BY DR. GLENN MOLLETTE
James E. Webb was my first cousin, neighbor and friend. James was about 10 years older than me. At the age of 23, he became my junior high school teacher. I had him for classes in the seventh and eighth grades.
Growing up, he taught me chords on the guitar and mandolin. Once, he even put up a basketball goal for me to practice on behind my grandparents’ chicken coop. He also coached our seventh and eighth-grade basketball teams. Throughout my young teenage years, James was a teacher, a coach, a mentor, a neighbor, a dear first cousin and so much more. He made an electric guitar for me. That was the first of many, many hand-crafted instruments he would make for others, which were mostly banjos and mandolins.
When I was in the eighth grade, James gave me an A+ on a poem I wrote. That was the only “plus” I ever received from him in school. He once gave me a C because I failed at memorizing all of the 23rd Psalm. However, the A+ for the poem was an encouragement to me to keep writing, and, for better or worse, I have been writing my entire life.
Mr. Webb, as he was affectionately known by hundreds of endearing students, recently died. His funeral was Feb. 14. Loved ones and admiring friends paid their respects through various songs and testimonies. Sadly, I was not able to attend.
Years ago, I wrote a book titled “Grandpa’s Store, Reflections of My Childhood.” The book has been around for a few years and has even been out of print for a while. Recently, it was reissued in print.
One week after Mr. Webb’s funeral, Feb. 21, I was reading over the information about Grandpa’s Store on Amazon.com. To my astonishment there was a very nice review that Mr. Webb left about my book.
Mr. Webb was mentioned several times in the book because my Grandpa and Mama Hinkle raised him. He was a central character in “Grandpa’s Store” and once told me that it was a good book. I was relieved to hear him say so. Yet, somehow, I missed his written review on Amazon.com.
The review was an A+, five-star review with lots of info, insight and affirmation. I put my laptop down and wiped tears from my eyes. Mr. Webb was giving me a final parting grade from the grave. Of course, he always got the last word. Because he was 10 years older, a coach and a schoolteacher, all I could do was nod and agree with whatever he said.
Mr. Webb wrote his review several years ago. It was surreal that I did not read it until one week after his funeral. I guess God knew that was when I needed to read it. What he wrote came at just the right time.
I hope we can all think about the words we might say and the actions we might take that might be meaningful to those left behind. Something we might write, say or do today might be just what they need to hear from us from the grave.
Dr. Glenn Mollette is read in all 50 states. He is the author of numerous books and can be heard each weekday morning on XM Radio 131.