Many of my ideas about friendship come from watching westerns. It only took a few episodes of watching Roy Rogers and I understood why every kid should have a horse to call his most faithful friend and confidant. I dreamed of endless nights in the Wild West, sitting by a warm campfire with nothing but freshly cooked beans and a horse for company.
I’m not so sure the 2010 Census folks will be happy with me when I turn them away with only the “body count” details of those in my home. I think that is protected and authorized in our constitution. The thought that being compelled to disclose more is frightening.
As a very young boy I can recall the times my Grandpa Oscar would visit us in Maryland, from his home in Jasper, Indiana. I reveled in his visits… Grandma Nelda, on the other hand, was feared more than embraced.
The father suit fit best from the moment I was graced with my first child. In fact, it was the father suit that I wore during this period. I knew my daughter was growing up with an example of marriage that was unhealthy. The only way to change it all was to change out of the husband suit.
This is the point in time when the effort to “have it better than me” pays off for a father. He got his first laptop at 11 years of age, now nearly 15, he navigates the Internet, mining information as if he’d been born to it. And all because “have it better than me” was bearing fruits.
Recently I heard a Professor of History from the University of Virginia respond to the suggestion made by actor Tom Hanks that World War II was largely driven by racism. His premise is made by drawing comparisons to modern day rhetoric with that of WW II rhetoric. Hanks concludes our fight with the Japanese and ultimately our use of “the bomb” was from a racist motive to utterly and completely wipe them out. I think the 1940’s era phrase he invoked was “…just wipe them all out!”
I write poetry in addition to my other writing passions. Although I wrote this about 4.5 months prior to meeting my wife, it only touches the surface of my love for her. Love at any age is grand, don’t you think? Happy Valentine’s Day!
It’s also a time when the boys determine to correct ‘pecking order’ mistakes inflicted by a their teacher during the winter. Teachers have been known to make terrible mistakes in that regard.
