Carolyn and I were listening to the Gaither Hour (Yes, we are two of those who love it) and  George Younce sang "Suppertime."  We started reminiscing about when we were little and everyone played outside almost all day.   "Kids don't do that anymore," she said.  "They are hooked up to some electronic device in an air-conditioned house.  We knew when it was time to come in because your mom would open the screen door and call, "Suppertime."

So many of the old songs aren't relevant today because those times are gone.  When was the last time you heard the word "suppertime?"  Everyone eats on the go, in the car, or at a drive through.  But suppertime was pretty fixed when I grew up.  Dad would get home from work and all of us would sit down at the table for supper, say the blessing, and discuss the events of the day.  Then we did our homework or went back outside to play.  It's no wonder the world is obese.  Children get a head start on it because of inactivity now days.

But you can't go back.  The generation following yours will not have any conception of a dial phone, a tire swing, rubber guns, or a million other things.  Life changes.  Sometimes it gets easier.  But many times it just gets more complicated.  Or worse.  When Carolyn and I grew up in Pryor, we could ride our bikes all over town, play hide and seek with all the kids on the block at night--after the sun went down--and a million other wonderful things that nobody would let children do today.  It was fun.  I don't remember ever being afraid.

If you hurt a child back then, you would probably be dead by morning.  And there wouldn't be much of an investigation.  It may not have been legal, but it was very effective.  Punishment that is swift is a deterrent.  Now it takes ten or more years to go to trial!!  By the time someone is punished (or as many times is the case--let go) nobody remembers what they did.

Listen to the Gaither Hour.  It will warm your soul.  I love four part harmony.