Good Morning,
My day is starting early and will run late. My travel mug is filled with very hot Door County Jamaican Blue Mountain Blend Coffee. Today is election day in my part of the world and my latest endeavor is to work as an election worker within my community. Today is my first day on duty.
Psalm 90:14 ESV Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
As a child I was the proud owner of a red coaster wagon. It was purchased from a yard sale, but it was new to me. That wagon was used like a rolling sidewalk toboggan and was an excellent source of entertainment on an alley way with a steep grade. They were very hard to steer while racing down the hill. You had to sit in the back and hold the handle tight and hope you did better at the concrete course than you did the last time. Back then you rode your bike or your wagon without a helmet and skinned up knees and elbows were just part of being a kid. Ice was used as the miracle cure for all bumps on the head.
The old wagon was also good to haul home the groceries for mom and was an excellent way to pull your toddler sister around. If we were lucky and found some glass bottles that could be redeemed for the deposit, my sister and I could take a walk of about one city block, cross the street, and go to the pool hall and purchase two orange sherbet cones. I was about five years old at that time which made my sister an annoying two years old. She was a toddler and if I wanted to get anywhere without holding her hand I put her in the wagon and hauled the little queen with me.
Yes, we crossed the street. I was taught how to look both ways and cross when it was safe to do so. Yes we were a block from home. Mom could call in the grocery order and then send me to the corner store where it was bagged for me. The store clerk would help load my wagon and I would initial the receipt and go home. The bags were packed so that they were not too heavy for me to haul up the three stairs into our home. At the end of the week, Dad would go to the store and pay the bill. No credit cards back then.
My point for today is this. I grew up in much better times than the kids today. Neighbors watched out for neighbors. Kids could cross the street in safety and not dodge reckless drivers. A coaster wagon could be used for fun and also a little work. Kids were safe to go into a pool hall and visit Mr. Burgerino the owner, and then walk home in safety. Your shirts were your napkins.
Microwaves were the gas range and a pot of water if you were making a hot dog. Making faces at others was dangerous because your face could stay that way according to mother. A new book was one that you borrowed from a library and oh my if you made any noise in the library. A lawn sprinkler in the summer was a way to cool off and now and then I still see those water saviors at work on a hot day. Somehow they survived Father Time. You did not need a watch because you could smell dinner cooking and later the street light let you know what time it was. Macaroni and cheese was a luxury, and noodles with butter and ketchup were a little more the norm.
My point for the day is this. Those might have been the good old days. But were they? It is our job to make this day the best we can for our children and for us. And do you know what? I still see coaster wagons now and then. They too have survived Father Time.
God bless,
Marty
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