Are You a Festus?

I like to peruse YouTube videos.  I like to view science, railroad, music, and other videos.  But once in awhile a video will pop onto my initial YouTube screen that is special.  Such was the case a day or two ago when one came up featuring Ken Curtis (Festus on the old “Gunsmoke” TV show) singing “Tumbling Tumbleweeds.”

As you may or may not know, Curtis himself was nothing like his alter-ego Festus Haggen.  Curtis was a singer and performer, having done so professionally for many years before Gunsmoke came along.  He was a lot like Jim Nabors, whose alter ego Gomer Pyle seemed to be unable to carry a tune in a bucket; but Nabors was a great singer.

I watched the video and did a little research on Curtis.  I remember him well as Festus Haggen, as the weekly ritual at our house on Saturday nights (the show moved to Monday night after I left home) was to be sure the TV was tuned to channel 12 for Gunsmoke.  It was a family affair, with Dad being the one who really wanted to watch it.

I recall Dad’s fondness for the show and for the characters.  He was especially proud that Milburn Stone, who played Doc Adams, was a Kansan.  And he thoroughly enjoyed the shows where the outcome was firmly in favor of the good guys.  Some of the shows had endings that were a little on the “confusing” side with no apparent, obvious winners…with these shows, Dad was somewhat confused by himself, often saying something like, “Well, that was a strange ending!”

As often happens when being reminded of things like this, my mind went back to those years, and there quickly developed a longing for those days when life was simpler, television was more family oriented, and intact families were more the norm.  Yes, there were issues even then…life wasn’t a bowl of cherries, as Erma Bombeck would say.

However, watching Curtis sing in his Festus costume on that video, with many of the same mannerisms of the character he portrayed, was a real treat.  Maybe one reason Festus sticks with me so much is that he reminds me of some people I have known…rough and gritty on the outside, unshaven, prone to imbibe if free beer is offered to him, a little on the stinky side (not bathing until really necessary), and not one for the niceties of polite society.  Yet, Festus also has a moral code that upholds honor, truth, honesty, dignity, and reliability.  And he’s not afraid to demonstrate that in his everyday life and living.

Festus is Festus.  He is who he is.  He doesn’t pretend to be anyone else.  And he doesn’t allow political correctness or politeness get too much in the way of his way of life.  But he also has the qualities that make him someone you would want for a friend.  When push comes to shove, and you’re between that rock and hard place, you want Festus with you.  You’ll choose him first.  Because you know he will go the full ride with you.  He’ll have your back.  He’ll come through for you.

I have one or two Festus friends.  And I trust that I can be counted on to be that kind of a friend for someone else.  There are scriptures that deal with friendship.  “A friend loves at all times.”  “There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”  “Better is a friend who is near than a brother who is far away.”  There are others as well, and different translations may have slightly different wording.  The point is the same.

Strive to be a Festus friend to someone.  Live your life in such a way that people will know you can be that kind of a friend.