Today is has been 22 years Shannon Michael has been gone. However, today I have decided to share something Shannon wrote....It was a blessing to find and read again and allowed me to see and hear and feel our brother once again, if only for a moment....I hope this is his gift to you today as well. That is what he would have wanted....The following story was handwritten by Shannon Michael Atwood... (Part 1)
11:00 Monday 4/16/88
The OLd Olklohomon
The fact that what I am going to write about, a man that has changed my life so much
I know this story can only do a mynut (minute) credit to what he has done to the lives he came in contact with.
I met Fred Vinyard in the Fall of 75 it was Halloween and I was all dressed up as a cowboy I believe it was Clint Eastwood; High planes drifter outfit. and I had prepped myself all day learning how to walk like him sqwint and learn basically the general nature of the Old West. Myself and my mother had been making our rounds threw the subburbun towns where I knew I could make a killing on tricker treat candy, but it was getting late and I wanted to do one last stop, and that was to see my busdriver so he could take a look at my costume. and to sorta mad peace with him becaus I had got in a fight on his bus and I don't think he was to happy with my tactics of fightin because I had hit my Foe in the Head with my speed Buggy Lunch Box about 12 times. So we were Heading in that direction when my mother said I want to stop and see if old Fred is home, Old Fred I thought, pee on old Fred I want to go to my Bus Drivers because I knew I would get a truck load of candy. I Hollerd and threw a fit when she turned down 40th Street because she wasn't going in tthe desired direction I had conceved in my head. So I hushed for a littel wile. until we came to the driveway and and she said he is such a nice old man , I said, who is a nice old man and she said this old guy I get my tomatos from. So I thought a minute. I was not fermilyer with the old guy but I was his tomatos. They were huge and I might add deliecious, so I was coherent with the fact he did grow good vegetabels because when your 6 years old the only thing a tomato is for is nothing untill it gets Rotten, then it is a prized possession amung the littel. It's main purpose is to be flung threw the air at great volocity at certin inhabitants of our race, known as females, most likely my sisters. But here we were pulling up the drive in our old 73 Impala, My mother knew I was frustrated, and she said to be patient.
I seen this screen door open and this figure come waltzing out across the dirt driveway and I wasent really paying that much attention, so he came over to my ma's side of the car and said Hellooow, it was a different kind of Hellow I picked that right up, it sort of lingered out into the air and made you feel welcome. They walked around he was showing her his garden and pointing this way and that probbibly showing her what was gonna go where. So she got back in the car they said good bye but as we were backing out of the driveway my ma got stuck. So now I would never get where we were suposed to be headed. He hooked up a chain and pulled us out but just as we were about to leave he said wooow one second. He ran into the house as spry as a 20 year old and came over to the window where I was and said Here boy and handed me an apple. I said Thankx mister. He said your very welcome, so we were headin home and I said he is a nice guy and she said very nice he has a kind old heart. It wasn't much, an apple but he was nice enough to give it to me. So he was ok in my book.
(I wrote all of this as parts of this story made me see, breathe, and feel Shannon once again... We miss you brother...we always will.)
