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I'll never forget it.
The scene: A small ranch, just outside of Breckenridge, Texas. Breckenridge is a wonderfully small community somewhere between Mineral Wells and Albany ... and if
you don't know where that is, let's just say it's west of Fort Worth, in Stephens County.
I was helping the owner of the ranch dig some post-holes to repair a fence, when it looked like storm clouds were building to the west. There were three or four of
us - but I was sticking pretty close to the owner. You see, the owner of the small ranch was going to become my Father-In-Law in a couple of months. And I had some
impressin' to do, don't cha' know.
I knew that a rainstorm would bring an early end to our toil, but I proudly blurted out, "Boy, I sure hope it doesn't rain!" I was lying through my teeth, but hey,
I was looking to make points, right? WRONG!
The owner slowly put down the post-hole digger, turned around toward me, taking off his gloves ... and in a quiet yet stern voice that dripped with
...you'd better listen to this, pal... , said "...Son, don't EVER let me hear you say that again!"
THUS ENDETH THE LESSON!
You see, Joe C. Hanna, the rancher here, had been through the drought of the fifties, first hand - which killed countless livestock and sandpapered the otherwise
fertile ranch soils of that part of the country. He KNEW you never wished for no rain - because no rain meant no food ... and worse.
Joe Hanna gave me that short but stern lecture almost 40 years ago, and to this day, I don't think I've ever violated his request.
We lost Joe Hanna last year at the age of 83. He had a very successful and distinguished career in both the private and public sector - serving in the Texas Legislature, and lending
his knowledge of the oil and gas industry, to create a more stable environment so that all of us can live more comfortably.
I thought of Joe last week, when, with threatening clouds on the horizon, a young person I work with said, "Boy, I sure hope it doesn't rain!" I put down my
stopwatch, turned toward her, and quietly said, "...Young Lady, don't EVER let me hear you say..."
Thanks, Joe. Thanks for the memory ... and the lesson!
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