If the wind blows just right four times a day we can hear a deep throated whistle blast from our downtown fire station. It has beenthis way for decades back into the past century. Eight A.M. signals the beginning of the workday. Noon signals lunch. Six P.M. signals the end of the workday and 9 P.M. reminds people to tend to stoves and lanterns before going to bed. It’s nice. It’s a tie to a past that seems to be rushing away from us. The sound of the blast from the firehouse almost makes one think if one went down to the firehouse one would see firemen busy putting big fire horses up for the night under the watchful eye of a Dalmatian.
People need to remember. We need to be reminded of our roots. It’s a value system grounded in hard work and simplicity. Our traditions tell us who we are. We are not refugees in a sea of angst. We are travelers with purpose and goals. We care about community and neighbors. The neighborhood school isn’t there merely for our children but for all children with dreams and ambitions. The local little league baseball teams or the football or soccer leagues get us out of our electronically sequestered lives and we see and talk to real people just like ourselves.
Families need traditions and customs that tie each to each. Modernity fills us with so many weekday responsibilities we must make efforts to make Friday nights, Saturdays and Sundays special. Sitting around the table actually looking at each other as we talk and eat, going to church, taking a weekend jaunt together, these are the things our children will remember and cherish after we are gone. These give us identity.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 6, 2010
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org