September 24, 2013 (Tuesday)
Pardon me, please, for mentioning my own birthday, but I am a little shocked myself at getting old, and it’s on my mind. Say what? 82? Surely you jest.
Up there in New York City the three baseball teams conducted a round-robin playoff among themselves on the day I was born to raise money for the unemployed because the Great Depression was putting many people out of work. The Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the NYC Giants and NYC Yankees.
Three people born on the same day as I are listed as notable births in Wikipedia. All three have died.
Much has changed in 82 years. For example, last Sunday’s talk shows featured Sarah Palin and Nancy Pelosi in interviews about Hilary Clinton’s run for the presidency. That could not have happened on the day I was born. No television. No female politicians. Not everyone had a radio.
During my lifetime so far, 14 men have served as president of the United States. One was assassinated and assassination attempts were made on others.
The Bolshevik Revolution was 14 years old in 1931 but for all practical purposes Communism is now dead. Terrorism was rare but wars have come one after the other during these 82 years. Terrorism has now come to our own shores.
Our nation has grown by 190 million during my lifetime, and social problems of all kinds have become complex. When I started to public school in 1937, I was taught the Pledge of Allegiance, “America the Beautiful” and the National Anthem, as well as “The Lord’s Prayer,” and we recited and sang these every morning at school.
Much has changed since I was born, but this is still the greatest country in the world, and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).