"SAY UNCLE !"

 

“SAY UNCLE!”

 

“The phrase “Say Uncle!” is a common idiom used in English to describe a situation where one person surrenders or admits defeat to another.”  (crossidioms.com) I was introduced to this phrase by my uncle Louis Wade. He was a fun uncle to us boys. We loved to wrestle and rough house with him when he came to visit. I was a young cocky teenager when he boasted one day, “I can pin you without even touching you!" "No way!” I said. He had me lay on my back then he stretched a thread across my nose so tight that I thought it would cut my nose off!  When I tried to move, he tightened the string even more until I knew that if it tightened anymore, it would slice my nose off like a slice of bread! “Say Uncle! "he said, which I did. He had pinned me without even touching me!

I’m thankful for my uncles, everyone! Uncle Lewis wasn’t our only cool uncle. Uncle Ed cut our hair (like it or not), uncle Marv taught me to hunt, grandpa Mac and uncle Bill taught us to love baseball, Uncle Gene taught me what lawyers do (I decided business was a better suit for me). Uncle Scott taught us to sacrifice for family, Uncle Neal taught us that hard work pays off, Uncle Aldon taught us how to laugh, Uncle Bob, how to honor our ancestors, Uncle Rowan taught me to love country music. Then there was Uncle Plas, (my dad’s sister Pauline’s husband). He was a blast! I even wrote a poem back them about him.

OUR UNCLE PLAS-

When the good Lord was making our uncles and aunts,

with some in skirts and some in pants,

and sorting and choosing the best of traits,

and then he began to work on their mates.

The good Lord hit a funny spell

and when He did, He did it well.

He sat aside all convention has

and called this one our Uncle Plas.

If we kids did something to deserve a spank,

he’d tell us a joke till our sides would ache.

When fussing and fighting and just being bad,

to the point of making other adults mad,

we’d hear Plas say in a serious tone,

“If you kids don’t be good, I'll take you downtown and buy you an ice cream cone!”

Yes, the Lord hit a funny stroke, like the Lord never has.

But that’s why we love you, our fun uncle Plas.”

Our cousins all had some pretty cool uncles too. One was my dad, uncle A.B. He was a tease, but all the kids loved him. There was a song back then called “50 ways to leave your lover”. One Wade family reunion, my brothers and I adapted that song and performed it. “50 ways to beat up A.B.” was an instant hit! I later wrote a poem about that.

50 Ways to Beat up AB

A few years ago, around a campfires sun,

with Wade family skits we were all having fun.

We sang a song, my brothers and me,

about 50 ways to beat up A.B.

Revenge was our theme for all he had done.

If ever a tease, A.B. was the one.

Seems memories are made of the funniest stuff,

we remember the fun times, the sad times, the rough.

Some stored on hearts surface, some hither and yon,

some memories are coming and some almost gone.

But deep down inside me where no one can see,

are the fun times we all had with uncle A.B.”

We’ve all been blessed with some amazing people who have made a positive impact upon our lives. If I were to name one category of those who have impacted my life for good, I would definitely have to- Say Uncle!

Much love- The Grandparent Chronicles