April 2, 2013

24 of 65

That’s Right

When Suzanne was perhaps 4 years old, we were driving together and I noticed something odd along the way. I don’t remember what it was. I called her attention to the oddity by saying, “Whoa, I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” (The implied reference being to The Wizard of Oz)

Suzanne replied without hesitation, “Of course we’re not in Kansas. We’re in color.”

“That’s right.”

I try to remember those words when I get too bogged down in the seemingly mundane exercise of day to day living. We are in color – with all the wonderful details and reverie of that state of being.

Another time, when Michael was 5 or 6, we were visiting Cathy’s family in Ohio. While driving from Tiffin to Columbus, we passed through the town of Marion, Ohio, which was the home of President Warren Gamaliel Harding. Michael was becoming interested in our country’s presidents – I remember how excited he was when he learned that one of them had been named after Garfield the Cat – so I mentioned, “You know, some people think that Harding was the worst president we ever had.”

Michael replied without hesitation, “But it was really Richard Nixon, wasn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

We taught him well.

Today, I am sure that Michael knows about the Teapot Dome Affair and other scandals from Harding’s administration that would have been meaningless to him then. Still, to those of us coming of age in the Vietnam Era – and to some of our children – President Nixon solidly holds down that lowest ranking.