Donna Reed Revisited?

I am absolutely, without a doubt, dating myself, but that’s okay. Those of you reading this know I’m seventy, and happy. A few aches and pains, but I’m okay. 

I grew up in a family of ten. My dad worked while my mom kept the house. With ten of us, and because the first four or five kids were only eighteen months apart, there were plenty of diapers, bottles and naps. It was only later in life when mom worked, and even later in life after dad became disabled did she learn to drive a car and when she wrote her first check. Quite a jump for her in her later years. 

I grew up watching a black and white TV. I remember tinfoil on the antenna, and the remote was one of us walking to the set and changing the channel by hand. 

Besides Howdy Doody, Wagon Train, and Captain Kangaroo (before the shows became colorized), we watched the Donna Reed Show. She was a homemaker like my mom, except my mom never wore pearls or high-heel shoes to vacuum the carpet. 

Like most of you, I listened to Harrison Butker’s commencement address, and I came away more sad than disgusted, though I was plenty disgusted. The speech was classic, far right evangelical in content, and it fit with the GOP’s Project 2025 Platform. You know, women need to be seen, not heard, stay in the kitchen and have babies. He even said- paraphrasing- that a woman’s life isn’t fulfilled unless and until she is married and has kids to raise.

My mom wasn’t happy as a stay-at-home mom back in the forties and fifties. And back then, my older sisters had four options: become a hairdresser/stylist, a nurse, a secretary, or a teacher. Further, back then, they were looked down upon by society unless they were married and had children.

A woman’s life isn’t fulfilled unless and until she is married and has kids to raise – according to a guy who kicks a football for a living.  

My daughters, Hannah and Emily, went to college and both have a master’s degree. Hannah is a teacher and team lead, while Emily is a social worker. Hannah is married and has one child (so far), Mason, while Emily will get married June 8^th.

I’m absolutely proud of both girls. And I can safely say, both Hannah and Emily were happy before they got married, and are happy now. Both feel fulfilled. It didn’t take Alex to make Hannah’s life fulfilled, and it won’t take Q to make Emily’s life fulfilled. 

Is Hannah happy being married to Alex? Absolutely! Will Emily be happy married to Q? For sure! But neither guy- and I’m proud to call them both my son-in-laws (one now and one to be) - “made” Hannah’s and Emily’s life fulfilled. My daughters did that on their own and will continue to do that even now, together with their husbands. One didn’t make the other. NOR SHOULD IT! 

If a woman stays home and cares for her children, God Bless her! She has every right to do so, and no one should look down on her for doing that. If a woman puts a career first whether she has children and leans on day care to make it work, God Bless her! No one should look down on her for doing that. 

A woman, any woman, has rights and those rights need to be respected. A woman has thoughts- yeah, I know, a foreign concept to some Neanderthals pushing the Project 2025 platform. Just as a woman has the right to vote, a woman should have her own say about what takes place with her body! It is her right to choose, and hers alone. A woman has a choice whether to work or stay home and raise kids. It’s her choice, a decision she makes with her husband, but ultimately, it’s her choice. Respect that.  

A woman is not a second-class citizen, and a woman has no fewer rights than a man. That’s the way it should be. Whether they marry or not, have kids or not, stay home and raise kids or not- it is their choice and she can have a fulfilling life doing either or both. 

Some guy who kicks a football for a living is entitled to his opinion. I happen to disagree with him on several issues he spouted off about, but like I said, he is entitled to his opinion, just as I am entitled to mine.

But for this kicker to state his opinion in front of women on an otherwise joyous occasion, and who earned a college degree, even a master’s degree, put a damper on the elation they felt. And this coming from a guy whose mom managed to raise him along with becoming a physicist. Never met him and I never met her, but I would wager she has and had a fulfilled life. Something to think about … 

Live YOUR Life- whatever you choose to do, and Make A Difference! 

To My Readers: 

If you like what you’re reading and find a benefit from it, you can check out my other posts on my Website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com under the Inspirational Blog tab. You can find all nine books, their descriptions, and links for purchase at the same site. 

I can also be found on TikTok by searching for @josephlewis5566 on Tribal by searching for @jrauthor85  on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557592103627   on Substack at https://tinyurl.com/2m5ckdvh 

Last, my book, Blaze In, Blaze Out, is FREE for a limited time on BookFunnel for just a short time. Yes, FREE!

Action Thriller of the Year (BestThrillers Book Awards)

Readers’ Favorite Honorable Mention – Fiction – Crime

Author Shout Recommended Read

Literary Titan – Gold Book Award Winner 

https://books.bookfunnel.com/aprilthrillerreads/vlr454vqtl  

“Blaze In, Blaze Out is an over-the-top thriller. Lewis jumps you seamlessly between timelines of one exhilarating roller-coaster ride to the next.” -Authors Reading 

“Blaze in, Blaze out with its engaging plot and deep themes is a riveting novel and fast read that will keep readers in suspense and hooked till the last page.” -Literary Titan

Photo Courtesy of Unknown

 

 

 

 

  

What is Love?

 

I know sometimes we use the word Love over and over in various ways that minimizes the meaning of the word. We say things like: I love that sunset; I love spaghetti; I love a good night’s sleep; I love that TV show. Love seems to be applied discriminately, and because of that, we lessen the impact and beauty of the word.

Browsing Facebook yesterday, I came across a beautiful post from Lisa Resnick titled, What Is Love? She or someone added a couple of comments after some responses- they are not mine, but I, too, believe them!

What Is Love? Lisa Resnick

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4- to 8-year-olds, ‘What does love mean?’ The answers they got were broader, deeper, and more profound than anyone could have ever imagined! 

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore ... So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis, too. That’s love.” Rebecca - age 8 

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” Billy - age 4 

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” Karl - age 5

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” Chrissy - age 6 

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” Terri - age 4 

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” Danny - age 8 

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and just listen.” Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.” Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka’s on this planet)

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it every day.” Noelle - age 7 

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends, even after they know each other so well.” Tommy - age 6

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” Cindy - age 8

“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” Clare - age 6

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” Elaine - age 5

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.” Chris - age 7 

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” Mary Ann - age 4 

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” Lauren - age 4 

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” (what an image!) Karen - age 7 

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross...” Mark - age 6 

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” Jessica - age 8 

And the final one:

The winner was a four-year-old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him cry.” 

The innocence of kids astounds me with its simplicity and beauty. How can you not read any of these and smile? 

My hope is for each of us to remember the word love shouldn’t be just an over used habit, but a word that is applied often and in various meaningful ways- far beyond TV shows and spaghetti. And I hope there is someone in our life that is willing to sit with us and help us cry should we ever need it. Something to think about … 

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference! 

To My Readers:

If you like what you’re reading and find a benefit from it, you can check out my other posts on my Website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com under the Inspirational Blog tab. You can find all nine books, their descriptions, and links for purchase at the same site. I can also be found on TikTok by searching for @josephlewis5566 and on Tribal by searching for @jrauthor85 and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557592103627 and on Substack at https://tinyurl.com/2m5ckdvh

Last, my book, Blaze In, Blaze Out, is FREE for a limited time on BookFunnel. Yes, FREE!

Action Thriller of the Year (BestThrillers Book Awards)

Readers’ Favorite Honorable Mention – Fiction – Crime

Author Shout Recommended Read

Literary Titan – Gold Book Award Winner 

https://books.bookfunnel.com/aprilthrillerreads/vlr454vqtl 

“Blaze In, Blaze Out is an over-the-top thriller. Lewis jumps you seamlessly between timelines of one exhilarating roller-coaster ride to the next.” -Authors Reading 

“Blaze in, Blaze out with its engaging plot and deep themes is a riveting novel and fast read that will keep readers in suspense and hooked till the last page.” -Literary Titan

Photo Courtesy of Scott Broome and Unsplash

 

 

We Forget

As I get older, I’ve noticed my memory is not what it once was. Nothing big. Just little things, mostly. I’ve never been good with names. Someone can tell me their name and it is gone within minutes. 

In the first couple of notes of a song, I can tell you the band, the name of the song, who is doing the singing, and most likely, who wrote it. This applies to 60s rock and roll, mostly, but I’m pretty good with modern country, too. I can tell a story about how the song came about and such, but my daughters and wife usually just roll their eyes at me. So, I tell the story anyway. I can do the same with movies I’ve watched over and over, too. 

But lately, things like that get fuzzy. If given time, I can come up with it, though. My brothers complain about the same thing- forgetting this or that. We laugh about it and life moves on. 

I mentioned my wife and I are avid fans of NCIS. On weekends and some weekdays, we watch the reruns and can know who the bad guy is and what takes place. This past weekend, there was a poignant episode from season eight featuring Bob Newhart as a former Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Walter Magnus, who was Dr. Donald Mallard — aka Ducky’s — predecessor at NCIS.

Walter showed up unannounced in the NCIS building, which was unusual to begin with, but as the episode unfolded, it became clear that he came back to retrieve memories of his life “back then.” He simply couldn’t remember where he was, or even that he lived with his daughter. He finally fessed up to Ducky that he “couldn’t remember cases and people from his past.” Ducky guessed Walter was in the throes of Alzheimer’s, or at least the beginning stages of it. The team of Ducky, Tony, McGee, and Abby helped him remember all the families he helped gain closure. It was touching and still makes me misty-eyed.

My sister Betty suffered from Lewy body dementia, and she passed away from it several years ago. One time long before she was diagnosed, she and her husband came to Virginia to visit with us, and in a quieter moment, she said to me, “Joe, sometimes I think I’m losing my mind.” I laughed, gave her a hug and said, “You’re fine and I love you.” I’m afraid I minimized her concern or at the very least didn’t recognize her concern, and I still beat myself up about that.

My wife has a very dear loved one who has short-term memory issues. In one phone call, this loved one will ask the same question two and three times. Kim answers without any hitch or delay, and will repeat the same story over and over. I know it hurts her, but Kim is stoic about it. 

I am not suffering from Alzheimer’s nor am I suffering from Lewy body dementia, and I don’t have short-term memory issues like Kim’s loved one. I’m just on the older side of life, or as I like to think of it, the backside of the mountain. Many of my friends are on the same path and place as I am, along with my brothers. It’s life, I guess. But just because others are on the same path, doesn’t make it any easier or reassuring. But like I said, it is a part of life.

My hope is that we are all patient with one another. That we take our time with those “getting up there in age” and consider that it is not only hard on others, but certainly hard on those of us who are forgetful from time to time. We live it each minute of each day. It takes a toll, not only on us, but on those around us. In many respects, we are all in this together one way or the other, or we will be eventually. God bless us all! Something to think about …

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference! 

To My Readers:

If you like what you’re reading and find a benefit from it, you can check out my other posts on my Website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com under the Inspirational Blog tab. You can find all nine books, their descriptions, and links for purchase at the same site. I can also be found on TikTok by searching for @josephlewis5566 and on Tribal by searching for @jrauthor85 and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557592103627

Last, my book, Blaze In, Blaze Out, is FREE for a limited time on BookFunnel. Yes, FREE!

Action Thriller of the Year (BestThrillers Book Awards)

Readers’ Favorite Honorable Mention – Fiction – Crime

Author Shout Recommended Read

Literary Titan – Gold Book Award Winner 

https://books.bookfunnel.com/aprilthrillerreads/vlr454vqtl 

“Blaze In, Blaze Out is an over-the-top thriller. Lewis jumps you seamlessly between timelines of one exhilarating roller-coaster ride to the next.” -Authors Reading 

“Blaze in, Blaze out with its engaging plot and deep themes is a riveting novel and fast read that will keep readers in suspense and hooked till the last page.” -Literary Titan

Photo Courtesy of Joseph Lewis