Timmy was a little five year old boy whose Mom loved him
very much. Being a worrier, she was concerned about his
walking to school when he started Kindergarten. She walked
with him the first few days, but he came home one day
telling her he did not want her walking him to school every
day. He wanted to be like "big boys." He protested so
loudly that she had to find another way to handle it.
She asked her neighbor Nancy if she would surreptitiously
follow her son to school at a distance, but close enough to
keep a watch on him. Nancy said that, since she was up early
with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to
get some exercise so she agreed. The next school day, Nancy
and her little girl set out behind Timmy as he walked to
school with his friend Ronnie. This went on for a whole
week. Timmy's friend noticed that this same lady was
following them every day. Finally Ronnie asked Timmy, "Have
you noticed that lady following us all week? Do you know
her?"
Timmy nonchalantly replied, "Yeah, I know who she is."
Ronnie asked, "Well, who is she?"
"That's just Shirley Goodnest an' her little girl Marcy,"
Timmy said.
Ronnie inquired further, "Well, why does she follow us
every day like that?"
"Well," Timmy explained, "every night Momma makes me say
the 23rd Psalm with my prayers cuz she worries about me so
much. And in it, the prayer says, 'Shirley Goodnest and
Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life.' So, I guess
I'll just have to get used to it.
