The Stranger

The Stranger

When I was about 8 years old, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. We lived in Roy, Utah on a dead in street with about 15 other families.  Life before this introduction, was a life of innocent childhood memories of exploring life from early morning until bedtime.

My Dad was so fascinated with the newcomer he soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents taught me well.  Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. They both took us to church every Sunday and we learned valuable lessons.  But the stranger... he was our storyteller and main source of life's lessons.  He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. 

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I know now that she prayed for the stranger to leave on many occasions.)  She even tryed banning him from us most of the day.  But in the evening Dad always took away the ban.  Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them.  

Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home - not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger.  

Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked...And NEVER asked to leave. More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' home today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?.... We just call him 'TV.'  

He has a wife now....we call her 'Computer.' Their first child is "Cell Phone". Second child "I Pod" And JUST BORN LAST YEAR WAS a Grandchild: IPAD and now they are located in every room of every house and go with every member of the family everywher they go.  They are the #1 source of eduction to almost every human being, even though most people won't admit it.