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.
>
>
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>His name?.......
>
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>We just call him 'TV.'
>
>
>He has a wife now....We call her 'Computer.'
>
>
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