1946

July 10, 2013

Dear Readers,

1946, the year I was born.   You might say the world was a different place then and you would be right.  I used to listen to my mother talk about her youth leading up to her engagement to my dad, their wedding, and my birth.  I can remember back to when I was a tiny child ... possibly back to my infancy.  Since I could not talk, my visions are of me in my crib and in my high chair that collapsed into something that resembled a play car.  I am able to walk through the house where I grew up and tell you about the rooms, colors, and furniture.  I can tell you about looking out of my bedroom window and watching the teenagers enjoy a burger at Cliff's Cafe! I could hardly wait until I could go to dances at school!  I could tell you about visits to my mother's and father's sisters and brothers ... Aunt Blanche sure could make some mighty good homemade lemonade!  Aunt Helen served strawberry shortcake.  

When I think about my childhood years, I think of life as very simple.  There were no computers; libraries were important places and books were widely read.  In 1946, the top selling movie was Song of the South.  I guess it wouldn't be considered politically correct today and the theatres would be bombarded with protesters.  Then?  Imagine the packed seats, the laughter, the excitement of the big screen.  The popcorn sold at the theater was as good as it smelled.  We used to peek at who was sitting in the back rows, necking and giggle.  It was sort of a rite of passage way back then. 

Over the years, I grew taller, older, smarter, and challenge after challenge wiser.  With each passing year, possessions got misplaced, memories faded, friends parted ways.  I married at 19, had my first daughter at 20, my second daughter at 22, and my son at 29.  Divorce, relationships tested, continual cross country moving, and the trials of being a single mom were almost more than I could bear.  My careers were built on a strong work ethic handed down from my parents and grandparents ... success followed.  The years rolled on by ... my first grandchild was born when I was 49.  My circle of friends?  I have been blessed by the greatest group of friends from birth to today.  That's what counts in life, isn't it?  Family and friends?

The 1940s was a special decade. World War II ended, affecting people world-wide. The post war world found women continuing to work outside the home and having more of a say-so in family life.  The American Dream of owning a home became possible and automobiles lined our driveways.  The novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was published, picturing a totalitarian Big Brother regime controlling its citizens.  I read 1984, thinking, "No way..."  Hmmm

Do you remember the movie that was all the rage when you were 15? Oh my gosh, for me it was Blue Hawaii. I still remember the songs playing on the radio when I were 15? Maybe it was She Wore Blue Velvet by Bobby Vinton. Were you in love when you were? Who were you in love with, do you remember?

In 1946, a long time ago, the song Oh! What It Seemed to Be by Frankie Carle topped the US charts.

It was just a neighborhood dance
That's all that it was

But, oh, what it seemed to be

It was like a masquerade ball

With costumes and all

'Cause you were at the dance with me

  

Ah yes, if you were raised in Glenwood, Minnesota you heard music like that coming from the Lakeside Ballroom.  I cut my teeth on records from the Big Band Era and love that music today.  I love walking through antique stores that are playing the old records from the 40's and 50's.  Takes me back to a time of musical memories.

Did you know Laura and George W. Bush, Cher, Ted Bundy, and Donald Trump were all born in 1946?  Everyone an individual.  Everyone special (yes, I know you're thinking, Ted Bundy? Yep, he was a 'gulp' unique individual that shocked the world).  Everyone taking a different path through life.  The Baby Boomers were known as the trail blazers ~ rebels redefining traditional values.  I stayed true to the  Christian values I was taught growing up. I walked on the edge at times but when my toes felt the ground moving beneath me to the point of having less and less to stand on, I ran back to my roots, my values, my Lord.

It's 2013.  The world is a different place.  Gone are the days of Christmas concerts and children being released from school to go to Bible Study at a local church.  Gone is the definition of being a "lady" and a "gentleman."  Half dressed teenagers roam the malls, sex is simply sex because it feels good, and our government officials are ... well, let's just say they've forgotten what our country was founded upon.  Many lie, cheat, and steal and are bought by public opinion.  The country is divided not by slavery but by abortion and same sex marriage.  I doubt if many have ever read the Bible and consider it to be quite outdated.

Many of my life's travelers have already passed on making me realize how fragile life really is.  So much of life is being revealed day by day ... things I didn't even think about in my 40's and 50's.  I never really understood my mother until I walked in her shoes when I developed degenerative disk disease, arthritis, and Fibromyalgia.  I wish I'd been more patient and loving with her.  She was a lonely lady trying to cope with her own demons of yesterday.

Generations are born and generations pass away.  The family doctor knew only too well that he could deliver a baby in the morning and pronounce another patient dead in the afternoon.  Life?  It is so fleeting.

Always remember you are loved and prayed for ... yes, each and every day!

Miss Dottie

PS  "I remember the 1940's as a time when we were united in a way known only to that generation.  We belonged to a common cause-the war." ~Gene Tierney  That was true.  The nation was united for a common good and a common cause.  The births surrounding my generation were affected by the war as well ~ fathers and mothers wounded emotionally and physically by the battles of war ~ family dynamics turned upside down by women who had found new freedom in earning a paycheck ~ children who were indulged by their parents who wanted their children to have more than they did (our grandparents and parents lived through the depression era).  That being said, I hope we did them proud.