What happened to my grandparent’s world?

Each summer I couldn’t wait to go visit my grandparents.  It involved a dreadful road trip but was worth every mile once I arrived.  

One set lived on a wheat ranch. Flat, dusty, with miles of amber waves of grain. I would get up with the sun, gather eggs, dig potatoes, hang clothes on the line, pick apricots, and as I got older I’d help with the cooking and cleaning for a harvest crew. Work never felt so good.



The other set spent their summers vacationing lakeside amidst the tallest trees I’d ever seen. Their summers were slower paced with the biggest decision involving whether to canoe or swim.

Like most children discover, grandparents are amazing. You wonder how your parents could have ever come from such loving and considerate people. Weeks without arguments and at mealtime: no beets or liver.

My grandparents couldn’t have been more different from one another. Farmers versus college professor and nurse. Protestant versus Catholic. Staunch Republicans versus die-hard Democrats. Ford versus GM.

While their differences were striking, their similarities changed me the most.  Married for life.  Scrupulously honest. Worked hard. Saved money. Patriotic to the core--even in desperate times. Poverty and war shaped their worldview. The Great Depression was a time of personal deprivation. They held strong opinions about foreign dictators and had great respect for our republic. If I had to attach one word to them it would be: values. Their values ran as deep as their memories.

As my parent’s marriage dissolved around me, I clung even more to my grandparent’s values.  While their political viewpoints differed, their belief in America did not. Neither couple allowed debt, instead would save up and pay cash. Their lifespan encompassed amazing changes. Inventions and medical advancements made things easier and helped them live longer but was life that much better? They often pointed to how our country was changing and change wasn't always good.

My amazing summers were shared with two couples that never ceased to hold onto their belief in America. What would they think now? I think I know. They'd be ashamed. All they believed in and worked for is slipping away. The values they clung to no longer seem to matter.

I'm ashamed too, for deep down I knew better and didn't want to change. I liked this new way of life. I supported the idea that I could have it now and pay later. Yet my grandparents showed me that struggle comes before success. I also remember their warning: we often don't appreciate what we have until it's gone.

I fear what's gone are my grandparent's values.  Our nation faces staggering challenges. In my grandparent's world their values could stand the trial. I'm wondering what values are left in this nation  and are they strong enough for what is just ahead?

“America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”  Alexis de Tocqueville 1835
 

Popular posts from this blog

Counting the Cost

Image
Something big is missing in this photo. Let me explain. Here in my hometown, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe prepared a parcel of land for a new hotel. Plenty of planning and architectural designs were evaluated. A gemstone of a hotel would be built across from the waterfront—a beautiful, restful place welcoming travelers. A true four-star facility.   They cleared the aging brick structures that had been fading away between Front Street and Railroad Avenue. Then the pandemic hit, shortages of labor and supplies, add in the costly inflation that followed. Everything stopped.   But this is what I admire about the Elwha Tribe: they have counted the cost. They didn’t want to move forward and take on tremendous debt. They would rather move slowly and be financially ready, rather than begin building and then letting it sit unfinished.   Counting the cost is something I should have done earlier in life when I didn’t know what high interest rates would do to our farming cost...
Read more

Summertime Music

Image
During the summer months, in an outside seating area, a delightfully painted piano sits with a sign that says, “Play me”.   It was just before 8 pm as I walked past the piano. My bus would be arriving soon, and I still have another ten minutes to walk before reaching my bus stop. But no one is around. It’s a beautiful warm evening. I pulled out the piano bench and sat down. The sun was behind me, and the piano keys reflected its glow. I had no music in front of me, only the songs within me. Notes drifted into the air.  In those brief moments, the magic of music and summer came together. Isn’t that how it is? Summertime music has a way of lingering in our minds and lasting a lifetime. As I stood and grabbed my things, I heard distant clapping—I guess I wasn’t alone, after all.
Read more

Planting Good Seeds

Image
Harvest will always depend on what we plant and how well we care for our crop.    Looking over my seed packets, I notice they’re different than the ones I planted before. One package is called Word seeds. The directions say that each of my words is a seed, so it cautions me to think before I speak. Harsh words don’t produce sweet, nourishing fruit. These seeds will require thoughtful care in the garden. I see some Volunteer seeds. Those extra hours I tend to fritter away are going to be planted in a useful project.   It looks like time isn’t wasted in this garden plot. Next are some Love seeds—the directions are interesting: get up each day and love others. No specifics are given—just do something for someone every day. The seed package shows pictures of smiling faces. I smile back. As I’m ready to head to the garden with my seeds, a package falls to the ground. I open it. Inside are the tiniest seeds I’ve ever seen—but the directions s...
Read more