Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Times Sure Have Changed

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32
I read this on Facebook this morning

THIS WAS COPIED FROM A FB FRIEND'S STATUS, AND IT AWESOME!!!!!! Checking out at the grocery store recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. I apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations." She was right about one thing -- our generation didn't have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then…? After some reflection and soul-searching on "Our" day here's what I remembered we did have.... Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day. We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day. Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn't have the green thing back in our day. Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right. We didn't have the green thing back then. We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then. Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint. But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then? Please post this on your Facebook profile so another selfish old person who needs a lesson in conservation from a smarty-pants young person can add to this...

I had so much fun with my grandsons yesterday. I am not a bit sore this morning and I have all those feel good Nana feelings going on. We played and watched TV for preschoolers all day. I played piggies on the toes with my little one 18 months old now and I swear he was saying do it again or again. He has cute ways of walking on tippy toes shuffling sort a gallop lots of cute antics puts his head on the floor and balances with one leg up in the air and uses some sign language such as milk more and please and to watch him discover new things experiment and laugh was such a blessing. He is even talking more. Both boys sat with me sooooooo much. They were angels no crying no fighting big brother wasn't picking on little brother all the time. The older one almost 4 now is really changing. Very smart. He sure wanted to eat alot for such a picky guy he has been and he wasn't a smarty mouth. I love those little guys so much such wonderful gifts from Him. Praise Him!
 
  • 12 new things for 2012 Try recipe cooking, add to my indoor garden I have my eye on a couple of primroses, try a new craft making an arch, well that is three so far! I don't like resolutions but I all for trying some new things in 2012 that will be 12 and it is hard to come up with ideas. Try it!
1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 

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