Last night, Andy and I watched a documentary on the career of Walter Cronkite. We just sort of stumbled onto it, and stuck; as we watched, it was as if our whole lives were being replayed - even though we were young children through most of it, we recalled where we were and how we felt through all of the major events of the 60s, 70s, and even into the 80s. I recalled being afraid even down here in Texas, that the civil rights battles and Vietnam were going to take our country into another Civil War. I don't know how far off base those feelings truly were, but to my inexperienced mind, it was scary. TV was just coming into play as the news medium that it is now, and our daily lives were bombarded with images of war and police riots and political evils. It was a time for everyone to have strong opinions about issues and have a venue to share them with. And Uncle Waltie was right there, guiding us through it all with his calm voice and horned-rim glasses. Although I don't miss the violence of those days, I do miss the simplicity of
the time that still remained for most of us. I'm afraid that simplicity is gone forever.