Mom and God and Me Go to The Tulsa State Fair

I went to the Tulsa State Fair this afternoon, camera in tow.

And enjoyed myself very much.

Mom and I had been planning on going to the Fair. We both especially enjoyed not the rides and not the funnel cakes ... and not the crowds ... but rather the animals. Especially the rabbits, the chickens, the sheep, the goats, the horses, the cows ...

Well, I found the rabbits and walked down the aisles thinking of Mom walking beside me. I would look at a "lop" and could imagine Mom looking and saying, "Ohhhhh, Charles, loooook ... have you ever seen anything so sweet ... and cute ... and ..." And I could imagine my laughing and agreeing and Mom and me laughing and looking and pointing out this or that bunny to the other as we went down the aisles.

I was disappointed not to be able to find the poultry. My guess is that the chickens and roosters had been shown and judged earlier in the week, and were now gone. Alas ... Mom would have loved to see them ... and I would have too ...

There was a special "birthing" area set up by a vet association that was very different from anything I'd seen before. There were puppies and sheep with recently born lambs, and a whole booth full of recently hatched chicks. Mom would absolutely have loved all of these. I snapped pictures right and left and thought of Mom and I walking and looking and pointing this or that out to one another.

The horses and cattle and goats and sheep were to me fascinating ... and I know she would havfe loved to see them as well. I snapped pictures especially of show animals sponsored by the 4H'ers ... Mom loved the 4H and FFA. A whole exhibit room belonged to the FFA and I took a picture that I know Mom would have loved panning the exhibits with their large banner "Future Farmers of America / Preparing for the Future" (or something like that).

I took pictures of crowds and booths and rides reaching up and down the promenade and down the midway as well. Mom would have liked this kind of thing years back, although not in recent years: she would have considered there to be "too many people" within the past few years. But at one time ...

At one time ... back then .... before ... years ago ...

But no more ...

Yet ... yet ... yet ...

It was still good to go ... with my Momma there with me in my imagination ... even if not there in other ways ...

Oh God ...

And I did feel pangs looking at groups of people everywhere. You know ... people really just plain don't go to the Fair by themselves. They go with friends, they go with family. And me? I was there alone ... except for my Mom in my imagination ... and my God in Real but (alas) invisible, untouchable, companionship.

But you know ... walking with that camera in hand I think sort of helped me feel less awkward being "by myself." And I really sort of enjoyed looking for "shots." Who knows. I may do this again.

Alone but not alone. With Mom in my Imagination. And God at my side. And a camera for a "prop" ... :-) ...

Charles Delacroix
Feast of St Bruno