The handshake

The Texas handshake is world famous. I remember an episode of the TV show MASH when Colonel Sherman T. Potter was checking on the patients and he came upon a soldier who had been severely wounded. As he spoke to the young man the soldier thrust out his hand and gave the colonel a firm handshake. The colonel immediately said, "You’re from Texas aren’t you?"

The young man answered, "Yes Sir!"

"I knew it," the colonel replied. "I never met a Texan yet, unless he was unconscious, that didn’t offer his hand no matter how wounded he was."

My father would have made a great Texan! He was known up north by the fact that when he met a stranger he always stuck out his hand and said, "Hello, I am Albert Brubaker, what is your name?

A handshake and a good name can mean so much. I remember my father saying to me, "Joe, Brubaker is a respected name. Don’t do anything to disgrace it!"

My friend James Stewart and I often talk about the meanings of a good handshake and a good name. We both remember when if a man gave you his word and shook on it, it was as solid as any written contract. That is still true but we both think that it is declining.

When Betty and I sold our house in Ohio we only advertised by word of mouth. The brother of a neighbor of ours came to look at our place. He asked all sorts of questions and then finally asked the price we were asking. He simply said, "Consider it sold. Either my brother, my son, or I will buy it."

I called my son to tell him we had sold the house. Craig, who was in business and dealing with all sorts of people, asked if I had gotten a down payment and a legal paper signed. "No, Craig, I didn’t" I answered. "Then you haven’t really sold it," he told me.

I got to thinking about that and went up town to talk with a business friend of mine. "Did John say he would buy it, he asked? "Yes," I said. "Then it is sold," was his reply. I few days later John came with a down payment and the rest is history.

So north or south there are people whose word and handshake is as good as gold!

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