A Famous Wilson Family Story
as told by R.V. and Leona’s OLDEST, Barbara
Easter 1986
Mother was visiting Janene and David in Argentina, and Daddy was staying at home. He had retired from the State Department of Education and was finally able to spend his time doing what he loved—pastoring at Corticelli.
My family lived in Licking, MO, about 35 miles south of Rolla. During the week prior to Easter, I called to see how Daddy was doing. He was excited about his plans for the Easter service at Corticelli (he always loved doing special things on Easter Sunday). He told me about a plan to involve the children in some kind of balloon launch between the Sunrise Service and the regular Sunday morning service. He said the kids had written their names on cards. I didn’t really understand all the details, but Daddy was excited about it because he thought the kids would love it.
On the Monday following Easter, our teenage children were on spring break, and they each invited a friend to join us on a day trip to Elephant Rocks, close to Ironton (southeast MO) for the day. The young people took off on their own, and Russell and I took a leisurely stroll along one of the paths where we had never gone during our previous visits to Elephant Rocks.
Free of the kids and feeling rather adventurous, we strolled along the path, enjoying nature. In the distance, I could see something “unnatural” in one of the low-hanging branches of a small tree. We thought it would be fun to check it out, so we walked toward the mystery, and Russell stepped through some weeds to reach up to get it. “It’s a balloon with a string attached,” he said. I didn’t have a clue at this point, so I said, “Cool, get it down and let’s look at it.” As he started to pull the balloon from the branch, I could see a little card attached to the balloon string. ONLY THEN did Daddy’s special plan for Corticelli Easter come into the fringe of my memory. No way. Then I recognized the familiar handwriting—Daddy’s.
Russell retrieved the yellow balloon, only somewhat deflated, and we looked at the card. It was a Corticelli Baptist Church business card, and in Daddy’s handwriting was a Scripture verse. On the back of the card was the name of a little girl.
I could not believe it. I was absolutely so awestruck that I could barely walk back to the park entrance to find a phone to call Daddy (this was before cell phones, you realize). He was sitting out on the sidewalk in his lawn chair. He was pretty amazed (not nearly as amazed as he should have been) and instead of ooh-ing and aah-ing over my story, all he wanted to know was whose name was on it. I told him. He said she would be so excited to know that her balloon was found. That was his response—that the little girl would be thrilled that SOMEONE found her balloon!! (But then, that was Daddy.)
The rest of that day, all of us strained our necks looking up into the trees all around the area, thinking that if one balloon had made that improbable trip through Missouri, surely others would’ve been on the same wind-path. But no.
Upon reflection, I feel almost like a girl who finds a bottle on the beach. Wait! It looks like it has a message in it! Open the bottle. Wow—it does have a note in it! Oh, my--not only is there a message, but it’s from my dad, in his own handwriting.
(I still have the balloon tucked away in my keepsakes from 1986.)
That a balloon released on Easter Sunday morning from Corticelli Baptist Church was found on Monday morning at Elephant Rocks in Ironton, MO, is pretty amazing. But that it was found by that pastor’s daughter, who lived in a totally different part of Missouri from the church, and a yet entirely different part of Missouri from the balloon's landing site—now that’s a story that defies telling.
But of course I WILL tell it, for as long as I have breath in my body!!!
Barbara (Wilson) Ford
