We had one television, just like everyone else in the neighborhood. It was kept in the living room, which also served as a dining room when we had a formal dinner, and also as family room when we entertained. The TV was black and white. It came without a remote control, so someone had to get up and change the channel. We were lucky, in that, we had six channels to choose from and when the stratosphere/ionosphere, something sphere cooperated, three additional channels from far away New Haven, Connecticut, and somewhere on Long Island came in bright and clear. Yes, we were lucky, because our relatives upstate only had two, sometimes three channels to choose from. No one complained. No one fought over the television. We watched what our parents watched, generally at night and until it was time for bed, or homework. After school and on weekends, we played outside, congregated over a friends house, or gathered at relatives house. My cousin George was the best. He had a basement where we could play anytime it rained or whenever a hurricane came along, and a garage to flip cards, play monopoly, or any other game that came along. Our favorite game, by far, was the hockey game he received one Christmas. We actually had a league with four or more players. We would play all day, until it was time to go home for dinner, during the winter months. When spring would come along, we had this game called Ethan Allen’s Baseball, and again we chose teams, and made a league. On good days, there was bike riding, hide and seek, tag, along with baseball, wiffleball, football and exploring the neighborhood. There were no computers, Wii, Playstation, or any other electronic games to play. They were not invented yet. And we were happy.

Everyone, of course, had one phone. Most were located in the kitchen, but our phone was in the hallway on a telephone stand. The cord was only a couple of feet long, so privacy was unheard of, but we didn’t have anything to hide. There were no cell phones or i-phones, e-mails, Skype, or text messages. They didn’t exist. They were not invented. The kitchen, by the way, was the central dining room. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all served there. Everyone ate at the same time, and we never had fast food. It didn’t exist. Everything was made right there in the kitchen. And what of bathrooms? We had one, just like the rest of the neighbors. Hard to believe, we all shared one bathroom. Who could afford a second bathroom? Sometimes there were scheduling problems, but nothing that warranted a bigger house with bathrooms in every room. And we were happy.

Times have certainly changed. We have more gadgets and newfangled inventions which have truly improved our way to recreate. We have larger and more efficient houses too. Today, there are no lines at the bathroom door. Telephones? We have cell phones. Television? It is in living color, and we have more than 100 channels to choose from because of something called either cable or a satellite dish. We have computers, Game Boys, and many other assorted, electronic devices which boggle the mind. We have Malls and shopping, and 24 hour supermarkets, and all-night gas stations. We still have churches, but who has the time for church when we are so consumed by our many playful distractions. I love seeing so much around. In fact, there is so much more to do. Life has improved and I, for one, am excited every day. I talk to my friends on a computer. I exercise in my basement. I watch television on one of the several located throughout the house. I eat microwavable popcorn. I can text message and multi-task with the best of them. I remember when it was, "we." Now it is, "I." ...And I remember a simpler time, when we were happy.

This New Year, we all have the opportunity to ask ourselves about interacting and re-discovering our family ties, and building friendships. Thirty, forty, fifty, sixty years ago we had so much less. We survived, didn’t we? We knew the names of our neighbors. We saw the inside of our friends’ houses. We played in the sunshine, walked in the rain, and built snow men when it snowed, and we were happy. Christ never meant for us to be static. He would encourage us to greater inventions and discoveries. I ponder, however, if He sometimes looks in on us and wonders what has really become of us, and why we have evolved into the busy, electronically astute, relatively prosperous, and ever lacking God-fearing people we have become. It is quite an accomplishment to have so much and never to be wanting. Just eighty years ago, our parents, or grandparents, or great grandparents survived a world wide depression. They made the best of their situation, and had so little. Families and friends relied on one another, because that was all they had. Churches were packed, even if factories were dormant. There was, after all, hope. I once remember my father telling me how much he had. Measuring what we have today, with what he had then, he and his family had nothing. One comment sticks out. He told me, that he never recognized his poverty, because everyone was in the same situation. "We all had the same stuff, and found things to do. We were happy." Imagine that?