Susan Beckett

I was in a store some years ago when I happened upon a mom with two young children in tow. They were being totally grumpy and whiny as only young kids can be, begging just to be let alone to roam the store by themselves. The mother’s young son finally blurted out, “Why can’t we?” to which his mother, in exasperation, shot back, “Because I’m bigger than you are!” End of discussion! Mom’s rules will be followed!

I was talking to a young mom the other day about kids, and the subject of children mimicking their parents’ behavior came up. Parents are so often blueprints for their kids - like it or not. I remember an old TV commercial years ago where a father was washing his car with a cigarette in his mouth.

I’m just about positive most of you have heard of the Hatfield-McCoy feud! The conflict began way back in the 1800’s and lasted on and off for nearly 30 years, with 13 family members being killed along the way.

It’s said you can judge a nation by who their heroes are. I believe it. Unfortunately, we are told most of our historical hero’s are outdated and obsolete. Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Roosevelt, are just a few of our hero’s who were honored to have had schools named after them, but their names have now been removed and schools renamed.

This past week I received a text from a friend - “Did you hear the news - Betty White just passed away?” We texted back and forth a few times about the passing of this remarkable comedian/actress who was just weeks shy of her 100th birthday. It seems that almost everybody loved Betty. From her work on The Mary Tyler Moore Show to The Golden Girls, Betty was always a hit. She lived an incredible life, working until the end. She once even remarked, “Why retire from something if you’re loving and enjoying it so much? What would I do with myself?” One of her long-time friends even referred to her as a “national treasure.”