Who Am I When No One's Looking?

    A little girl grew up in a small rural community where a handshake was your bond and you didn't have yards of paper work every time you made a decision..... but that was our world eighty some years ago.... 

today, It doesn't take much to realize honesty isn't valued in our society.  Yes, people talk about transparency in government and business. But in everyday life, a great number of folks still live as though deception is a necessary part of being human. I'm thinking about my own experience: how often have I justified stretching the truth for any number of reasons? Perhaps I wanted to avoid awkwardness of giving an honest feedback to a friend or colleague. Or maybe I wanted to cover up a bad decision. 

What a Comforting Thought.....

   My world between the years 1926 and 1939  was lived in daily relationship with a Great-Grandfather, three Great-Grandmothers, two Grandmothers, two Grandfathers, a dozen Uncles and Aunts, Cousins by the dozens. Most family lived within a five mile radius. At the end of the war in 1944, I began to notice major changes in life. By the time I was raising my own family, it was becoming a new age in all areas. I now have family members from Florida, Carolina, California, Illinois, Colorado, Penna., etc. even Alaska. It's kind of difficult  to have one-on-one relationships, even with your Grandchildren when they never see you. This has grieved me  for many years. I've never seen two or three of my Great-grandchildren....
    Bill often said, "Never assume anything."  I realize that long ago that I had assumed my Grandchildren would have the same family relationships I had as a child.  Can it still happen in this mobile, technical world?
I usually am a more realistic thinker, but this saddens me. What I hoped and prayed for was not  what I received... but I still expect I will somehow know, because of my prayers and love .....
"What a comforting thought---to imagine our grandchildren facing some tough decision someday or feeling lonely in some far-off place and suddenly remembering a grandmother's love---and being comforted by it."