Shirley Goodnest
Timmy was a five year old boy. His mother loved him very much. A worrier,
she was concerned when he started kindergarten about his walking to school.
She walked him to school for a couple of days, but one day he told his mother
that he did not want her walking him to school every day. He wanted to be
like the "big boys." She had an idea how to handle it. She asked a neighbor,
Mrs. Goodnest, to follow her son surreptitiously to school, at a distance
that he would not likely notice, but close enough to keep a watch on him.
Mrs. Goodnest said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it
would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well.
The next school day, Mrs. Goodnest and her little girl Marcy set out behind
Timmy as he walked to school with another boy. She did this for the whole
week. As the boys walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy's friend
noticed that a lady was following them every day all week.
Finally, he asked Timmy, "Have you noticed that lady following us?
Do you know her?"
Timmy nonchalantly replied, "Yeah, I know who she is."
"Well, who is she?"
"That's Shirley Goodnest," Timmy said.
"Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she, and why is she following us?"
"Well," Timmy explained, "every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm
'cuz she worries about me so much. And the psalm 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."