This 4th
of July, America’s Independence Day, was very different then celebrations in
the past. One difference is that it was
on a Wednesday and I was required to work on Tuesday and Thursday … this made
traveling to celebrations unavailable. In
the past, I would gather with family in South Dakota or go up to our cabin in
Lake of the Woods. This year there was
not time. Another thing that was very
different was the heat. Rochester, MN
had temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit with 60-70% humidity. Nobody was outside celebrating. On a day that is all about cooking outside
and picnics… people huddled inside their air conditioning. I did not have any air condition at home so
to survive – I volunteered to work at the Hospital – at least there was air!
These
differences got me thinking. What was Independence
Day like in the 40’s? Did families
celebrate, discovering new ways to make their favorite foods…? Did men too old to go off to war – did they
do fireworks? Were there any black powder
to use for fireworks or did it all go to the war effort?
Often
working in a hospital, I meet people … who give off a presence of strength and
confidence that their loved one will get better- then as I talk with them
cracks are seen in this mask. I see
their eyes brim with unshed tears, worry and fear of the uncertainty of the
future shines out of those eyes. Their
voice breaks then they stop, take a deep breath, then their “strong” look is
back.
Thinking
back to celebrating the 4th… how did families truly celebrate when
so many of their loved ones were gone. Their
father was not the one cooking on the barbecue; the family would be so much
smaller as the men had gone to war. How
did women celebrate? The 4th
of July is celebrating a victory in war- celebrating an end to fighting…. Yet that
is not what was happening in 1942.
As I
stood to sing the American National anthem, I wondered how women could stand to
be patriotic, singing about ‘the rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air’…
without thinking of their husbands huddled in a fox hole, trying to stay
alive. Did they present a “strong” presence
– like loved ones do in the hospital? Or
would a person see the cracks in their patriotism… the unshed tears and the
fear of the unknown future?
Would they be singing “God Bless America,” or be quietly
crying out “God, Just bring them home!”
I realized that this year – It was hard for me to be 100%
patriotic.
This year, I have been given glimpses of the loss that goes
with these holidays.
And I pray – Lord, bring Peace!
That was a very lovely post.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather was a WWII vet, and my family and I spent one 4th with him before he died (he's been gone for well over 20 years now) and I was told stories of how it was. Before the war, yes, but it was the depression and maybe it will help you get a glimpse of the time.
He grew up in rural south Texas. By rural, there was nothing close, going to town was a day long trip. He said that the whole community got together and had a picnic on the square, or wherever they could sit. There were parades, and basically just the community having a block party. No drinking (as so many do now), no fireworks (he remembered one year when he was about 12 that he got a sparkler) and no grilling.
Funny enough, until I moved from Dallas, I used to go to a museum that did the same thing until I moved.
I stumbled across your blog while I was looking for some information on amounts people were allowed to buy of certain items. More power to you for trying to live the rationing! I sincerely doubt that with our current culture of spoiled entitlement there could ever be such a movement again regardless of how "patriotic" our people pretend to be. Nowadays, being American means the freedom to buy what you want, when you want, and any government trying to say you can't is facsist, socialist, communist, or something else considered by many to be unsavory and unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteBut thinking of the theme, I remember playing in my grandma's junk drawer and finding coupons and "red cents." (I sure wish I had those now!) In their house, even though they were permitted to buy certain things or certain amounts, they didn't if they didn't need to so there it would be available for someone else. I don't even think you expect THAT today.
As far as the "use it up" rule, I'd like to read about whether you can pull this off: My dad said that when milk started to turn, grandma would put it out on the counter until it "spoiled" solid. Then she would salt and pepper it and eat it like cottage cheese!