Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Southern names...

Brother Josiah Hardscuffle here again. Now you know where the sign off name comes from - 'tis truly a southern name, just like my sister, Modine Gunch. So many things were wonderful about being raised in the deep south with many melodic sounding names given to babies. However, my sister and I were ones who did not share in such melodic names. A lot of the south named their children with double names. Both my older brother (now deceased) and sister were given double names and called such until they began school. Sister Modine refuses to allow me to share her other given name and I will respect her wishes. Both siblings were named after relatives, but when I came along, unplanned and unexpected, no double names were left and my father picked Josiah out of the gazetteer of names in the dictionary.

All of my cousins on my mother's side of the family were named with double names and her remaining family still refers to them with those double names. So, from the beginning, I stood out among family members, because I was just called Josiah. From the get go, as they say in the south, I was different. I recall my mother's saying when I would wonder about someone's else's behavior that I did not understand: "Ah, Josiah, all the world art queer but thee and me and sometimes I wonder about thee!" How prophetic those words of an old quote were (however incorrectly quoted)! How little did she know that would I grow up to be that very descriptive noun.

Bro. Hardy

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Poor ol' thing...

As a gay geezer raised in the deep south, but having escaped in my late 30's, I have become intrigued by the lack of older people in the gay community not using the weblog experience to voice their opinions or share their story. My sister, Modine, urged me to set this blog up and to just see what sort of response I get.

I am also a retired minister and have a lot to say about how the church has treated differently oriented people. So if there is any interest out there in having this sort of forum, do make a comment and let me know.

Bro. Hardy