Last Sunda my pastor was gone on vacation and being a retired pastor I was
asked to fill in. I chose the absence of Thomas from the other diciples as a
message and focused on what he had missed from that gathering. After church a
couple of guys and I got into a conversation of what the young people are
missing today compared to 'The Good Old days'
I lived on a 160 acre 'poor man's farm' but we didn't know we were poor because
no one ever told us we were.
Our house was heated by coal stoves in each room. The upstairs had no heat and
in winter I had to scrape frost off the window to look out.. We walked a mile
to school every day there was no bus so no snow days. We drank water from a
well and had to tie a rag around the spout to filter out the worms and bugs and
dirt. NOBODY EVER GOT SICK.
In summer if the water was too low in the creek we swam in a large concrete
horse trough the cows drank from. I seldom wore shoes in summer except to bale
hay. I got sunburned but never worried about UV rays and there was no such
thing as sunblocker. In winter we had no 200 channel TV's or nintendos or
IPods. we were outside working or making snow forts or tunnels using or own
imagination. The teachers cared about their students and visited every home at
least once a year. There were no child proof lids and we rode byclcles without
helmets, cars without seatbelts or booster seats and it was a thrill to ride in
the back of a pick-up truck. We play hide and seek, Andy-I - Over. we jumped
from haylofts, trees, and roofs. We got scratched, cut , broke bones but nobody
ever got sued or was threatened to have their children taken away. In school we
used a #2 pencil
ballpoint pens were taboo. If we got caught misbehaving we went to the
principles office. I got caught throwing spitballs and had to chew a 5Lb coffee
can full as punishment at recess. It took me two months to fill that can. There
were no lawsuits if a teacher smacked us with a ruler or a book. To get to
school functions we rode our bikes or walked, there were no 'Soccer moms'. When
things were plentiful we didn't waste. when they were scarce we did without or
conserved.
If parents had to raise their kids today like my parents raised me they
wouldn't. if kids today had to live the lifestyle we lived then they couldn't.
But we had freedom, failures, successes, and responsibilities. We asked for
nothing from the government but was always ready to help at a moment's notice.
We were proud and we made do and we SURVIVED. Thomas may have missed a lot not
being with the other diciples but not as much as I miss those Mayberry days on
the farm.
Vic
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