Much Has Happened in River City In The Past 50 Years

How is it possible for time to move so fast? Since my last post only about a half day has gone by--or so it seems to me. In fact, much more time has slipped through my fingers. It's all a matter of perspective. Somehow, these days, time seems to slip by much quicker than when I was first married, like my grandson and wife now are. In those days my whole life stretched out before me, filled with possibilities, challenges and dreams. How different from the year Sylvia and I were married are today's challenges and dreams. 

For instance, do you remember The Music Man starring Robert Preston? It was Meredith Wilson's December, 1957 musical that became a hit on Broadway, running for 1,375 performances. The play was the winner of eight Tony Awards. 

The story begins with scam artist Professor Harold Hill arriving in sleepy River City, Iowa to convince parents he can teach their musically disinclined children to play musical instruments. His scam is to take pre-paid orders for instruments and uniforms with the promise he will form a band and then skip town. The story ends with the River City Boys' Band performing the Minuet in G and Harold taking Marian the Librarian into his arms with the promise that everyone will live happily ever after. 

A lot has happened in River City since that time over fifty years ago. We still have our scam artists. We still have parents concerned about their children's future. We even have a few librarians left, although the profession is rapidly changing. We will have bands performing in the band shells of little towns in the summer. But are we convinced that everyone will live happily ever after? 

In the 1950s the Korean War ended. General Eisenhower was re-elected as president in 1956. Elvis Presley, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe were the entertainment icons. The Russians launched Sputnik. The Cold War between the USA and Russia was at its height, but as a people we were enthusiastic about the future. This was a period of prosperity and optimism. The average income was rising to $5,000 a year and you could buy a house for about $10,000. A new Chevrolet was about $1,500 and gas cost around 18 cents per gallon. 

I recall how the churches were filled with happy, enthusiastic worshippers. We essentially saw ourselves as a godly nation. On July 11, 1955 President Eisenhower signed Public Law 140, making it mandatory that all coinage and paper currency in the United States display the motto "In God We Trust." 

Now. fifty years later, my grandson Shawn and his wife Marian begin their marriage with our nation locked in a war that threatens to divide us as surely as did the 1960s war in Vietnam. We have a much different ideological enemy. We have made unbelievable advances in technology, but are not quite so sure which God we trust nor whether we will indeed live happily ever after. 

Shawn and Marian--and all you newly weds--what are your views? What are your hopes and dreams? Let us know. We all need hope for the future? What does your future hold? Remember that the scam artists are still around. And parents still want the best for their children. Wars are still terrible things. Can we win the ones we are in? Perhaps the answers to these questions will help you decide for whom you should cast your votes in the upcoming elections. 

Personally, I still trust in God. The Bible says "it is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man" (Psalm 118:8). That LORD is the one who entered into our lives to become one with us in the person of Jesus Christ. He is still with us, even as He has been during the past two generations. That gives us hope both for the present and for eternity.