AsI drive through town to Whirlpool Corporation, where I work parttime, I see incredible changes. As did many cities in the mid-sixtiesthrough the mid-eighties and even beyond, current events of the timebrought the collapse of numerous factories and businesses, leavingthe city in a bad state. So many small businesses were lost, alongwith a way of life that will never be the same. The same thinghappened to Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, NYC, St.Louis, Atlanta … on and on. The most dramatic changes occurred inthe East and Midwest, because it is these areas in which a hugepercentage of manufacturing took place - manufacturing that hasdisappeared forever.

       This blog is not meant to be political,or to be critical of the hundred-and-one reasons why all thishappened. I am simply reminiscing. We became part of the “rustbelt,” with abandoned factories and store buildings everywhere. Ionly write this because it saddens me to remember what a wonderfulcity this was when I was a teenager and a young adult. For years,driving through here brought the ugly sight of blight andabandonment. Factories stood empty, building roofs collapsed,graffiti was splattered everywhere, and the city, like so manyothers, developed an undeserved bad reputation.

     Afterall these years, factories have been torn down and replaced by greengrass, while some of those sites saw the development of a top-notchgolf course, cleaned-up beaches, housing developments and newbusinesses. Some of the locations are now just empty lots waiting tobe filled through progress and federal loans and such. But to me,things will never be the same. I try to explain to my sons andgrandsons what it used to be like here and how excited I used to bewhen we would take a bus from the small town where I lived (and stilllive) to this bigger city, just to shop all day or go to a movie orto the beach. This town had two movie theaters (now both gone) and awonderful beach amusement park (also gone now). The once-big storesof Sears and Penny’s and others are also gone, as are most of therestaurants.

 

      I “see” all those places when I drive down themain street.

 

     “There is where the bigger theater used to be,where hubby and I went on our first date.” (62 years ago). “Thereis where we used to shop at Sears.” (Or Penny’s.) “There iswhere we went for ice cream sodas.” “There is where I used towork when I was in my 20’s.” “There is where we went to theamusement park on the beach.” “There is where Whirlpool had allits manufacturing, before they moved all of that to other cities,states, and even other countries.” Thank God, Whirlpool kepttheir world headquarters right here, where it all began with theinvention of a wooden washing machine in the inventor’s garage.Whirlpool remains the backbone of this city and actually a huge partof the whole county.

     Everything changes with each generation. Iremember when radio stations and tv stations would not broadcast rock‘n roll because they considered it sinful. I remember when womencould not wear pants, especially not blue jeans. I remember drinkingout of the hose, and I remember hauling my sons as babies just oneyear apart by laying them down in the back seat of the car. Iremember my parents heating the house with coal and when the familyhad only one car and my mom didn’t even drive. I remembertelephone party lines and when gossip was spread only that way orperson to person, rather than being broadcast to the whole worldthrough the internet. I remember when people dressed up for ballgamesor just to go shopping, and when people treated each other withrespect and accepted different ideas and religions without prejudiceand cruel judgment.

 

     I worry about all the changes, toomany of them not for the better. But then I remind myself that witheach new generation, the old one has trouble accepting the new waysand new ideas. I remember when people panicked over all the riots andpolitical movements created because of Viet Nam. I remember wheneveryone panicked over Y2K and thought the world would come to an endwhen the clock would change on December 31st, 1999. I’m sure it wasa frightening time when people had to ration gas and nylon andcertain foods and a hundred other products during WWII because suchthings were needed by our soldiers overseas. And, of course, 9/11certainly did not bring calm to our souls.

     But life went on.The world didn’t explode. The sky did not fall. The horrible,rebellious teenagers of my generation grew up to become mothers andfathers and politicians and lawyers and doctors and engineers andcarpenters and brick layers and factory workers and writers andteachers … on and on … living their lives in pretty much the sameway most people always have, other than enjoying all the newinventions that come every ten years or so. Today those thingsseem to come much faster, but we absorb them into our lives asnaturally as breathing.

 

      Sometimes change can be hard to accept,but to keep living a normal life and to be at peace inside ourselves,we have to realize that this is how life is today. Yesterday is gone,other than in our memories. Hopefully, society will continue topreserve the old ways through those old movies and through old news,through antique stores and through books, both societal andeducational. We have to pray that the history in those books will betruthful, and that man will remember how important it is toLEARN from history - learn to avoid the things that bring mankind towar and confusion and chaos. Acceptance is the best way to keep thepeace. Keeping the arts and religion of all faiths alive is anotherway. 

    Praydaily that God will guide you through all the changes in life, bothin your personal lives and the worldly changes. Pray daily that Godwill watch over and bless your children and grandchildren and allthose born of your blood who will live long after you are gone. Andremember that usually change is good. It creates new avenues for aperson’s skills and dreams. It saves lives through advances inmedicine. It brings innovation, forces our miraculous brains toseek new ideas and inventions. 

 

    It keeps us active and alive --and fills us with hope for the future!

 

(Photos courtesy of Pat Crean, Flying Spots Photography)