December 17th, today as I was showering and changing at the gym I was thinking back on my life and those who have been in it. Its Christmas time, and with the year closing out it’s traditionally the time of the year where we do a lot of reflecting on what has transpired over the last year. And as I reflected…I thought to myself, “Am I successful?” Not a crazy question but one I’m sure we have all asked ourselves at one time or another. Then I thought about the impact one has on others in this life we find ourselves living. And when you think back to impacts on your own life…you have to ask, who has impacted me? And that is what really got me thinking and is the point of this letter to all of you.
The impact we have had I feel is monumental and I wonder if we as a core have ever really discussed it as a whole. Our friendships span over 25 years and greater for some of you. Some met in grade school, some met in middle school while others in high school. But what drew us all together? We all didn’t grow up together. We all didn’t have the same socio-economical backgrounds. We didn’t all play the same sports nor take the same classes yet, somehow, we all managed to find each other and create a brotherhood we fondly called the JB’s aka The Jungle Brothers.
Jemal started calling us it and it soon became our informal name. And as I think back on the JBs, I think back to what we all were, where we stood and what we all wished to be. And it goes back to my thought of success. Are the JBs successful? Did we do what we set out to do? Where are we all now and how did we get here? That…leads us back to my question about impacts we have made. I think we can all agree that Mr. Beale was a huge influence and impact on many of us. Every Friday night he opened his home to a bunch of boys and in doing so gave us a place that we could be ourselves. We weren’t thugs and we weren’t geeks. We didn’t go around beating up kids nor where we “choir boys.” What we were…was a group of like-minded young men from different backgrounds who just happened to all be black, live relatively close and had similar goals ideas and dreams. We were surrounded by adults who cared about us…and we in turn respected them.
I can recall Mr. Beale catching us all at his home, telling us he had a job and loaded us all in the back of a truck. No one complained and no one didn’t go. We all got in and did as he asked. When we returned, our reward was several Sicilian pizzas followed by a massive game of monopoly. That was just one particular instance of his impact on me. Afterwards we’d head to Sid’s for some night time Basketball. Sid’s Mom and Dad always welcomed us too. Afterwards it was back to the Beale’s for some summer games of Jay’s Commodore 64. Or our football games we played in the parking lot behind McDonalds. And that would be our Friday night for a long, long time. We had someplace to go and people who cared about us and looked out for us.
My favorite Christmas movie of all time is “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Truly a classic and what spurred this letter to you all. What would my life been like had I not gone back to Jemal’s house after our tussle on the front lawn which Sid instigated. LOL. I would have never gotten to know some of you and surely not Mr. Beale. Would Marc and Jemal still have joined the Guard if I didn’t? If I had never befriended Marc our freshman year, I would have never known D Farm, Frank and Steve (RIP). And if that never took place, how would we have met ole Jimmy Daniels? And how the hell did Carlton end up in our crew? LOL. Had Marc, Jemal and I not joined the Guard…would D Brown, Carlton and Reevey have joined? Man it goes on and on and on and on and on. Somehow we all ended up as a crew and the rest is history. I shudder to think how my life would be today without the impact all of you had on it. Big or small…does it really matter?
As I sat in the gym this morning almost laughing to tears as I thought back on all we did and the impacts of our actions. Bare with me as I share some with you.
Jemal and I crashing into some guys fence up at the lake.
Jemal crashing his car on the parkway headed to drill.
The summer ridding in the back of Sid’s uncle’s blue dodge truck, going to the highlands with Chris Fisher leading us in search of girls.
Marc getting surgery on his back.
Me braking Franks arm playing basketball.
Going to RBC’s practice field and throwing the dummies onto the field. And yeah Dave, I was freaking out in the back seat. LOL.
Me and Marc driving to the lake following directions left for us.
Giving people the “ball.”
PHI SLACKUM YACKUM. “If the girl don’t give up the booty yackum…lay’em down and slackum yackum.”
Malcolm out running a dog one night walking from Sid’s.
Jemal bringing Rosanne and Maria over my house.
Driving though the highlands with the light off.
The night Sid, I and Clarence saw the ghost in the middle of the road.
Sid always saying, “OH SHOOT, OH SHOOT, OH SHOOT!!”
Me spotting Jay in the gym…and he dropped all the weights. Yeah I blamed that one on him.
Hanging out at Steve’s watching porn.
Punching Reevey in the leg and watching him crumble or the night me and Reev got drunk at Kean.
Me and Frank at Six Flags to see Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam.
Visiting Hampton, Norfolk and VSU with Jemal, His Dad and Uncle Julian.
At Norfolk State with Frank the night the dude pulled out a gun and he was winning the fight.
Driving to Vassar to pick up Steve with Frank.
Going to the Trade Winds in the back of Dave’s car…JIMMY!!!! DEE sister was on my lap. LMAO.
And Steve’s plan to make a porno staring his sister’s friends.
It’s been a long time since all of us have been in the same place at the same time to really just sit down, talk and think…how did we get here? And are we all successful? I think you all know the answer to the latter question. Though we are not related, when you look up the definition of a brother…you will see us. One day we need to have a JB reunion. We all need to find the time before we all get too old and too broke to do anything. I can’t speak for Jay but I know life is short and I almost lost mine in July of 2004. Let’s all make a promise that within the next five years, no matter what we will all try and get together. I want to thank all of you for the love, respect and support you all have given to me over the years. You are truly…my brothers…Jungle Brothers.
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