Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Confessions from my 86 year old Grandfather

A few weeks ago my Grandpa called me on a Saturday morning, just to say he was sorry. He said he need to call all of his grandchildren and get this off of his chest.

Born in 1924, he joined the Navy and went to serve his country in WW II along with his twin brother who died serving in the Air Force fighting in France. He has worked most of his life selling insurance, going to church, spending lots of time with the grand kids and enjoying the simple things in life.

In our family, sorry doesn't come easy. We tend to be very bull headed, and when we are right, well we are right and that's that - even when we are wrong. So for Grandpa to call to apologize for anything is not going to happen. Until that Saturday morning.

I wasn't ready for this. ~

I just want to say I'm sorry for not standing up for the right things when I was younger, after the war we didn't care, we had served our country and felt we deserved everything. I mean my twin brother died overseas and we felt we had earned and deserved all the free stuff in FDR's New Deals It was my whole generation, we didn't care. We new that our grandchildren and great grandchildren would have to pay for this their blood would be on us but we didn't care. I new what was right and should have stood up for what I believed in. Problem was we just wanted to focus on life after the war but we didn't want to have to get involved in that stuff, we realized the consequences it might have on future generations, i mean we new but didn't really care. You guys have to deal with way worse stuff because we didn't stop this stuff when we had a chance in the 40s' and 50's, and now the government is completely out of control with its handouts and spending, its on the news every night. Now you kids get to try and deal with these problems and I'm sorry.

And that was it, I really didn't know what to say, what could I say? You are right? Don't worry about it? I do worry about it, we should all worry about it. Even late in life Grandpa cares now, and he's on the way out.

No rest for the weary, its time to make ourselves heard and noticed. Our country is on the verge of bankruptcy and people still don't care. Take a lesson from my Grandpa, and get involved and make a difference, he didn't but you can!


~ Benjamin Smith