---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment =A0 =A0=A0Several weeks ago, a tennis pal and I were talking about what era=20= we'd=20 live in, given the choice. =A0I immediately chose the World War II era, with= =20 all of the drama, uncertainty, patriotism, swing music, ships coming back=20 into port, epic battles, world travel, and ultimate victory. The images we=20 all woke up to Tuesday morning pounded into me how horribly foolish my choic= e=20 would have been. =A0I had forgotten certain parts, such as women just a few=20 years older than my own daughter losing boyfriends, brothers, husbands and=20 fathers. =A0Somehow the old war movies seemed to leave out the aftermath, th= e=20 clean-up, the counting, and the sorrow. =A0 =A0=A0=A0=A0My buddy called me this afternoon, and told me, "Well, looks lik= e you got=20 your wish now." =A0I fear that there is truth in what he said. War is about= =20 killing people and breaking things, and after Tuesday, we all hoped we'd see= n=20 enough. =A0I'm afraid that there is some ugly work ahead for America, but th= is=20 country has yet to shrink from the principles upon which it was founded.=20= =A0 =A0=A0=A0=A0I think about the generation that I thought I would have chosen,= what has=20 come to be known as "The Greatest Generation." You know them. =A0This was th= e=20 generation of my parents, and Cliff and Sandy, and Dale and Brett's parents,= =20 who didn't choose to live through World War II, they were thrown into it.=20 =A0I've wondered why I admire so many of them; their character, their moral=20 conviction, their quiet patriotism. =A0I once asked my old dentist how he co= uld=20 hold his drill steady all day. =A0He chuckled, and told me, "After flying a=20 B-17 over Germany 25 times, this is really kinda easy." =A0They were baptize= d=20 by fire, and made stronger for it. =A0They haven't been thanked enough. =A0I= know=20 that whatever lies ahead for this next "Greatest Generation," they will carr= y=20 on with the courage, pride, and spirit that has made America a dream for=20 some, and a target for others. =A0I wish them Godspeed, but I also wish ther= e=20 were some other way.... =A0=A0=A0=A0On Tuesday morning we had a big chunk of our humanity ripped out= from=20 under us. =A0We've been forced to watch shocking inhumanity followed by hero= ism=20 beyond measure. =A0As we come to grips with these events, it might be=20 worthwhile to start working overtime to put the little pieces of humanity=20 back into our lives. =A0 =A0=A0=A0=A0Smile at people, talk to them. =A0If you're in line at Starbucks= , buy a cup=20 for the guy behind you, and ask how he's doing. =A0Shake a lot of hands.=20= =A0Some=20 people need to talk, listen to them. =A0If somebody cuts you off on the road= ,=20 give him the "Don't Worry About It" wave. Make the corny little jokes we all= =20 make. =A0Write letters, pick up the phone. =A0And for God's sake, sit down w= ith=20 your kids and tell them how special and loved they are. Let's work overtime=20 at the little things for a while. Take care, all, and may God Bless Dan Dannenfelser PTG Associate Sacramento, CA ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/26/d4/32/37/attachment.htm ---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--
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