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After all the hoopla lately about Martha Stewart preparing to serve some "good time" in a place that may need her expertise in window treatments, to Senator Hillary Clinton's tell-all book that may contain questionable truths about her believing Bill's Oval Office "meetings", it is about time the media takes a look at some real people. When I use the term "real people" I mean those like Uncle Sid and Aunt Sadie which I have used in my column several times before.
As I continue to gain in years and have the opportunity to associate with generations before me, I have learned to appreciate these grassroots real people as the true backbone of this great country. They are couples who have lived through the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, and the Year 2000 hype, and seem to be more sharing than those of us who were brought up in the "take care of self" years.
Uncle Sid and Aunt Sadie are good examples of my observation. Both are in their late eighties and have been married for more than sixty years. They have farmed all their lives and live a very simple life. Their white frame house is not a show place, but is a comfortable place to go and visit. Aunt Sadie will have tea cakes in the cookie jar, which she will offer you along with a cup of strong black coffee brewed on the electric range in a tin coffee pot.
Both are what you would call "the salt of the earth" and their daily routine involves a lot of time together which is one reason they have survived for so long. When they got married they took the preacher for his word and have remembered that they promised to stick it out through better or worse.
Uncle Sid told me just the other day that he and Sadie had never had a short word between them. However, he went on to explain they have had a lot of long words, but never a short word. Bill Dickerson told us the other day that Uncle Sid decided to take Aunt Sadie down to their church for the special marriage seminar on communicating better with your mate series. They heard about it last Sunday from Preacher Higgins and Uncle Sid thought he and Aunt Sadie needed to learn more about this since both of them can't hear real well or see like they use to.
Preacher Higgins was real surprised to see them since they are a couple whom others look at as an example of marriage longevity, but he welcomed them just the same. If Sid and Sadie were interested in communicating with one another more to improve their marriage, he was not about to stop them. Of course he also understood it would have taken him another hour to explain what the course was really about to both of them.
Preacher Higgins started the course out with a question. He said, "It is essential today that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other, so I want to ask all the husbands here today, can you describe your wife's favorite flower?"
Uncle Sid was sitting on the front row so he could hear better and just happened to be the first one in line to catch the preacher's question. Preacher Higgins looked at Uncle Sid and said, "Brother Sid, after being married some sixty plus years, do you know what your wife's favorite flower is?"
With a twinkle in his eye, Uncle Sid leaned over to Aunt Sadie, set her pocketbook down he had been carrying for her and put his arm around her shoulders. He looked her straight in the eyes, smiled and said, "I'm pretty sure it is Martha White self-rising!"
Now that's what I call "real people" and a good reason those two have been married so long. They know what's important in life.
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