- Narrator: [narration as John 'John Boy' Walton, Jr. reading from his journal] Usually each family has its own special folklore, stories and anecdotes polished smooth with the telling. The setting for most of our legends was Waltons Mountain. But one favorite part of our folklore took place far from the mountain when my father had served overseas in what was then called The Great War. To us children, my father's stories of the places he'd seen and the men he'd known were endlessly fascinating. And then, one day, a legend came to visit us.
- John Walton, Sr.: Why didn't you speak up, son?
- Jason Walton: Just knowing seemed enough.
- John Walton, Sr.: The boy would have spoken up. But the man didn't.
- John Walton, Sr.: What you're talking about is memories. That's all they are, memories. Good memories, but just memories. You've got to put them away in a shoebox. You've got to retire them. Tip, one thing I've learned is every day's a new thing, a chance to start again. Hey boy, give life a chance. Grab ahold of now.