generations Archives - CONSIDER THIS Radio Show with Annette Petrick

Backstory

My story tells of meeting the three babies together last summer. It was actually two summers ago, when we could still interact and hug and cuddle. I have such fond memories of three generations converging on that summer day with stories, laughter and love.

Three Baby Boys

They were born just months apart; three grand-babies for my lucky sister. It was such a surprise when her married children announced they were all pregnant, one after the other. She could not wait to have all three babies in one place at one time.

This summer it happened. The whole family gathered – from Chicago, New Jersey, Virginia – and celebrated the first birthdays of all three babies.

It was amazing how different they all were. One was already walking – toddling around the picnic grounds as independent as you please. One had a look of fine concentration; like he was taking everything in and had profound unspoken knowledge. The third was complacent and charming, smiling all the while and cuddling with anyone who offered their hands to hold him.

I was thinking my future and yours lies in the hands of these three baby men, and thousands like them who are just coming into our world, our society, our environment. What values will they have as they grow up? What morals will they uphold? What will the world expect of them?

The only thing I could predict for sure is that they will all be different from the way I was brought up. Very different. Better? Worse? History has yet to tell.

But as I kissed their sweet cheeks and felt the warmth of their smiles, I felt that my future was in good hands.

P.S.

The boys’ adulthoods will be lived in a world that is swiftly changing under our feet. They will learn a new kind of balance and be judged by vastly different rules and norms. Their language will be different, along with the way they see the world and how they are entertained. Parents and grandparents will be left in the dust of comprehension – just as we left the two generations behind us.

[Show #303]

Backstory – Wooden Bowl

This episode is not original. It was related by a story teller; those folks who face their audience with nary a teleprompter in sight and narrate their tales. Wish I knew the name of the story teller, to share with you.

Consider This Show – Wooden Bowl

Click to listen or follow below to read.

The frail old man could no longer live alone. He moved in with his son and his family. But things got off to a rocky start.

The old man’s hands trembled and his eyesight was blurred. When the family ate dinner together, food fell off his silverware. He spilled his milk. He dropped plates.

The son’s wife was irritated with the mess. Finally they decided to set a small table in the corner where Grandpa could sit alone. This would keep everyone else from being annoyed by him as they ate. To avoid broken dishes, food was served at the little table in a wooden bowl.

His 8 year old grandson thought he saw tears in the old man’s eyes at meal time, but he made no objection. One evening the parents noticed their son busily at work with some pieces of wood.

“What are you making?” the father asked. The boy responded, “I’m making bowls for you and Mama to have your food in, when you live with me, when I grow up.”

The parents were speechless as tears welled up in their eyes. That evening the man’s son went over to his father’s place at the little table and took his hand. He gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days, the old man ate every meal with his son’s family. And for some reason, it didn’t seem to matter anymore when a fork was dropped, a drink spilled or a tablecloth soiled.

[Show #365]