I lied in last week’s post. (See, I told you it was going to become a habit.) Well, maybe it wasn’t really a lie, maybe I was wrong. Since that seldom happens, it’s hard to tell, so it might be a lie. Whatever, I’ve decided change isn’t good. Some change is, but too much is changing now to suit my taste.
Years ago, I found out my favorite crafts store was closing. That shouldn’t upset me, because there are about five others branches in town, but that was the closest, and the only crafts store on our side of town. Now, it’s a day trip to buy yarn. I e-mailed them to complain. I started out the e-mail by asking if they were crazy. They didn’t reply. In hindsight, I probably should have been a little more tactful.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “So what?” No big deal. So, one company doesn’t care about your business. But wait! (That sounds like an infomercial, doesn’t it?) Pontiac stopped making cars. For those of you who aren’t Bonneville fans, bear with me for just a minute while I whine.
I hadn’t driven anything but a Bonneville for 40+ years. Best cars ever! Bar none. My first car was a used Cadillac and then I bought a Bonneville. A 1967 convertible. I imagine it was a little like piloting the QEII, but it was safe. I had three more Bonnevilles after that.
I e-mailed Pontiac. I told them how disappointed I was and asked what they expected me to drive. They responded, but didn’t tell me what I could drive, so I e-mailed and asked again. I give them credit for being patient, because they replied and said they were sad that after 48 years the Bonneville would no longer be around. (Not sad enough to keep making them.) And, no, they didn’t give a suggestion on what to drive, other than saying GM makes a lot of vehicles. Duh! None will be a Bonneville, so what’s the point?
They could have been so patient because I did mention I was going through a major depression and might end up suing them for emotional distress. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it, but if they were really nice, they’d have sent me a coupon for a free car. Kraft does that if you compliment their mayonnaise, but I guess GM is cheap. They opted not to. Being tenacious, I wrote the presidents of General Motors and Pontiac and let them know how unhappy I was. Didn’t work.
I ended up buying a Buick Lucerne when my last Bonneville bit the dust. Good car. I really liked her. It was the last one they made. No longer on the market. I finally broke down and bought a LaCrosse a while ago, and it’s wonderful. If you want one—go buy one now. I fully expect it to be the last LaCrosse made by Buick, since my track record isn’t too good.
My favorite restaurant? Ruby Tuesday. Gone. As an aside, I still see commercials for them, and I’d have to drive 389 miles to eat at the closest one. I may sue them, too. SA Burgers. Best burger EVER. Gone. Texas Dining Train. Gone. Marie Callenders. Gone. Hancock Fabric, Toys R Us, K-Mart, gone or going. Don’t even get me started on my favorite TV shows, cancelled and replaced with junk.
So, there you go. Don’t tell me there’s not a major conspiracy to make my life miserable. I have a warning. If you closely examine your life, you’ll start noticing the same thing. I’m not talking about stores or car makers going out of business. There’s more to it. And it ain’t pretty.
Merry CHRISTmas. No, wait! Happy Holidays. Here comes the Easter Bunny. Oops. We’re supposed to call him/her the Garden Bunny. And don’t you dare pray in school or display the Ten Commandments on your front lawn. Open displays of Christianity are headed towards extinction like the Bonneville, and I don’t think we’ll have Greenpeace, PETA, or Save the Whales helping. Too many people don’t care. Or maybe they do—they just don’t know what to do about it. I fall into the latter category. I want to take a stand, but I don’t know how.
On my home page, the first thing you see is a reference to God. I wear a cross every day, several, in fact. Nowadays it doesn’t mean a whole lot, since it has become a fashion statement instead of a faith symbol. People who know me know I’m a Christian… I stopped hiding my light under a basket a long time ago. Other than my simple actions, I don’t know what to do.
It’s not fashionable to be moral or talk openly about your faith. If you do, you’re a right-wing, religious fanatic. How sad. When did America change? Was it so gradual, we didn’t notice? There’s an old saying about putting a frog in a pot of cold water and turning the heat on high. By the time the frog boils, it’s too late. The change was so gradual, they were dead before they knew it. BTW, I’m not recommending you test the theory. If you feel compelled to kill a frog, fry them. Well, just fry the legs. But, I digress.
There’s a cancer eating at America and it’s not the kind you can just cut out. The “Honk If You Love Jesus” bumper stickers have been replaced with the “If you don’t like my driving, call 1-800-Eat Sh..” stickers. People are offended by displays of Christianity, so we take them down. If we’re offended by not putting them up… oh, well. We don’t count.
My solution to problems with companies is e-mail. Unfortunately, I only know of one place I can e-mail to get a resolution to this problem, and the last time I checked, God didn’t have e-mail. So, here’s my plan. It’s time for those of us who care to take a stand. Were this any other problem, I’d ask you to forward an e-mail asking for help to 300 of your closest friends. Preferably within 10 seconds, or something horrible will happen to you and your dog. Since that’s not doable, I suggest we start a prayer campaign.
Stop praying to win the lottery, lose weight, or for the traffic light to stay green. Pray for the soul of America. We need to focus on things that really matter, like this country we love. I know it’ll work. Because unlike e-mails to Pontiac, prayer does work. So, let’s do a pinky swear and tackle this project. We can stop change dead in its tracks and, in this case, that will be a very good thing.