Goodnight Mr. Godsey

If you don’t know that Ike and Corabeth ran the general store.  And you don’t know that Grandpa loves the ‘recipe’.  And you don’t know that Elizabeth wants to stay little and practices wrapping her arms around her head to keep it little so she can stay little.  If you don’t imagine the fresh cut smell of the sawmill and feel the sweat as it gathered in the men’s eyes.   If you don’t know the value of an iced cold soda pop, orange of course.

You don’t know the goodness of the Waltons.

Sure the introduction of television in to our lives has changed the direction of our lives and not always for the better.

But there are some very good things that came from that old tube, back when it was a tube.

Families gathered around in the evening to watch the Walton’s eat meals around a table together.  The family prepared the meal.  They set the table.  They prayed together and they ate together.

The kids did homework.

The kids did chores.

The parents disciplined.  The parents guided.

They worked hard.  And often did without.

But they didn’t go unloved.  And they were never alone against the world.

Outside of their family they were inside a community.   Neighbors stepped in to help.  People knew one another.  They learned about differences together.  They celebrated together and mourned together.

They visited with the older generation.

They tutored the younger generation.

Snapping and shelling peas was important work because it meant you had something to eat.

Wearing the hand me down clothes meant you had clothes to wear.

Grandma wasn’t thrown away when she had a stroke.

The loss of Grandpa was felt by every single family member.

Lying your head down to sleep and yelling out “goodnight” and having someone respond to your call meant you were home.   And someone loved you.

It may have been a tv show.  But it was a show that brought a vision of living good, living well and family living to your life.

It was enjoyable because it was real.

In our world today of real life drama they have totally missed the mark.

No one wants that kind of drama or veneer of glitter or shiny fraud of  a life style.

The Waltons and their community were comfort, familiar and normal.   I would sit down and watch the Waltons with my children and my grandchildren. In an emergency I would leave my child with Ike at the general store while I went running off to help one of the Baldwin sisters, even if it made Grandma kind of uncomfortable.

Anyway…I just wanted to say goodnight to Mr. Godsey.

You were greatly appreciated.

And I’m sorry if you didn’t know them.