The Day That Will Live in Infamy

It has been 80 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor: yes, eighty. It was the very attack that launched my late then 18-year old dad into WWII and his becoming part of The Greatest Generation. He lived through the Great Depression, too, and imparted experiences and values to us three daughters that remain with us still to this day.

It also makes me think that it's rather shameful what we so often see on the news and read about in the newspaper. My, how perspectives have changed. I get that life progresses and moves on–technology, types of school classes, jobs, sports, you name it. Our challenges now are our challenges, and life can be relative.

But sit down, take a break from your phone, and with a deep breath take even a long moment to imagine just what life must have been like so very many years ago. Ever read The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom? (Talk about perspective).

Flight itself happened in dad's lifetime. Today, we can become impatient at the airport, in lines all dressed down in t-shirts and shorts–things no one years earlier would even think of wearing. Or purchasing. I confess to liking today's more casual approach at times. In fact, I've been known to go without makeup, both at home and in public, whereas years ago women would never even think of such a thing. There really was something to be said for looking the part of a well-put-together traveler. I think we acted differently, too, in stature and verbally.

Think a moment the next time you see silver-haired people sitting at some ceremony. They're not porcelain dolls ready to break; they're valued people who have experienced a lot in their lifetimes. It's just that age may have taken hold of their bodies. (Newsflash: it will happen to you, too, if you're fortunate enough to live that long).

So today we do have our issues: jobs, politics, covid, tech, hackers, theft, restrictions, etc. But amidst any "ick" we face, let's all please remember, today especially, that our freedom did not come easily. Dad, I salute you and others who, in various ways, fought for us all.