[maytag]

Lost my father-in-law this morning. 3 days short of 98 yrs old.
I'm feeling a loss that's a little different than the biological family's, and so it's odd to talk about it with them.

This was a man who has done it all.
Quit school in the 4th grade, because it was time to work the farm. Depression-era Americans made hard decisions.
Earned his bronze star in Operation Dragoon, ww2. Then earned his Purple Heart at the Battle of the Bulge. These were men who were tough as nails.
Had a railroad career, and an oil-rig career, back to back.
Worked DEA undercover in Tucson AZ in the '50's.
Married twice, and raised a dozen kids... including some who weren't his biological offspring.

"Where did all the good men go?"
These were a different sort of men. And as we lose them, we're further than ever from seeing them return. We've become a nation of offended, entitled whiners. We don't make hard decisions, we blame and expect someone else to handle it. We don't do hard things, we whine and look for reality to adjust to our liking.

I'm mourning today. But it's a different kind of grief.

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