When I was a kid, my Dad had a blue pin striped suit he wore to church many Sundays. (One time he went to church wearing his house shoes - we were walking up the long sidewalk at Hilltop Chapel, located next to The Pony Bar, in Concord, Michigan, when he glanced down and realized he had his brown vinyl-bottomed Kmart slippers on - but that has nothing to do with this blog, I just wanted to insert that tidbit here cause I know he reads my stuff!) Back to the original thought pattern. This blue suit was the typical late 70's polyester fabric that all the men in our church donned to look their Sunday best.
Not being prone to reminiscing about my father's clothing too often, I had not thought about that particular item until about 6 months ago, when my 14 year old son wanted me to take him to Goodwill. He wanted some "old man pants" to wear. (Sorry, Dad - those were Bucky's words, not mine! Do I still get a Christmas present??) Wouldn't you know, one of the pairs of slacks this fashion-conscious child of mine chose during this shopping excursion was identical to my Dad's blue pin striped pants! Bucky loved them. Later, he decided that they would be cooler (that's probably "kuhler" in current language) if they were chopped off at the knees, so the last time I checked, his old man pants were jagged, no-hemmed, mom-isn't-sure-what-this-style-is-supposed-to-say shorts that aren't overly attractive, but which scream "Bucky!!" loud and clear. They make him happy.
I can't imagine wearing something my grandmother would have worn. The mere pondering of the drapery-inspired gabardine red and black flowered skirts combined with the double-knit red and white-speckled zippered, high-collared pullover tunic causes me to shudder with horror. It also makes me pause and remember the time that my mom, sister, aunt, and cousins, along with Granny and I, went to Albion to a park for a picnic. We kids were swinging and playing on the slide. Mom and Aunt Joyce decided to join in the fun. Not to be outdone (another family issue my sisters and I often laugh about), Granny strutted up the steps to the top of the slide, took her seat on the shiny metal, and proceeded to slide in a downward motion, which is as it should be. However, Granny forgot how to land gracefully. Granny flew off the end of the shiny metal and promptly found herself sitting, rather forcefully, in a pile of dust. After being certain that Granny's tailbone wasn't broken, helping her re-insert her eyeballs and close her mouth, and assisting her to an upright, if slightly painful, position, Mom and Aunt Joyce commenced to laugh - dare I say, cackle - their not-very-kindhearted-to-their-humbled-mother heads off, while we kids gingerly checked on Granny's well-being (and then joined in the laughter).
It's funny what you remember at the oddest moments, for the oddest reasons. I wonder what my kids will talk about, what their kids will be telling their kids about me someday. Will I have left a good heritage for them, rich in funny stories and loving memories? Will they be able to say I showed them by my actions how to love God with all their heart? Will they do what's right, even if no one else does, because they saw me do what was right? Will the things that I think are important for my children to know right now make a difference in their future generations?
Our family is spread out across several states, and we rarely are able to be together. We're all unique, like families everywhere, in our choices of how we raise our children, family rules, church denominations, schooling methods, financial situations - the list goes on. However, there is one thing we are united on and that is who we want for President of the United States of America. Our choice for President is Congressman Ron Paul. We might have varying reasons WHY he's our choice, but it's a nearly unanimous decision that he IS the choice.
In the past 6 months, my kids have learned much about government, loyalty, corruption, the Constitution, Mom's "tenacity" (as I was recently credited with by a friend), meetup groups, campaign donations, laws, elections, primaries, Democrats, Republicans, freedom of speech, health care, spying, and all other things political. I've learned with them. My dad has learned with us. This election spans generations, political parties, financial status, religions, countries.
I love America. I love our ability, our freedom, to be different. I want that freedom to be strong for my family years from now. That's why I'm not going to stop the "tenacity". I want what I leave for my family to remember to be worth their time. I want to spend my time doing things that will still be making an impact long after I'm gone. Being tenacious for Ron Paul is worth my time. Teaching my kids to follow the rules and demand that leaders do the same is worth my time. Working together with my family for a common cause is worth my time.
I will be tenacious for a man who:
*has never voted to raise taxes.
*has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
*has never voted to raise congressional pay.
*has never taken a government-paid junket.
*wants to let me keep more of my money.
*wants to end the IRS.
*wants to protect my privacy.
*wants to bring our troops home and keep our own borders safe.
*wants to end the Patriot Act.
*wants to end forced vaccinations.
*believes parents know what is best for their children in ALL aspects.
*is a strong home-school advocate.
*relies on God for wisdom, but doesn't use his "faith" to win an election.
*believes life begins at conception and as an OB/GYN, delivered over 4,000 babies.
*has been married to one woman for over 50 years.
*upholds the Constitution and votes "NO" on items contrary to it.
When I'm no longer here, I hope my family remembers that I was a little crazy, that I refused to throw away any Ohio State Buckeyes sweatshirts, that I wasn't afraid to make a fool of myself to get my point across.....and that I didn't regret, for one second of my life, having tenacity.
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