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| AUTHOR |
MESSAGE |
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User no longer registered.
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the stranger
>The Stranger
>
>
>A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to
our
>Small Plymouth town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with
this
>Enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.
>
>
>The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I
grew
>Up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he
had a
>Special niche. My parents were complementary instructors:
>
>
>Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the
stranger
>... He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours
on
end
>With adventures, mysteries and comedies.
>
>
> If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science,
he
>always
>Knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even
seemed
>Able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major
league
>Ball game He made me laugh, and he made me cry.
>
>
> The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.
>Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were
shushing
each
>Other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the
kitchen
for
>Peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger
to
>Leave.)
>
>
>Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the
stranger
>Never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not
allowed
>In our home ... Not from us, our friends or any visitors.
>
>
>Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that
burned
>My ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't
permit
>The liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try
it
on a
>Regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes
>Distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex His
comments
>Were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally
embarrassing.
>
>
>I now know that my early concepts about relationships were
influenced
>Strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of
my
>Parents, yet he was seldom rebuked ... And NEVER asked to leave.
>
>
>More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with
our
>Family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as
he
was
>At first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you
would
>Still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to
listen to
>Him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name? ..
>
>
>
>
>
>We just call him, "TV."
>
>
>*Note: This should be required reading for every household in
America!**
>
>
>He has a wife now ... We call her "Computer."  
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| July 22, 2007, 23:58 |
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User no longer registered.
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Re: the stranger
the stranger didn't enter our house till I was about 10
and his wife never showed up til I was in my 50's
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| July 23, 2007, 09:23 |
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