The Way It Was… Or Was It Really?
To The Editor:
This week one of the greatest men I have ever known died and went to heaven.At the age of 91 he was still one of the strongest, quick-witted, and opinionated people on earth. He was a former detective, police chief, Sunday School teacher and an all-around “man’s man” in every way. He was my Grandpa.
“Our greatest generation” is what Tom Brokaw called my Grandparents generation. He was right. The Great Depression, World War II, the space race, and the civil-rights era shaped this generation. My grandparents were as rigid and traditional as anyone could be. Grandpa made a living and tended to the farm. Grandma raised the kids, supported her husband, and kept a perfect house. Their roles never crossed and were never confusing. As a child, I could not have imagined my grandpa doing housework or my grandma even driving a car.
All of this changed as they aged. My grandmother became ill and could not do the tasks she previously held so dear. My ultra-rigid grandpa began doing the dishes, cooking, and cleaning. Unimaginable. He even learned to bake her famous Christmas cookies when she could not do it anymore. When my grandma passed away he did something else we could not have imagined, he sold the farm and moved in with my parents. He became a babysitter to greatgrandchildren. Again unimaginable.
The lessons I learned from watching my grandpa adjust will be forever beneficial to how I live the rest of my life. He was the John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and old-school lawman with every fiber of his being. Adjusting was not in his stubborn nature. When his family needed him, he was able to serve in different ways without losing his legend in any way. Shockingly, he also allowed others to serve him. If anything, this magnified his legend.
I am still learning lessons on why his generation was our greatest generation. Their traditional roles and old-fashioned ways of running a household were perfect for that time and place and may be perfect for the modern times if we would give it a try. Their children understood boundaries and respected the right way to do things. When the times got tough, they were able to bend but not break even at the sunset of their lives. I hope we have another generation like the greatest generation soon, I hope we have more men like my Grandpa. I sure do miss him and all he stood for.