I used to watch Mr. Greenjeans on Captain Kangaroo. Mr. Greenjeans was an affable sidekick to the Captain. We did not have a color television set, so I wondered if Mr. Greenjeans pants were indeed green. However, there is no doubt that Green is taking over the Woods. I checked on our little tree in our front yard and happily discovered it has several big, healthy green leaves. MJ was overjoyed.

We are skipping our way to summer. I never skipped well. I watched other kids skip, and it looked magical. When I skipped, it was work. The entire intricate movement of skipping was lost on me. Similar to Stealing the Bacon. I couldn’t seem to get the Bacon first… the game’s objective. I thought about the complexities of the Bacon Stealing Movement during off-game time. I did like walking. I could walk a long way. Walking came effortlessly and naturally. I have continued to this day.

I used to have a good balance. I could balance a full open-face cup of coffee while driving and never spill a drop. I ran down the steps two at a time. Worked 16-hour days regularly. Often did not feel good or bad. Energy was sustainable with Mr. Coffee.

Now the Old Man walks more slowly. Often thinking once, then again before speaking. Energy levels are not bad with naps. No more attempts at skipping. Bacon is for eating…not stealing.

I was raised being told in school that the United States was the greatest country in the world. It valued the freedom and lives of the oppressed. The U.S. was a Sanctuary from the Storm. We were the Good Samaritan that cared for the sick and lame along the side of the road. We helped the helpless…gave hope to the hopeless…looked to with admiration by the world.

We used to be happy with what we had. To prepare for Christmas, we joined a Christmas Club at our bank and saved money weekly to apply to our Christmas gift list. We understood that there were rich people…we were working people and happy for the rich to be glamorous as long as we had enough. We talked in wide-eyed wonder of millionaires…not billionaires. Money for money’s sake was not the goal.

We attended church. We knew we needed it. Many friends came from church affiliations… marriages, too. Church kept us on the path home. The honky tonks did not perform that service for us.

When someone did a nice thing for us, we said thank you…they did not respond, ‘ no problem.’ The cashier counted our change back for us. The gas station attendant pumped our gas and looked under the hood of our car…he checked our oil… every time we went to the Gas Station.

Megachurches were not so important. A jet for the pastor and a luxurious car did not exemplify God’s blessing, while the parishioners suffered hunger and were ill-clad. Chris’s message was not displayed in neon lights and a Hollywood manner. The power was in the words…not the building.