Good Old Days

My husband carried the book into the kitchen.
I forgot I had this, he said, opening it on the kitchen island.
It was a book with the name of the company he worked with for forty years on the cover.
It was a book that was published when the company changed its name twenty-two years ago.

Look at this, he said.
He showed me a page with very neat penmanship in the margin.
It was written by his father.
His father had worked at the same company many years ago.

It was amazing that someone’s handwriting is still remembered long after they’re gone.
There it was, as if it was written yesterday.
My husband turned page after page, which showed the history of the company.
Picture after picture of various plants, many of which my husband worked at over the years.

They don’t publish books like this anymore, I said to him wistfully.
I miss those days, I added.
My husband has lovely bookshelves in his office.
This book was there before him day after day, but he had forgotten about it.

Nostalgia: a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past; typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

He brought the book back to his office and I continued to ponder.
I thought of a post I read from a friend who was mourning the closing of a local hospital.
Her words were so tender, remembering how the hospital staff helped her at many crucial times.
Births, deaths, surgeries, emergency care all happened in a building that is now closed forever.

Nostalgia is fine for a while.
We can’t park ourselves there, however.
I understand that many of us wish we could.
We remember the “good old days” fondly.

With the book still on my mind, I went to Bible study.
As we gathered in our group, I brought up nostalgia and the way things were years ago.
One of the women spoke up and told us a story.
She had us all laughing, which is always the best medicine in the world.

Her entire extended family has a talent show each year.
Everyone must participate, young and old alike.
One year, she had an idea.
It was an exercise that would test how much the younger generation knew.

She told the pre-teens and teenagers to sit down on the rug.
In front of them, she placed a rotary phone and a folded map.
She gave them their assignments.
They were to find a designated place on the map and call a given number on the rotary phone.

When the location was given, one of the teens tried to grab his phone from his pocket.
What are you doing? She asked, knowing the answer already.
I’m checking my GPS, he said.
Oh, no you’re not! There is no GPS; find it on the map, as he stared at the map in dismay.

Next she asked one of the girls to call their grandmother.
The young girl started to get her phone from her pocket to look up the number.
Oh, no! She said empathically, You have to remember the phone number in order to dial it!
How do you use this thing? the girl asked, as other teenagers looked over her shoulder.

You find the number in the circle and put your finger in that space and dial, she explained.
No one knew the phone number from memory.
When it was finally shared, in order to complete the exercise, there was frustration.
It takes so long to dial a zero! The girl exclaimed.

The pre-teens and teens, who are quite tech savvy, could not complete these basic tasks.
The grandfather teased, You don’t know how to do anything!
She told us the story and said that it taught them so much.
The  younger generation relies on technology for everything, but there is much they don’t know.

Nostalgia.
Remembering wall phones with long cords that got twisted from being stretched too far.
Phone calls that someone else answered, as you were called to come and talk to the person.
You had some privacy if your long phone cord happened to reach the basement stairs.

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions. (Ecclesiastes 7:10)

We cannot live in the good old days. though they can be remembered fondly.
Technology has brought about exponential change in our lives.
The pace is so much faster now.
We rely on computers to do the work for us.

My husband teases that our generation, and those that came before, would be able to survive.
We learned basic skills apart from technology.
Is there a better or best way of doing things?
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

Each generation has its own problems and its own accomplishments.
We stand on the shoulders of the ones who came before.
They gave us the building blocks we need to move forward.
So much change; so much progress.

Where is the Lord?
Is He considered?
Is He acknowledged?
Are His gifts gratefully accepted?

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16 17)

All things.
Through Him.
In Him.
For Him.

2 responses to “Good Old Days”

1. Such a good reminder! There are many good things about the “good old days”, one of which is there was more focus on God and His attributes, rather than technology and what it could do for you. I’m thankful I grew up in the 49’s and 50’s!

   Reply

   • Sue,
     We can get wistful about the things we remember “back then.” With God’s help, I want to do my part to make the world a little bit better, one person at a time.
     Gina

     Reply