A Hollywood Kiss
I was a little boy who lived in back of my grandma and grandpa's house. I had the best of both worlds...mom, dad, sister, and brother at my house, and gram and gramp a door away.
Gramp was a mechanic who had his shop in the narrow back yard of his home at 1011 Harrison St in Sandusky Ohio. He lived a hard, rewarding life as someone who took pride in fixing and building things.
He was a German, born in the late 1890's...A man who lived a common sense life and stuck with ideas that worked for him, his family, and his neighbors. Practical solutions for everyday problems. A man of action who impressed everyone who knew the straight-talking, mildly profane, "Hank".
The Argument
One day I was sitting with Gram at her dining room table in front of the big picture window and gramp came in from the garage. Before long Gram and Gramp were having words about some insignificant irritation that we all have from time to time.
Gramp grabbed a beer from the ice box and he stormed back out.
A little while later, Gramp came back in and Gram ignored him until they had another small heated exchange. Out goes Gramp again.
Geez, I hadn't seen them argue like this before. It scared me, because they had always been hugging and loving. Geez, they couldn't hug enough...
A little while later, Gramp comes back in. He looks at Gram, but says nothing.
"Are ya still mad at me Meilee?", he finally said in an uncharacteristically soft tone.
With that she got up from her chair, walked over to him, gave him a big hug, and kissed him hard and long....right in front of me!
Wow! Look at that!! And how about that Hollywood-style kiss!! I didn't know Grandma and Grandpa did stuff like THAT! O-o-o-o-o!
The world is back to being in love and I can breathe easier knowing all is normal.
It showed me the power of understanding and love.
Fast Forward to October 16, 2004
The world we live in now is a far cry from the day I witnessed Gram and Gramp's argument and make-up. And this worries me.
Even as early as 2000, the United States was arguing amongst itself. Now, here it is, four years later, and things are no better.
The country is divided right down the middle on which way we should go...to be conservative in nature and let people rule their choices in life, or move towards a liberal/socialist model where people give up their choices for the good of the people and more government involvement.
Today's differences are significant. And unlike the days of Gram and Gramp, people of today divorce when they think too differently.
The significant polar differences between the liberal left and the passionate conservatives makes me believe we are headed for a rocky road with no clear kissing and making-up anytime soon.
This was happening before Sept. 11, 2001. After 911, everyone rallied around the central USA theme for a while and that was good. Even New Yorkers were nice to each other.
But that was short lived. People have retreated back to their political camps and once again we are back to the pre-Sept 11th division. We saw that people don't really change their "spots"...they remained true to their ideologies even under a short-term blanket of post Sept. 11th patriotism.
The next major terrorist attack may once again bridge the gap, but as history shows, it will not be a lasting union between the liberals and conservatives.
Maybe it is a result of the feminism our society is giving in to. Maybe it is because the activists are aggressively pushing their ideas on a passive, conservative mindset. We know that it is the aggressor who sets the rules...
So Now What?
In any case, our society is in flux. We are arguing among ourselves and the split is getting wider. Each group is getting less tolerant of the other. We are headed for a big change in our world.
We may see ourselves divorcing "democracy" and giving ourselves to the world standard of socialism. And with any divorce, no one wins...we will lose our way of life, standard of living, and ability to share the magic of overcoming differences and then kissing each other like a Hollywood movie.
Just like my Grandma and Grampa...Meil and Hank. There is something to say about the good ol' days...
Gramp was a mechanic who had his shop in the narrow back yard of his home at 1011 Harrison St in Sandusky Ohio. He lived a hard, rewarding life as someone who took pride in fixing and building things.
He was a German, born in the late 1890's...A man who lived a common sense life and stuck with ideas that worked for him, his family, and his neighbors. Practical solutions for everyday problems. A man of action who impressed everyone who knew the straight-talking, mildly profane, "Hank".
The Argument
One day I was sitting with Gram at her dining room table in front of the big picture window and gramp came in from the garage. Before long Gram and Gramp were having words about some insignificant irritation that we all have from time to time.
Gramp grabbed a beer from the ice box and he stormed back out.
A little while later, Gramp came back in and Gram ignored him until they had another small heated exchange. Out goes Gramp again.
Geez, I hadn't seen them argue like this before. It scared me, because they had always been hugging and loving. Geez, they couldn't hug enough...
A little while later, Gramp comes back in. He looks at Gram, but says nothing.
"Are ya still mad at me Meilee?", he finally said in an uncharacteristically soft tone.
With that she got up from her chair, walked over to him, gave him a big hug, and kissed him hard and long....right in front of me!
Wow! Look at that!! And how about that Hollywood-style kiss!! I didn't know Grandma and Grandpa did stuff like THAT! O-o-o-o-o!
The world is back to being in love and I can breathe easier knowing all is normal.
It showed me the power of understanding and love.
Fast Forward to October 16, 2004
The world we live in now is a far cry from the day I witnessed Gram and Gramp's argument and make-up. And this worries me.
Even as early as 2000, the United States was arguing amongst itself. Now, here it is, four years later, and things are no better.
The country is divided right down the middle on which way we should go...to be conservative in nature and let people rule their choices in life, or move towards a liberal/socialist model where people give up their choices for the good of the people and more government involvement.
Today's differences are significant. And unlike the days of Gram and Gramp, people of today divorce when they think too differently.
The significant polar differences between the liberal left and the passionate conservatives makes me believe we are headed for a rocky road with no clear kissing and making-up anytime soon.
This was happening before Sept. 11, 2001. After 911, everyone rallied around the central USA theme for a while and that was good. Even New Yorkers were nice to each other.
But that was short lived. People have retreated back to their political camps and once again we are back to the pre-Sept 11th division. We saw that people don't really change their "spots"...they remained true to their ideologies even under a short-term blanket of post Sept. 11th patriotism.
The next major terrorist attack may once again bridge the gap, but as history shows, it will not be a lasting union between the liberals and conservatives.
Maybe it is a result of the feminism our society is giving in to. Maybe it is because the activists are aggressively pushing their ideas on a passive, conservative mindset. We know that it is the aggressor who sets the rules...
So Now What?
In any case, our society is in flux. We are arguing among ourselves and the split is getting wider. Each group is getting less tolerant of the other. We are headed for a big change in our world.
We may see ourselves divorcing "democracy" and giving ourselves to the world standard of socialism. And with any divorce, no one wins...we will lose our way of life, standard of living, and ability to share the magic of overcoming differences and then kissing each other like a Hollywood movie.
Just like my Grandma and Grampa...Meil and Hank. There is something to say about the good ol' days...
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