Happy Birthday, Elvis

Elvis would have been 78 years old today. I've been trying to imagine how he would look, and it is always good in my imagination.

This is the house that his parents lived in when he was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Elvis came to Sheffield, just a few miles from here, when he was just starting out. I never saw him in concert, but my sister, BG, saw him three different times. Multiple people grieved that hot summer day he passed away.

His music is timeless. In the eighties, my oldest son wore out a tape (yes, tape) of his music.

One of my favorite Elvis recordings is Kentucky Rain, but there are many, many others I enjoy.

It was at this Assembly of God church that Elvis put down his roots in gospel music.

I wonder if like every mother, Ms. Gladys, huge with twins, probably with swollen feet and an aching back, felt the labor pains and fantasized that she was giving birth to greatness.

Not everyone loved him, but everyone had to acknowledge that he changed our world.

I'm sorry he was gone so soon.

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Faith, Folklore, and Friends

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