I used to hate it when my grandparents or parents broke out the “I remember when talks.” As I grew into my 20’s it became more tolerable, in my selfish little world. Into my 30’s it became more interesting as the remembrances and changes became more evident. By my 40’s it was nostalgic and at 57, it has finally come full circle. Not only am I the one saying, “remember when” but I really value the generation that came before me and the remembrances they have shared with me.
Here are a few of my own “I Remember When” favorites:
- I remember when we went to church Sunday Morning, Sunday Afternoon (RA’s, Training Union and Youth Choir) and Sunday Night (warmed over Sunday Morning), Tuesday Night Visitation and Wednesday Meal and Wednesday night Prayer Meetings. For the record, I like the 2017 church schedule much more than that gauntlet.
- I remember when gas was 20 cents a gallon and the sky was falling as the news started saying that some day it would be more than a dollar a gallon. I also remember that gas stations were known as filling stations and a guy, in uniform, came out and pumped your gas, checked your oil, cleaned your windshield and collected your payment (in cash). They also could repair your car. I filled up my truck last night at $2.19 a gallon, pumped it myself and paid for it at the pump. Those predictions proved right. I thought $2.19/gallon was a good price.
- I remember my first Little League team receiving a t-shirt and cap. everything else was up to you. Most of us played in jeans where our mom had ironed on a patch at the knees. And we wore sneakers as cleats. Cleats were unheard of for a few more years. I like seeing young kids with uniforms, cleats and under eye black. It’s pretty cool. But the price for a kid to play baseball or softball is enough to take out a second mortgage.
- I remember when we honored the Office of the President of these United States and the man sitting in the Oval. I fear those days are a distant memory that will never return.
- I remember when there were no cell phones or pagers. If you needed to call someone, you needed a pay phone. You could drop a dime in it and dial the number. I’ve yet to decide if this is a better world with iPhones. What a dumb statement, of course, we are better! Maybe…
- I remember when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon as the first person to ever do so. I was watching it with my Pop in Daytona Beach, Florida. It still blows my mind that we did that. Especially considering that my watch has more technology than the Apollo flights had. We watched it on a black and white TV, with rabbit ears.
I could go on and on, but here’s the point. You cannot stop change. We live in an ever evolving world. I believe that we must embrace change and set our course on how to utilize that change for the glory of the Divine and the enlargement of His Kingdom.
I’d love to hear your “I remember when stories.” Just reply to this post below.
Peace, AChuck
