Saturday, June 28, 2008

WAXIN' A LITTLE SENTIMENTAL, HERE

It's Saturday night, and there ain't much on TV. I just got home from vacation, and I don't want anything heavy on TV tonight. I would enjoy a good comedy show, but clean ones are rare. And kids cussin' or someone spewing off profanity while trying to tell jokes that aren't funny do nothing for me.

I need a little Andy and Barney, or the Beverly Hillbillies style. I can remember when you could actually get decent things to watch on TV. Yes, I am blessed to have access to a TV that has about a dozen religious channels. And sometimes I watch them. Other times, I just want to laugh, or cry as the case may be. If I can't find a good comedy, a good movie with a beautiful ending will do.

I enjoy the days we live in, with all the modern conveniences. And please don't label me as being stuck in the past, but there are some things I miss. Like....

RC Colas and moon pies. RCs gave you two more ounces, and I remember needed the extra two as a kid.

Hair oil.

Open windows at night in your home, with a fan in the window sucking in the outside air.

Saturday cartoons like Foghorn Leghorn, the Road Runner, and Yosemane Sam.

Rainbow Lake.

Drive in theatres with hot dogs and fries, and pop corn.

Pogo sticks.

Hula hoops.

Leisure suits.

The Beatles.

Conway and Loretta.

Elvis.

My first car, a 56 Plymouth. It was lime green with a sprayed on "vinyl" top, and 2 chrome wheels on the front. I thought I was something!

My first date with Trish. She was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. Dated her a year and a half, and then married her at the ripe old age of 17 (me) and 14 (her). We've been married now for 37 and 1/2 years, and she is still the prettiest girl in any room we walk into.

I remember marrying that pretty girl.

I remember all of our kids births, and the special events of their lives. I remember holding back the tears at weddings, graduations, and them leaving for college.

I remember waiting on our first grandchild- it was well worth the wait!

I remember when I heard the news that President Kennedy was assassinated.

Also Martin Luther King.

I remember 9/11.

I remember walking down the aisle and getting saved, 34 years ago. It was in a little Baptist church that no longer exists today. But it left a mark on my life.

I remember my first love. How passionate I was. I remember my prayer life, my convictions. I want it back!

Those are some of the things I remember. What brought about these remembrances was the recent news of closings of several local businesses. Goodies, a staple of clothing for a number of years, is gone. Friedman's jewelry has gone bankrupt-- there goes one of my favorite places to get Trish something for Christmas. Even Ryan's has closed pretty much everywhere else, and, from the look of things, is about to here. Will the next generation know of the things that have been a part of our lives.

Stores can come and go, but of this I am sure: I want my children, and my children's children to know the fire of God. I don't want sin, compromise, and left wing politicians and movements to shift us away from our legacy He wants to leave.

That's it for tonight. Signin' off with a tear, and a prayer...
Pastor Ronnie

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember a more innocent time,
having been born in 1934, when worship and family activities were not complicated by external distractions.

During the depression and then WW II, churches were filled to overflowing with needy people. They had sense enough to seek
the Creator for help.

Pastor Ronnie Robbins said...

Hey, thanks for the comments. I have been in third world countries where people were not so distracted by material things. I've seen kids kick a can, and enjoy it. Sadly, our high paced materialistic age has taken us from some of the simpler and more innocent times of life. May God help us to recapture those times.