t it? I planned to die before it happened. Things weren’t really that bad in the world, were they? (What was the Cold War anyway and who were the Russians?)

Apostles. Those were the guys in the picture at the table with Jesus. Any good Presbyterian knew that. I didn’t know all of their names. Some guy named Michelangelo painted them just before they ate supper. There were twelve of them, but one of them turned out to not be a very good friend to Jesus.

Adoption. My friend Susan was adopted. To me, that meant her real parents hadn’t wanted her. That was pretty much it. I felt sorry for Susan. However, I knew that her adoptive parents REALLY wanted her. She was their Susie Q. She had amazing clothes, and looked a little bit like a young Elizabeth Taylor. I always thought she was beautiful.

Antediluvian. My sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Shades, gave us a list of 26 big words, one for each letter of the alphabet. She said they were words to remember and that no one would ever think you were stupid if you threw in one of those words ever now and then. ((Wish I could remember what all the words were now.))

(Come back for the B words next week.)