Last night I visited with my friends Tom and Judy Cook. Tom is a semi- retired physician in his early 70s. Now that he is semi- retired, he only works 4 days a week practicing medicine, volunteers 40 hours a week, and sits on a medical board. He still hunts, fishes, jogs, works on his 500 acre farm raising and harvesting an acre of flowers, taps 800 trees a year to make maple syrup, cuts 100 cords of wood a year, plants 2000 trees a year, makes cider, reads, sells antiques with his wife,
mows his own lawn, shovels his driveway, spends plenty of time with his grandchildren.
In Tom’s spare time he writes his memoirs. He said they are for his grandchildren only and not to be published. He wants them to know who he is. How lucky are those grandchildren!!!
Tom began writing 25 years ago. A few years ago, wife Judy had all his drafts printed and bound as a surprise gift to Tom. He continues to write.
One of his recent short stories is about a purposeful life. Tom was raised on a farm and trained to be busy at all times; to work and contribute to your family and your community. He remembers how good it felt to try to please your mother and your father by accomplishing tasks around the house and the farm. He knows the satisfaction that results from hard work and being a contributing member to family and society. He is not comfortable doing nothing.
Tom says in today’s life (2010), people are no longer taught how to be responsible for their own actions and how to entertain themselves. They are too dependant on sitting around the computer all day, texting, socializing, watching TV and having a good time but they do not know how to depend on themselves or how to be a contributing member of society. They are also missing the joys of and satisfaction of working hard and reaping the rewards of creating a better life.
In Tom’s days as a child, children were to be seen and not heard. They were to keep their ears and eyes open and learn from the adults.
I agree with Tom. Today far too many people are looking for the government to do everything for them or they are using illegal drugs to escape from life. Children have parents who want to be their “friends”
rather than a real “parent” which means to be an honorable, respected, civilized, trustworthy role model.
People don’t understand why they are not really happy. When you are spoiled, things cannot always go your way; therefore, you will always be irritable at some point. The real answer is to depend on yourself, work hard, be respectful to self and others and enjoy the fruits of your own labor. No one can give you confidence or common sense; it is a by-product that comes from being an honest, trustworthy person who knows how to be a hard working, respectful, civilized law-abiding citizen. Confidence and common sense comes from your own actions not from others.
For their 50th Wedding Anniversary, Tom wrote a story about his wife Judy. What better gift could a wife have than to know how her husband feels about her and their life together for 50 years and to have it in writing? No I didn’t get to read this story……..…it is for the grandchildren. But I do know Judy liked it.
Today, Tom and Judy both gave me permission to use their names.
They also gave me the book to read:
“Stories for My Children & Grandchildren.” by Tom Cook.
I hope one day this will be a published book and you, my
readers, will also be able to read it. We so desperately need
great role models for our young people and. unfortunately,
our politicians and athletes need some good role models too.
I invite you to read our book: “A Year of Good Manners” by
Margery Sinclair and Jan Polk. It will give you a purposeful life
and the reasons to do so. It is easy to hold yourself to a higher
standard when you know how.