I’ve started my parenting tale with two US Navy fathers raising four girls… just like a modern tale of Little Women. Although, Louisa May Alcott’s father was kept away because of Civil war injury, my tale is more complex.
Products of the mixed signals between Russia and America who economically survived the Great Wars, Korean and Cold Wars…. we dependents were at the mercy of little disclosure or access to our fathers’ duty stations. They defended treaties with allies and defended the right to use international waters without acts of violence. They were crowded on ships that shared and operated as one under pressure. Obedience to an oath to serve country… or among those who wanted to get out of subscription.
Little did I know how intricate this simple fact was for not only my parents… but those who blazed the trail behind them. Life’s one constant was change, some closer to global evidence of genocides, religious division and political agendas than we’d know as small children.
I was never raised to think color, race, or creed. I lived through and embraced the desegregation during my childhood in the South. I didn’t know how to make sense of assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King or Robert Kennedy. I lived between the fantasy of Disney and ignorance of political corruption. I was not aware of the egotistical agenda of the Berlin Wall. Vietnam was just a place my fathers went to work.
My innocence was cocooned by parents who were far from perfect. They just kept the lines of the messiness of adult life issues from us. Playing Cowboys and Indians in the woods was not offensive. As I used a stethoscope or pretended to give prescriptions to my siblings, no one worried I was headed to substance abuse. Being on the losing team at recess did not crush my self esteem. Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. Pen pals used stationery and postal stamps. I waited and learned patience because there was no instant gratification.
I don’t think there is anything surrounding my five decades of life that is new to mankind. But, I still want to follow in my fathers’ footsteps. Never think the smallest kindness is futile. I don’t want to be discouraged by the magnitude of the descent of a country’s moral compass. I will not be afraid to face mindful weigh ins or challenging offensive lines. I aspire to respect someone’s opinion, hopefully being reciprocated the right to mine.
Change was more subtle during my lifetime. I guess I heard my dad’s Wind of Change subliminally and dreamed away. Looking back, I realize the enormous gift of these great adults. Do we leave that ability to dare to dream?
I can’t. I want to look behind and see my footprint carrying on the torch of hope given to me by a great legacy of ancestors.
Stand your ground. Be yourself. Burn your own candle.
When the flame finally goes out the memory of its light will travel into the universe, millions of miles from now.
Beautifully said my partner in crime!
“men do change, and change comes like a little wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like the stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass.”
John Steinbeck
You are so right in that change is the only constant. Personally, I am grateful for that even though at times it is hard to embrace. Staying true to you is essential, as long as we realize that the you can often change, too:)
Applause, girlfriend! Amen to freewill in spite of the fact other’s choices ultimately require us to figure out where we go/grow with it. Love you…
With trepidation I write to a writer among writers…I think that was beyond well said. I am older than you but our lives overlapped in many areas. This definitely makes me hunger for more of your story! Write on Kat!
Honored to have Billie’s opinion. This has been brewing in me for a while but stumbling on the Scorpion’s song, took me to my knees and I just wrote in the wee hours of the morning. Writing a really fun scene this week for the next project. Thanks for noticing the blog and feel free to share if you think it would bless someone.
Very philosophical. A splash of realism toward a reality in our own lives bringing family, stories and hope to the forefront. Through it all, change is inevitable, our only plan is stay true to ourselves but also recognize who we touch and what we do has an effect for the long term.
I sense that we are cut from the same cloth! There is no small act of kindness. Thanks, Ray.
I’m with you, girlfriend. All the way. So glad I had my formative years when you did. So glad I could play outside until after dark with no worries. And so glad I had the parents I did. Thanks for putting such eloquence to the days of my youth.
As I get older, I really treasure the generations that blazed my life’s trail. Thank you for reading, Bren.
Kat, you captured the essence of growing up as a military brat beautifully. Constant change. Change is constant. As a military brat, I am looking forward to reading more! Hugs! Kiffer
The new book is really releasing a lot appreciation for the times we roamed the streets and woods. Thanks for taking the time to join me in the Wind!
Beautiful, Kat! Millie West
Very well done Kat. You have a way of drawing in the reader and making us feel that we experienced the story personally! I wish you all the best!
, phyl