The America I Remember

[pawclaws]

Here it is boys and girls.

http://www.tomslighthouse.net/lighthse/index.html

Then click on "Funeral, Texas style."

Before you go to that link though I'm just bustin' to say a word or two. When I was growing up in Marion, Glouster, The Plains, and Athens, we never locked a door. At six years old I walked a mile to school and returned every day without ever a thought of being abducted or kidnapped. I went to the store for Mom and brought home milk and bread about once a week. Sometimes I'd stop and play with a friend or two; maybe stick ball or kick the can and always in the middle of the street. Noone minded and the drivers all slowed down until we got out of the way. They always smiled and waved and we continued our game. In school I got my butt smacked for saying "pooped". I had friends who were girls and boys, black and white, and never really knew there was a difference or cast system of any sort. My buddies were Dennis, Wayne, Richard, and Billy; sometimes Eugene (because he was a little weird)! I never met any of their parents yet we were best of friends and always were together on weekends. Anyway this is the America that I remember! I thought that with the recent garbage all around us with "The Jacksons", with the name calling and finger pointing of our politicians at our President, our military, and our very values, with tossing our Ten Commandments out of the courthouse, with validating Gay marriages, etc. Well anyway I just needed to say something. This web address and the presentation kind of reminded me for a minute of "Who we are" and who we really need to be. Texas has not forgotten. I hope and pray that we all can remember and return to "The America I remember!"


__________________
PHILLIP P. FOREMAN
11310 Pleasanton Road
Athens, Ohio 45701
"In God We Trust"
Founder, Ohio Camp Cooks
Charter Member, IHLA
Charter Member, 463rd Air Lifters
Former Life Member, NAHC
Partner, TRCA
Member, American Legion
Member, IDOS
"As the rainbow follows the storm, peace shall follow the war."

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 02-05-2004 20:29: Message edited by: pawclaws ]</font>

 

[Whiskers]

Paws, I was raised in a very small town in Central Penna. When I was a kid we went home from school for lunch, and returned 45 minutes later. Mom was always there, she had 4 boys to feed lunch. Her favorite saying was she was gonna get a soup gun so she could feed us all and get us back out the door on time. When it rained we had to wear galooshes to school to protect our school/church shoes. We had school clothes, church clothes, and PLAY Clothes. When you got home from school you better get out of them school clothes. The only time you wore sneakers in school was in gym class. You had to take a shower after gym. That was the rule, and no one questioned it. We had a little grocery store 3 blocks away. It wasn't part of any giant chain, it supported three families. The owner Mr. Lepley, Jim the butcher, and the man that kept the floor clean and shelves stocked. At that time we didn't know run to the store was a phrase. If Mom said run up to Lepleys and get a loaf of bread, thats what we did. WE RAN. Mom usually gave you exactly as much as the purchase would be. How she knew that I will never know. We always came straight home. WE played ball, fished, hiked in all kinds of weather. We didn't know we were deprived because we only had 3 tv stations. That we didn have a stero. That the only radio was AM and Dad was always listening to a ball game on it. My brothers and I were, and still are each others best friends. Thats what I remember, and wish this country could return to.

 

[Elkhunter]

No doubt we thought we had it rough then, and now we look back at it and see how simple life can be, if we only let it. The two desciptions of youth above so mirror the days of my youuth. And to think society tossed the Ten Commandments out of the courthouse, and then have you swear on the Bible when taking the stand. Helps show how scewed up we really have become.

BTW Paws, the link would not work for me.

 

[pawclaws]

Thanks Elkie; fixed it!

 

[scottymack]

What bothers me the most is a doctor here in the Sacramento area has sued the school district and now the case is in the Supreme Court for the one thing that I remenber all the back to kindergarten....The Pledge of Aligence. I still remmeber walking or ride our bikes to the lake to fish or swim and then coming home and playing in the street until the street lights came on. Mom did not have to tell us to come in we knew that the lights came on we were supposed to go into the house. When we live on property and there were no street lights, the front porch was our notification.

I think so many times we get lost in the present when we can gain the answers from the past. I wish that all could grow up in a small town and experience the joys of living in a place that your parents knew you were in trouble before you did, or the only thing you had to worry about was not destroying your new school shoes by dragging your toes down the street on your bike.

 

[Elkhunter]

Thanks paws. That is a great site and the texas link is awesome and very well woth the time to check it out.

 

[Quick Draw]

GREAT POST. THANK YOU

Quick Draw

 

[GLW]

Impressive Phil, thanks! Makes me proud to be a Texan, and I'm not one!!!

 

[Santa]

HO! HO! HO! Well it looks like I had a little free time on my hands and all the chores are caught up. I see we are having a laittle "flash back." I remember those days pretty well too! Remember when it used to really snow??

 

[Elkhunter]

Yeah.....The snow always seemed deeper when we were kids.