Yep, its flu-shot time and, yes, I have mine. I usually get my shot up at the VA but had put it off about as long as I could. My dear wife interrupted a peaceful time I was having the other day and said, “Wayne, you need to get a fl u shot.” I retorted that I knew and hoped she might go back to minding her own business and leave mine alone. But no, she had a plan and it was for us to go to Ada where the shots were being given free at the Pontotoc VO Tech School. I thought hard but couldn’t think of a good reason to get out of this. So off we went.

We made it over there and sure enough got prompt, professional service from one of the many nursing students giving the shots and soon were on our way. We took care of some other things and drove back to Allen. My arm was a little sore. But the next day I felt a little lame and just goofed off all day. Day two arrived and I ached and felt bad all over. I was having a sort of reaction or perhaps a slight case of the flu. I was sick and ran a fever for 2 or 3 days and got over it. I know the flu shot can’t give you the flu but I guess my immune system just didn’t like the other ingredients. Anyway, I got OK and am still glad I got a fl u shot.

A few years ago my Uncle Ezra from Petaluma, California was visiting us for Christmas. He told me he knew where his long lost brother George was and wanted me to help him do a visit. “I haven’t seen him since 1940 and I heard he lived down at Valiant.” Next morning we took off and I asked my Uncle if he had an address or something. “No,” he replied, “but I’ll know his place if I see it.” We arrived in Valliant in due time and he said just drive around. There weren’t many houses and Ezra said, “This one, pointing to an old run-down house with junk strewed all over the yard, junk cars sitting there rusting away and an old outdoor toilet sat out back learning hard toward the north.

We went up to the house and sure enough there was Uncle George. He was bedfast and the bed he was in was in the front living room. Several other people were just sitting around; the room was warm from the old wood stove set up there.

It didn’t take long for Ezra and George to get caught up on their history and the talking played out. So I asked Uncle George about the Flu Epidemic of 1918. He got a look on his face like he was looking into the bowels of Hell and said, “It was the worst thing that ever happened.” People sick and dying everywhere. All the coffins were used up and none were available for the dead. The trains stopped running. I thought it was the end of the world. Those railroad employees still coming to work were told to go home. “Nothing you can do here.” Help folks out. Build coffins. Dig graves and go bury the dead. “And that’s what we all did.”

“Then we got it. My entire family was struck down. Everyone but the baby and we were so sick we couldn’t help her or ourselves. I crawled out of bed once in a while and put out water for the baby or she would have died. We all survived somehow.

“Your Grandpa Boyd died” and there was no one to help so my other grandpa, J. T. Bullard went over and with the help of another neighbor built a coffin, laid him out and buried him at Maxie Cemetery. I was spellbound listening to stuff I hadn’t known about.

Authorities say that 100 million died world-wide from this flu. More than AIDS killed over a 40 year period. Can a deadly fl u pandemic ever hit like that again? I think part of the lesson here is “get your fl u shots.”

Have a good week and don’t neglect your church this Sunday.

Wayne Bullard, DPh

waynebullard@

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