Connecting to our past and future

Greetings y'all :

Not much to yak about today folks . Yesterday the weather was storming but our souls were quiet. I genuinely feel a deeper connection with my son after our adventurous weekend. We needed it. My head cold/ sinus infection finally caught me and tackled me. See what happens when you slow down?

Last night I dropped the ball and we watched some telly. Yes it Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune then we watched American Experience on PBS. This episode was about death and the civil war. Twas extremely touching ,quite sad and rather informative. It really struck a chord with my progeny . He was able to get a better feel of how precious life is and reinforce the horrors of war. He made this Quaker father eternally grateful when he declared serving in the military was no longer a occupational option for him. I know several of my dedicated readers serve, served and/or have children serving. I have no ill will towards them and admire their dedication and service to our great nation. We merely the necessities of the current conflicts to be inflated. It certainly helped that they discussed Antietam and Gettysburgh, two Civil War battlefields we've visited this year. Showing history where he's trod. To learn that until Gettysburgh there were no national cemeteries and that when President Lincoln delivered his famous address four months following the battle he was surrounded by corpses and open graves. To learn that federal soldiers dropped fifty-six confederate corpses in a farmers well rather than bury them , is humbling. Yes we respect the honor of soldiers but my child now appreciates the brutal reality of war, not just the glorification that is oft times peddled.

I better move on before I alienate my viewership. I'm not getting into politics rants on this page but am flummoxed how much one wee lad can internalize a little living and walking history and brief television viewing with a parent there to talk and discuss what is being taken in. Per chance that is the key. Watch what our children watch and watch it with them. Watch how they watch, answer questions, ask questions, expand the knowledge let them own the knowledge. This may seem far fetched but let them lead themselves to greater exploration of a topic. Research online or better yet in an encyclopedia. Maybe keep a journal, many interesting facts about the humanism of history are from personal journals and letters. We saw a letter from a young man written on September 17, 1862. It starts in the morning with beautiful penmanship and quite up beat. It ends with the sad weariness and sloppiness of a boy who lay dying on the battlefield after the conflict and his fellow troops moved on.

Each breath we are granted is a blessing. Fill your hearts and souls with peace. School children say the pledge of allegiance every day. We emphasize certain words ...ONE nation under God with liberty and justice FOR ALL...I challenge you to find the common ground and good in some one you may disagree with.

Thanks for reading my run on rants again .