Before we go down memory lane this week, I would like to enter this thought that I try to use in any problem that I have. It works for me. The title is "The Great Physician".
Welcome to the Great Physician's Office, who's hours are as you come. He's a specialist in all problems, and His day is never done. He can heal a heart that's broken, He can mend the spirit, too. No matter what your ailment is, He does have the cure for you. His fee for service never alters, He serves rich and poor as well. He's our one chance for salvation, He alone saves us from Hell. There's no fee for services rendered, all He asks is that we believe, that He bled and died to save us, and all His blessings we will receive. Do you have a special problem, that is troubling you this hour? Then just simply leave it with Him, because you can find no greater power. Don't delay in seeking treatment, Please, my friend, don't hesitate, For His office is soon closing, and He'll shut and lock the gate. I wouldn't want you to suffer, While the Doctor's so close by,your whole life will be much better, If my Physician you will try..
If you are my age or older, then you probaly remember taking a bath in the large galvanize washtub, in the kitchen. Mom would heat the water on the big cook stove, and when hot ,she would empty it into the washtub, and then call each of us, one at a time, into her waiting arms, and inform us that it was time to clean up. As the water cooled, she would add more hot water , until each and all of her children were clean for that day.
If you were any size at all, it was pretty hard to squat down in that tub, so most of the time, you were on your knees while you washed up. Now, according to what the weather was outside, sort of decided how much time you took to get the job done. If it was warm, you sort of took your time until mom would tell you to hurry up and get through. If it was very cold outside, then you didn't waste any time getting your bath and towelling off in front of the stove. Man, you still froze to death trying to towell off. And isn't it funny how you were cold on one side, and warm on the other? On the other days, we mostly took sponge baths, close to the heating stove, with our backs to each other. We were not to look at the others, while they were bathing, and mom would make sure of that.
Of course, after we had our baths and had our clean chothes on, we would help mom clean up the tub and all the water we splashed around. Mom's day was never done as long as we were awake and even then , she didn't get much rest.
How about all the games we played ,and how sometimes mom would join us in playing those games? Let's see, there was hide and go seek at dusk, hopscotch, butterscotch, doubledutch jacks, kickball, dodgeball, mother may I, hula hoops, running through the sprinkler, Catchin' lightening bugs in a jar, playin sling shot, climbing trees, cops and robbers, cowboys and indians. How about those pillow fights , or sitting on the porch. Sittin on the curb just talking. Jumpin down off what we thought was high. Crowding around in a circle around the 'after school fight', then running when the teacher came. Eating Kool-aid powder with sugar. Buying penny candy and getting it in a brown paper bag. Remember when going downtown, seemed like going somewhere. Remember when there were two types of sneakers for girls and boys . Remember waiting for the TV to warm up, which took about five minutes.
Remember when just about everyone's mom was at home when her kids got there. And just about everyone had a dog or cat. How about when you got gas, you got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, for free, every time. And, you didn't pay for air. How about those soaps that had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box. And can you believe that there was a time when any parent could discipline thier child or use him to carry groceries, and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it. When they threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed and did! Remember when being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to what you got at home for being bad.
Our parents and grandparents were able to lay down the law and enforce it, and they did just that.
But you know, having a little fear of what our parents would do to us for being bad boys and girls was good for us, because we respected them and they were only trying to make us know right from wrong. Remember how after a good scolding or a good spanking, and you were about to run away from home, there was mom there to take care of a cut , or a bump on the head from playing so hard. She was there to take care of those mosquito bites , and she was there to sort of tickle you, making you laugh so hard, your stomach hurt.
Those were the days, because mom and dad were there to protect you, and to take care of all your needs, and you thought it would never end. Sometimes, I think that we need to go back in time, when we had to pull together, and each of us had a chore to do each day, and we were expected to do right instead of wrong. We need to go back to a time, when you were really cold or hot according to what the weather was. Go back to a time, when the only way you cooled off ,was by running through a sprinkler, and the only way to get warm, was to huddle up by the coal stove . Could this generation do that? I don't know ,but it could happen one day, and would we survive? Do we have it too easy, or is that what mom and dad sacraficed their lives to , so that we could be enjoying what we have today?
We take so much for granted these days. We expect to get something without working for it, and we have our hands out for gifts instead of just for friendship. We want protection, but we want to tear down the people who give that protection. We put fear into the minds of good people that God will punish them, instead of that God will only reach out for them. We want jobs, without working, and we want pay without jobs. We are a society of a mixture of people, who let the other countries dictate on what we wear, and what we buy. Was this what mom and dad wanted for us? Was this what those two people who were God's servants worked themselves to the bone for us to have?
I am and was very fortunate to have two parents who prepared me and my brothers and sisters, to know that to get something, you had to work for it. They taught us to respect everyone, regardless of their race , creed, and way of life. When you go to sleep at night and know that you have pleased them, then you know that you did ok. Sit back each morning and reflect on what you have to do and then just do it. Don't put off what you can do today. Thank the Great Father for yet another day that you can do what you were taught to do by those wonderful two people that we call Mom And Dad. I hope that I have started your day off right and that you will finish that day with lots of joy, and that those who have since departed from this earth, will say "Well Done, My Child"