Are Old-Fashioned Ideas About God, Country, Family, and the Golden Rule Gone for Good?

Are Old-Fashioned Ideas About God, Country, Family, and the Golden Rule Gone for Good?

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For most of my life, I have wondered why the Germans acted as they did between the warsand, of course, in the time immediately before the war. Why and how did they idolize Hitler,who promised to Make Germany Great Again? And how they could just pretend it was all rightto exclude Jews from their lives and, in fact, get rid of them.How was it possible?I never could understand it until I experienced what happened during Covid.People gave up their autonomy…

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Lunch with a Friend

Lunch with a Friend

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What is more fun than a long lunch with an old friend? Recently, I had the pleasure of spending most of the day with an old friend from my schooldays. We met at Peking, a Chinese restaurant, but we both arrived early before it opened. So, I gotinto her car, and we chatted for 20 minutes, with the windows down and a small breezekeeping us from sweating too much as the sun beat down on her automobile, until we sawthem…

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An Entertaining Weekend

An Entertaining Weekend

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People sometimes ask me what I do all day. Last Saturday night, I had a party. It was very successful, and I was pleased. It was a last minute decision and those are often the best! On Thursday night, when I was on the phone with a friend, I said, “Why don’t you come over here for dinner on Saturday night? Maybe I’ll have another couple of people over.”My friend said she’d check with her boyfriend, but she thought the…

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Grace’s wedding

Grace’s wedding

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The newest wedding might have been the best one yet!! Our family has had two weddings within six weeks. That is a huge burden on a family. But my daughter Helen and her wonderful husband, David, were up to the task. Both of them are remarkably unflappable. If they feel anxiety, it is well hidden from me. Grace’s wedding was special to me because I have always known she was one of those people who (like me) wanted to be…

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Such a lovely shower!

Such a lovely shower!

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It was calm, sedate, and pleasant for the guests. The room was lovely. The pale blue walls,with white plaster decorative touches, gave guests a feeling of peace.This peace surrounded me and filled me with loving thankfulness. After the morning I had justspent going to a graduation in the rain at UVA, it was a blessed relief. It had poured all nighton Friday and drizzled all Saturday morning. It was pretty unpleasant, but I was with agranddaughter, Delilah, trying to find…

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Graduation! Once again, on The Lawn…

Graduation! Once again, on The Lawn…

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Today, I went to UVA’s graduation for the Class of 2024, which included mygranddaughter, Georgina. Of course, I went. But when I woke up this morning and saw that it was raining, Ithought about skipping the part at “The Lawn.” The forecast was for rain tocontinue all day. Well, it did continue, but I went anyway. Two of my other grandchildren had spent the night at my house, and we allwent out to dinner with the graduate and her parents…

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Hurry Up and Get Married!

Hurry Up and Get Married!

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I realize as I write this that I am speaking into the winds of change that have already swept the country. My voice echoes and becomes indistinguishable with that fierce gale, blowing our country away from its values. The subject of my futile attempt to awaken people is the total lack of morality today. A complete turnaround from the 1950s when I was growing up.  Today, it is considered modern to sleep around. There is no shame in losing one’s…

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Mah Jongg, Do You Play?

Mah Jongg, Do You Play?

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Building brain cells occupies my mind these days. As the years take their toll, it behooves us to find exercises for our mind, body, and spirit. I love a challenge, but I know my limits to some degree. For instance, learning a new language is far down my list, as I have never had much luck with that. Now, I have discovered Mah Jongg. And it is exactly like learning a new language! But it’s more fun for me because…

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Do You Cry At Weddings?

Do You Cry At Weddings?

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I learned on Saturday that I no longer cry when I hear wedding vows between a young woman and a young man. Age has made me wiser, calmer, and more realistic. Weddings are so beautiful and moving; women love them. While most men seem to wish they could avoid going altogether. Marriage is full of ups and downs. Some are so small you barely notice, and others are as strong as earthquakes. I believe in Marriage. Taking Marriage vows is…

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EASTER!

EASTER!

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He is Risen! Easter is the most important religious holiday for Christians. But I did not go to church on Easter. This made me feel momentarily guilty, but on the other hand, my gratitude to my Higher Power was demonstrated differently. Family! Ours is large and boisterous and full of love for each other. Not everyone is so blessed. It seems to me that gathering those relatives together to celebrate Easter is undoubtedly the right spirit to have. We are…

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Are You a Fish Out of Water?

Are You a Fish Out of Water?

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There is a story about a teacher who took a live fish out of its bowl of water, and then left it on the desk. The teacher told the children they would be expelled if anyone left their seat. Then he left the room. The poor fish gasped and twisted with a classroom of children watching, as it flopped around…All of the children sat and watched as the fish struggled, gasping for life, wanting to be back in the water….

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Is Your Telephone Ringing?

Is Your Telephone Ringing?

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One of my earliest memories is of my mother sitting in the chair next to her bed and holdingthe black receiver of the telephone. I heard her say, “Operator, I need “Long Distance” can you get me a Leesburg Virginia number ….” Leesburg was less than forty miles away. But it was a long distance, andit was the operator who made all long-distance calls. If the call was far away, the operatorwould call you back when she got the connection….

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Do You Winter in Florida?

Do You Winter in Florida?

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In the late 1940s, when our family was still pretty young, my parents rented a house inDelray Beach, Florida. Every winter for three years, we would go down there for six weeksand stay in a magical house owned by the “mysterious” Dr. Koch (more about him later).The house was directly on the water, a few miles from town. There were no neighbors oneither side.The house was built in the style of the famous Addison Mizner, who designed houses in theSpanish…

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Stop Allowing Cancer to Frighten You

Stop Allowing Cancer to Frighten You

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Cancer! The word is terrifying. Cancer is on the rise. And the medical establishment plays on our fears. A friend of mine asked her doctor about using an “alternative” treatment. Her doctor told her that he would no longer be her doctor if she opted to use the alternative treatment. That is blackmail. She was forced to choose. She is dead now. But she chose the doctor and his protocol. My friend fought pancreatic cancer for two years before she…

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How My Mother Met My Father

How My Mother Met My Father

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My mother, Ruth Elizabeth Hale, liked men. She had a great desire for admiration. She feltit was necessary as a young person to have a boyfriend to enjoy life. And she was a magnetfor members of the opposite sex. Men adored her. Mother’s first real love affair was with a man named Edward Wheeler. His father was asenator, and a friend of my mother’s father, my grandfather. Mother’s father liked thefamily. When they began their relationship, my mother was 17,…

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