The funeral I went to this morning was of Nell, who was married to my father's younger brother. There was a connection, which I don't have quite straight, but it involved the Deal family. I have noted here before that Nathan Deal grew up in Sandersville.
Anyway, I've always had it in my mind that Nell was either related to, or very close friends with, Mrs. Deal, Nathan's mother. It turns out that she was not related but was close friends with a sister of Mrs. Deal, or something like that.
Anyway, it was ironic to be back there in the midst of all this controversy. My sister, who lives there, is as vehemently opposed to him as I am; but she tells me about her friend Hazel Metts, an otherwise liberal woman who plans to vote for him because she taught him in high school, and she just can't believe anything bad about him. This is the same woman who was not going to vote for Obama because she "didn't think he was very smart," but then denied that she had any racial prejudice.
Go figure. Who could possible think that Obama was not smart, unless you think all black people are inherently "not smart." My sister worked on her, kept trying to get her to watch the debates, but she had her mind made up.
Hazel taught me English in 10th grade; she was straight out of college at the time and pretty good, I thought at the time. Now she's pushing 90 and uses a walker and is getting 'forgetful.' She's liberal in theory and in general, but she votes against her own interests without realizing it. Signs of the times. Halfway there, but a long way to go.
Ralph
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We've been to a couple of high school reunions this summer and I've also independently reconnected with some old acquaintances I haven't seem for decades. A lot is the same, but it felt like there's been a surprising amount of divergence along the way. At my wife's reunion, her circle of friends [all of whom moved away] were politically in her camp. For me, it was mixed. The ones that left were in my camp. The majority of the ones that stayed around weren't. I've been wondering if we leave because we're different, or if we get different because we leave. I expect both. But it brings to mind Thomas Wolfe's "You Can't Go Home Again." It was good to revisit the people and places, but I was sure glad to get back "home."
ReplyDeleteWaiting for the funeral to begin yesterday, one of my cousins mentioned approvingly having watch O'Rielly on TV the night before. He's the same one who kept stating disparaging "facts" about Obama at the last family reunion. I started off trying to argue with him, and then realized it was no use, so I just said -- let's don't talk politics.
ReplyDeleteMy sister, who lives there, has to endure it all the time. That's one reason she likes for me to come visit -- we talk politics for hours, because she really doesn't have anyone else there to talk to.