Respect and Common Sense

 I know that I do not get outside my little apartment to see just what is going on in the world around me.  But that doesn't mean that I can't hear what those I do see and talk to are saying.

When I was young, Sunday church services were a given.  Dad wore a suit and tie.  Mother had a couple of dresses she considered good enough to wear to church.  And she sewed dresses for my sister and me to wear on Sundays.

I once asked my mother why we had to wear special clothes to Sunday School and to Church.  She told me that it was a matter of respect to God and Jesus.  She said that it would be insulting to show up to church in work or play clothes.

Now we know that Jesus loves us no matter if we are worshipng in church or mucking out the barn or mowing the lawn.  But I have to agree that showing respect is important.  And when I see videos of folks casually going to church wearing shorts, Hawaiian shirts and flip flops, I have to wonder where the respect went.

For part of my childhood, my family lived 10 miles from the nearest fairly large town.  Some Saturdays we headed to town to do the grocery shopping or sometimes to the fabric store if Mother had time to sew new clothes for us.  Dad changed from his work clothes into a nice pair of slacks and shirt.  Mother wore a nice dress and my sister and I changed from our play clothes into something more presentable.

That, too, was a form of respect.  Maybe somewhat for the friends and neighbors we might see in town but also some self respect.  Don't see much of any sort of respect lately.

Anybody else notice that Common Sense has also left the building?

There are those who believe it is perfectly OK to let millions of illegal aliens into our country.  The operative word here is "illegal."  And then these same folks raise all sorts of issues when our government decides to deport those who broke the law the minute they crossed our borders.

When do you suppose our laws became optional.  Perhaps about the same time that some states decided not to arrest shoplifters if the value of goods stolen is under a certain amount of money?

Years ago I had a friend who had a 13 year old daughter.  The Mom got a phone call from her friend at the Sheriff's Department, tellng her that he had her kid for stealing some makeup from the local Five and Dime.  Today parents are apt to take the kids side.  Not this Mom.  She asked the Sheriff's Deputy if he had an empty jail cell and she would pick up her kid in a couple of hours.  

By the time the Mom showed up, her daughter was so scared that she had peed her pants.  Mom took her home, got her cleaned up, sat her down at the kitchen table with pen and paper to write an apology to the store manager.  Back into town they went where the daughter gave her letter to the manager along with a tearful verbal apology.  This was followed by being grounded for at least a month.

Moral of the story - the kid never gave her parents a bit of trouble - ever.

Respect.  Common sense.  Laws.  We need them.  Badly!