Another Member of "The Greatest Generation" Is Remembered

Today I attended a memorial service for a friend's mother who passed away this weekend at the age of 94. The service in the chapel at St. Mark's Village in Palm Harbor was a gathering of her family and friends. Two of her daughters spoke about their mother and what a wonderful woman she was. I was moved by her daughters' words and was very glad I had taken the time to go to the service. I went because I think a lot of her youngest daughter and wanted to let her know I cared. It was a lovely celebration of her mother's life.

She was born in 1917 -- the same year my Dad was born. Her father died at 13 and she left school to go to work to help support the family. She lived through the depression just as my Dad and Mom lived through the depression. As I listened to her daughters and to the minister talk about her life I thought about Tom Brokaw's book, "The Greatest Generation." Men and women born just prior to WWI who grew up during the Depression and went on to build modern America. They gave the world new science, art and literature, and economic strength unparalleled in history. They were united by common values. Values like duty, honor, courage, frugality, service, love of family and country, and personal RESPONSIBILITY.

Today's celebration of her life brought thoughts of all these values to mind as I sat there listening to words of love and admiration for this lovely lady. It brought good memories of my own parents and the wish that I had had Dad and Mom around for many more years -- but only years in which they were leading their happy and productive lives. I would never wish for them to linger after they needed to move on -- just as I am sure the family I worshiped with today would not wish that for their mother.

As I drove home, I thought about the state of our nation today -- our crumbling infrastructure, failing corporations, dishonest CEOs and their equally dishonest minions, and the destruction of the great middle class our parents built -- I realized that it all seems to come down to couple of values which seem to have disappeared.

Frugality. Responsibility.

Had those values been accepted by the next generations, I don't believe we would have the situations we have today. Dad would have been 95 in November of this year. If there is such a thing as "spinning" in one's grave, I would imagine that he has drilled himself half way to China by now.