In two years Americans will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It has been suggested that during the next year or so people do something to bring attention to this event, perhaps locally and/or individually. One suggestion is that people read the Declaration of Independence, a document signed in 1776, by the founding fathers. For community, university, or professional theaters interested in staging a spectacular celebration, the information on the following website; https://liberty-calls.com might fit the bill. “Liberty Calls” is the title of the play, a musical actually, that a friend of mine wrote. It was performed some time ago, and photos of that production are posted on the website.
But enough about the future. The current state of affairs in our nation makes me remember the song “America the Beautiful.” On a recent drive through the countryside to meet up with a friend, I was astounded at the beauty spread before me. Fields had been ploughed and planted, flower beds were spilling iris (we used to call them “flags”) and bright peonies and in pastures, fillies and colts were nuzzling. Spring was truly here. My relative who lives in Texas states it’s like summer there already. Heat waves aside, some parts of the North still have snow, but here in the Midwest, it’s primavera! This means in my yard, weeds have taken over every inch of my flower beds. The herd of deer have smacked away the buds of various plants, but there is nothing, but nothing, like the warmth of a sunny time in a park, which is just what my husband and I did two days ago. With one and a half hour to spare, we enjoyed the beauty of a glorious day with a walk around a lake, lunch on a clean park picnic table, and weather that was extra fine.
Reality rushed in, however, that same day as we learned from a friend that his car had been stolen. Then we learned that in another part of the state, our son’s passenger rear tire had been stolen. Then we learned that another friend came out of his place of business to find the muffler had been stolen off his car. Then our newspaper arrived, and on the front page was news about a 21 year old in our town who had stabbed a 17 years old. The fight was over electronic cigarettes and a marihuana and their disagreement over the purchase price of $390. The 17 year old died. The 21 year old will likely spend his life in prison. Alas, is America the land of liberty and freedom or is it sinking under a crime wave where high prices lead some to steal and others to cry?
Life is a see-saw of emotions, leading one to search for solutions. Consider, the 1958 hit song, written by David Seville, that rescued Liberty Records from financial difficulties. The singer asks a witch doctor for advice about a romantic situation, and the doctor replies with a gibberish line: Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla bing-bang, oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla bang-bang. Here we are in need not for gibberish but for what liberty calls for: Oh beautiful for heroes proved/In liberating strife/Who more than self, / their country loved/And mercy more than life… Somehow I almost can hear Ray Charles at his piano.
But enough about the future. The current state of affairs in our nation makes me remember the song “America the Beautiful.” On a recent drive through the countryside to meet up with a friend, I was astounded at the beauty spread before me. Fields had been ploughed and planted, flower beds were spilling iris (we used to call them “flags”) and bright peonies and in pastures, fillies and colts were nuzzling. Spring was truly here. My relative who lives in Texas states it’s like summer there already. Heat waves aside, some parts of the North still have snow, but here in the Midwest, it’s primavera! This means in my yard, weeds have taken over every inch of my flower beds. The herd of deer have smacked away the buds of various plants, but there is nothing, but nothing, like the warmth of a sunny time in a park, which is just what my husband and I did two days ago. With one and a half hour to spare, we enjoyed the beauty of a glorious day with a walk around a lake, lunch on a clean park picnic table, and weather that was extra fine.
Reality rushed in, however, that same day as we learned from a friend that his car had been stolen. Then we learned that in another part of the state, our son’s passenger rear tire had been stolen. Then we learned that another friend came out of his place of business to find the muffler had been stolen off his car. Then our newspaper arrived, and on the front page was news about a 21 year old in our town who had stabbed a 17 years old. The fight was over electronic cigarettes and a marihuana and their disagreement over the purchase price of $390. The 17 year old died. The 21 year old will likely spend his life in prison. Alas, is America the land of liberty and freedom or is it sinking under a crime wave where high prices lead some to steal and others to cry?
Life is a see-saw of emotions, leading one to search for solutions. Consider, the 1958 hit song, written by David Seville, that rescued Liberty Records from financial difficulties. The singer asks a witch doctor for advice about a romantic situation, and the doctor replies with a gibberish line: Oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla bing-bang, oo-ee, oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla bang-bang. Here we are in need not for gibberish but for what liberty calls for: Oh beautiful for heroes proved/In liberating strife/Who more than self, / their country loved/And mercy more than life… Somehow I almost can hear Ray Charles at his piano.
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