Life As We Know (Knew) It.

 Life As We Know (Knew) It.

 

Once upon a time we had hot and dry summers. Then autumn would come along and the rains would cool things down and make it easier to be outside. We used to go to the library in Henrietta during the summer and bring back arm loads of books to read. After all, we could not go outside comfortably except early in the morning. Then the weather would start getting cold. The cold could be pretty hard. We never had quite enough blankets, and maybe pajamas were not something Mom thought about sewing. We grew so fast, it probably would have meant sewing new ones each winter. It was hard to keep Sterling in blue jeans as it was. And girls were not generally allowed to wear pants—at least not to school. Now talk about a DUMB rule. Our legs got cold under those dresses even with a slip on. And they did not make long socks until tights or those other kinds of long underwear came along—leotards! And, again, we grew too fast to make it reasonable to buy more than one pair. Not sure if the climate has changed that much or if we are just more likely to flip our noses in the air at anyone thinking that we should wear a certain type of clothing. Folks wear all sorts of things—or, in some cases, DON’T wear much. But the world is not all Walmart fashion! Some of us still try to dress decently—no matter the temperature.

 

Other things have changed in this ol’ world. Talked to two different people today about the divorces happening and how both parties have refused to argue about things. It is sad, but it is also true that not everyone knows how to be loving or giving. And when one person blames everything on the other in a marriage, it becomes nearly impossible for the situation to improve or become reasonable. And then there are the children—even adult children who are involved on one side or the other. Not everyone is blessed with a good mate who cares so very much as Lewis did. For all his faults—and mine—we had a good marriage. He was never a narcissist who only thought of himself. I loved Lewis and would have done just about anything for him. And he knew it. We did finally have to compromise and get him a set of those headphones for his TV so the old woman could live in the same house, but otherwise, we really did not have any fusses. He handled the money until he decided to teach me how to take care of things in case he died. And if something was on my wish list, he would try to take care of it. Of course, the Mustang was a car instead of a four-legged animal, but that was ok, too. My prayer for those who are in sad situations with a mate is that God would lead them to settle kindly and with honesty. For those who are dishonest, they deserve what the law will take from them. And it will.

 

Families have changed drastically over the years. Small families seem to have become even smaller, and large families don’t even know all of their cousins. Mother-in-law used to tease some of her nephews about dating in Oklahoma and Texas. Family members were scattered throughout both states! If a person comes from a smaller town like Petrolia, almost everyone there is a cousin to someone else in that town! That is true all over this country! And with the advent of sperm donors—oh dear! Folks will need to have DNA testing before marriage pretty soon if not already! But whoever is our kinfolk and wherever we live, we all have at least one common factor: we each are a child of God. Some don’t seem to consider that fact—if they ever thought of it at all—but it is true whether we married the person or just live close by. We each need to live with a kind attitude that allows others to be what they want to be—as long as they are not hurting anyone else in the process. My children have given me so much love that it behooves me to listen to them and their opinions, but they also know that despite the fact that they think the old woman may have slipped a cog upstairs, she still has her own personality and way of doing things. So, chickens roam the hill, dogs sleep in the bedroom, and a silly blog gets written nearly every day. And so far, they have been pretty understanding. Let us hope that the children of other folks can be as kind to their parents or step-parents.

 

Rest well, my friends. You are loved.