Eagle Brook

Eagle Brook

Thursday, December 10, 2009
9:33 AM

One of Miles' first Dorm Rooms

The Sign from the Road

The Rock


Miles and I went to Eagle brook recently. Please let me tell you the whole story so that you understand. Miles was a friend of one of Jayne's first boyfriends; Paul Spivey. Dad was very happy about their courtship & wanted see it go all the way to marriage. I am not sure what happened but the romance did not last . The summer of 1977 there were so many crazy things going on. Besides the Son of Sam; my parents had decided to take in our three cousins Allison Karla & Michael to live with Our Parents, Jayne , Julia, Jackie, Me, Amy , Tony & Abby. Lil crowded I know! I was absolutely miserable! Really! I pouted and huffed as much as possible~ Look, I did not complain about Amy sharing my bed but the 3 of them coming in and having 7 in one room was pushing my compassion to the utter limit. I was my happiest running in the park and playing really hard with the boys in the park. Stanley,Steven, Owen and Billy and Tony who would run behind our car and race and fight. I enjoyed playing freestyle but the organized games of Ringolevio & Kick the Can were really the best .
1977 was hot. Paul & Craig Spivey had a young man with them out at the park and he was just my age and just my size. His name was Miles Anthony Williams and he was very fast and very cool. He was brave and cute and ok you are getting the picture of how much I liked him from the very start. We paired up for one colossal game of kick the can and hid together & Tony ended up hanging with us too until both Miles & I were captured ~ What fun! Tony ended up saving the day laughing for years after so fun.
Miles explained how he was going away at the end of the summer to a boarding school. I had no real point of reference and thought it was an orphanage. He was going to be away from Paul & Craig and from his mother and I could not believe that.
As the summer came to the end we were officially going together. I can not even laugh because I was as serious as you can be at going on 11 years old. My heart pounded so fast and loud that I could hear it in my head. We were all in the car and I decided I would have to do something way out of character. I would have to tell my Dad. I told him very quietly that I loved Miles. He said "WHAT?!"I said: "Miles is my boy friend and I love him." the car erupted into laughter and Dad was perplexed he said : in that sing songy way he had of patronizing us "Now you cannot be his girl and my girl."I said: " Ok"
But it did not end there this went on until we got home because I started crying ( out of character too) I was hysterical by the time we pulled the car up to our home. I was asking Dad to go get Miles. He could not console me so he got very stern with me and looked me in my eyes and said "Little girls do not say things like that Joanne Now stop it Really Stop!" I went to bed early. I did not eat dinner I was so upset Dad looked worried . He'd never seen me behave like that. Jayne tried talking to me but I was resolved to hatch a plan to get Miles. I failed…luckily because Eagle brook was a really great place.

Well , I will tell you that evening I went into my power prayer mode only relegated for emergencies: " Dear God please let them feed Miles please take care of him! Amen" Oh I must have cried for weeks until the first letter arrived in the middle of September. We wrote each other that first year consistently then lost touch. I would think of Miles a lot throughout the years usually praying that he was happy or wondering if he was in another country or had children. I found him on face book this past year. He & I have become fast friends once again. Recently having an adventure to Eagle brook & his High School Loomis Chaffee. I can not really put it into words so well. This is really an awesome feeling , a beautiful place and the kind of thing that makes me feel like God really does smile upon Eagles nests , Brooks and little girls with power prayers.