What made me think of this, was a funny joke on FB . Old codgers giving free advice, maybe bad advice but hey! it’s free!! It got me thinking, not about jokes, but about old codgers giving what they have to offer. I wonder who would know what these old gentlemen really have to offer.? Let me give you my understanding of what they can give you. HISTORY. Not the history we read in books but the real down to earth stuff. When grandfather dies his own history dies with him, unless you have sat with him and listened to his stories. I have long regretted losing my parents before I thought to ask them about their early lives. When it’s too late, so much information is lost forever. I sometimes speak to school classes about the 2nd World War and they are sometimes amazed by the things I retell. The living conditions in our tiny terrace house the was built in the 1850s. The conditions we faced during the blitz, the night bombings, the fires, shortages of food and everything else. Not important you might say, it was a long time ago. Yes it was, but it is still history, and for many people that is important. If you still have grandparents or even your own aging parents, ask question. Learn about their childhood their teen years how they met, where the worked. The difficulties they faced, their struggles, and happy moments. If you leave it too long, it may be too late. And that folks is the free advice from this old codger.
God Bless and learn your family history. (Photo my sister and I in 1949)
irishroversbooks.wordpress.com 