Rhonda, That's the truth!

I hardly ever watch TV any longer.

Lovingly,

Pat Ferguson


At 07:29 PM 6/20/2009, you wrote:




>The Stranger
>
>
>
>A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to 
>our small Texas 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: Mum 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 rugby game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The 
>stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.
>
>
>
>Sometimes, Mum 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 long-time 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' lounge 
>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.'
>
>
>He has a wife now....We call her 'Computer.'
>
>
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