Elvis is 80 today

It is almost unbelievable that Elvis would be 80 today. I remember when we were living out Longworth and my sister went to see him with her friend, Janyce at the Sweetwater auditorium. She was 17, I was 12 so I couldn't go.  That was in 1957. He was just starting out at that time. My sister Janice told me after she got home that her and Janyce went in the back and he picked her up and swung her in the air(She only weighed 89 lbs.) then he kissed her. He wrote his autograph on Janyce's hand and she swore she would never wash her hands again.

All my growing up years I kept up with Elvis and even in my 20's and 30's. He was in Abilene the year before he died and I wanted to go see him so bad but again I didn't get too. If I had of known that was my last chance I would have went somehow.

That day on August the 16th I was just kind of listening to the TV when they stopped the program to say, "Elvis has died." I started crying and thinking no this can't be true. But as the day went on I found out he had died that morning. My friend Kathy and I talked about going to his funeral but we couldn't. I did watch it on TV.

Still after 38 years Elvis has not been forgotten. At Christmas I play his song "Blue Christmas." I love that song. Another one I love is "Crying in the Chapel" and "Amazing Grace."

I finally got to go to Graceland nine years ago. I had went to West Virginia and on the way back we stopped there. In the house it was back in the 60's. I could just imagine him in that kitchen making him a peanut butter and banana sandwich. When we went out in the back where he was buried along with the rest of the family tears poured down my face. Forty two was way too young to die.

Today on his 80th birthday I watched two of his movies. "Roustabout" and "Blue Hawaii." I may watch another one before I go to sleep.