Some of my earliest menories were of family gatherings. Many of you can probably relate. My grandfather and grandmother had 12 children during their lifetime. They raised them on a farm in SE Ohio during the 1910 through the 1940 period and many of my uncles served in WWII. My mother married a soldier after he returned from WWII and they had 6 kids before he left her. Most of my uncles and aunts had 3 to five children, so there were lots of cousins in my generation. The gathering usually numbered between 60 to 80 people ranging in ages from 50 down to infant age (excepting my grandmother who was 65+. My grandfather passed before I was old enough to remember him, but my grandmother was the mainstay of the family through my early years.
Every summer we would have a family reunion at my grandmother’s farm. Aunts and uncles (her children and their spouses) would gather at the farm with their children, so there was always quite a crowd. And everybody would bring their favorite dishes of food for everybody to eat. There were vegetable salads, fruit salads, vegetable dishes, soups, roast beef, fried chicken, baked ham, deviled eggs (galore), and pies, cakes and puddings. And tubs of watermellon on ice. Drinks were iced tea, lemonaide, kool aide, and milk aplenty.
All through the morning as new arrivals came, there were greetings, hugs and kisses, handshakes and pats on the backs. The large front yard developed a baseball game or a football game with new arriving children joining in. The din of laughter and children was heard throughout the morning. My grandmother’s family was a convivial family.
Rows of tables and folding chairs (borrowed from a church) were set out in the yard (I can never remember a reunion when it rained). All food the was set on a separate set of tables and it was hard to find any space that wasn’t covered with goodies to eat. Once the food was set out on the tables, grace was said. Then two rows of people (one on each side of the tables) would form and move down the line taking from whatever dishes they wanted to try. And even those who brought up the end of the line had their choice of everything as the food was so plentyful that there was never an empty dish on the food tables. And when everybody was seated, there was always a few empty seats for any latecomers.
Throughout the afternoon, the adults were busy talking, catching up on the lives of others and keeping a watchful eye on the children. And still the laughter rolled as many funny stories were told. And the kids played their games and sometimes wandered back for more food. And watermellon seed spitting contest progressed sometimes. The reunion usually lasted into the early evening, and there was still plenty of food to eat.
Yes, there is a point to this story. This was inspired by a song by Carrie Newcomer (a Dkos member turned me on to her music). Unfortunately, I failed to note who it was, so I can’t give him/her credit.
America is a nation blessed with abundent resourses, most important is the talent of it’s people. Everybody has something to bring to the table. But you see, the table has to be for everybody, and everybody needs to bring something. And everybody needs to share. There can be no conviviality if some want to bring nothing, or some want to take what others bring without allowing those who bring something to have any.
We have come to the point in America where the takers have become dominate. Corporations want to make huge profits off the labor of workers who they pay as little as possible. The corporations and the wealthy want to heap their plates with tax breaks and government subsidies of taxpayer money, while depriving the working class of decent wages and lower taxes or any benefits from the taxes they pay.
State politicians want to suppress the votes of minorities in order to maintain their control of the governments. And they are willing (even eager) to lie about their opponent in order to maintain control of their position. And their lies are also used to maintain control of the voting public.
The political conversation is such that neither side is willing to consider the other’s political view. And in some instances, there is no political view, only a rejection of the other’s view. The din of angry voices drowns out any chance for the laughter (or the music) to be heard. The raised fists and the blows of the dominate prohibit the hugs and kisses, the handshakes and pats on the back to be given. And the hate is escalated to the point there is no love to survive.
We need a reunion of Americans. That doesn’t mean we have to invite the white supremists, the insurrectionists, or those who would annihilate our democratic form of government. But contrary to what many want to believe, that is not a majority of the 74 million voters who voted for tRump. The vast majority of them still want democracy, but have been fooled into believing that the Dems are radical leftists, socialist/communists, and would destroy America. But that is the very opposite of the facts. That is the lie that the wealthy and big corporations perpetrate to keep the voters divided and control the power of what should be the peoples government. And it has given rise to the white supremist movement to keep the the suppression of minorities. Obviously, there should be NO room at the table for white supremists and anti-government advocates.
I don’t really have any solutions to fix everything. Most of us do what we think we can, but we sometimes get discouraged when we run up against the opposition. But maybe the message we should be using is that THERE IS ROOM AT THE TABLE FOR EVERYONE. And so, I offer this song as a message we can spread to bring more harmony. This is the message that Joe Biden is trying to spread, and it is the message we should be helping him spread. To do any less is to repudiate Joe and Kamala’s message.