Reading a biography of one of my favorite people, Teddy Roosevelt. The author is William Roscoe Thayer, a friend of Roosevelt's and the book was written in 1919. The author gives a quote that I felt was so true for today that I wanted to share it. He writes: "We have fallen too much into the habit of imagining that only hostile critics tell the truth."
I was scanning the channels on TV and came on the John Stewart show and he was ridiculing Mitt Romney in the most 'snarky' way and I thought about what I had just read by Thayer written almost a 100 years ago. Most of the late night comedians are so liberal that they are not funny anymore. They are just as bad and mean spirited as that group on Fox TV.
I have read two other biographies on Theodore (I like the name, my grandfather Hartman's name was Theodore) Roosevelt. Manifest Destiny, can't remember the author and Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough. Both well done. So many people forget how much he did to preserve our forests and natural resources and even though the first National Park was dedicated by Lincoln, Teddy is the one who really began our National Park Service. If you've had a chance to visit one of our National Parks you can appreciate what he started.
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Today, of course, is Mother's Day. It's been a quiet day here today. I had a chemo treatment on Friday and so am starting to feel a little rocky and being quiet and alone is what I need. Friends and family have called to check on me, and the daughters sent or brought flowers and one daughter gave me a gift certificate to my favorite shopping place. But I have to admit my favorite 'gift' was going to Mass with one of them. Lora and Randy came down yesterday to visit both Moms - his and hers and while Randy watched the car auctions on my new TV, Lora took me to 5:00 Mass at St. Thomas. The best gift my children give me is attending Church with me. A double gift yesterday because at the end of the Service, Father Taylor had all the mothers stand and he gave us a blessing. Receiving a blessing standing next to your daughter who is receiving the same blessing is the best blessing!
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Our oldest grandson, Joel Vernon Benway is graduating from College this next week. I was reminiscing with his parents last night about when he was born. Lora was many days past her due date - they were living in Rockford at the time - swollen with Edema and very depressed. She wanted to see her Mommy and Daddy. Against doctors orders, Randy bundled her into the car and they drove down not even for an hour. I remember watching her 'waddle' back to the car, her face, hands and feet twice their normal size and standing there crying when they backed out of the driveway. She looked so PREGNANT. But in a few days, I was on a bus to Rockford to meet out new grandson and Vern and Leah joined me on the weekend.
He is a brilliant young man, and there is no doubt in my mind that he will do well. My best memories are racing from the kitchen sink to the wall when he was about one and a half years old - he mostly won, and him climbing up and then sitting in the maple tree in the back yard just off the porch, from about age four and older with his tool belt on and a rope in the tool belt deeply contemplating life, nature or just being four.
Of all the things he's been and done, the thing that makes me the proudest was that for the first two years of his College life, he taught grade school CCD at the local Church. Pretty impressive.
Congratulations to Joel from a proud grandparent.
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