The advantages of growing up in the same community all of your life, to me, are a blessing.

Going to school, attending church and being socially involved, you get to know people and develop personal relationships.

At that time, Reserve, a small community of less than 2,500, was bigger than LaPlace.

Leon Godchaux High School was known as Reserve High School.

I remember the Christmas Midnight Mass and how special it was. I recall family members who lost loved ones during the holiday season and the effect it had on them.

Today, I cherish those years and remember the relationships I made as though it was only a few years ago.

This week, Tuesday/Dec. 18, a funeral service was held for J. P. Clement Jr. He and his wife, Wanda, were married for 68 years and raised four children.

They were a godly example of what a Christian family should be.

J. P. was a good athlete in high school, kindhearted and humble. As a husband, he was a real man who lived as God wanted him to live.

My sympathy goes to Wanda and his family. According to God’s Word, there’s going to be a great family reunion in heaven for Christians.

Jeanne and I are blessed to have known J. P. and Wanda all of our lives.

If you have any questions or comments, please write Harold Keller at Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call 985-542-8477 or email hkeller@comcast.net.