This morning, the Sassistas! greeted the Fourth of July with a comment from Westsista about a surprise party she attended last evening for a Marine who had just returned from Iraq. Thanks for doing that, West!
This ties in beautifully with the way the Sassistas! have chosen to mark the Fourth of July: by paying tribute to three senior citizens in Bangor, Maine who greet every plane of military servicemen and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Pictured to the right (from left to right) are Jerry Munday (age 73), Joan Gaudet (age 75) and Bill Knight (age 86). The Sassistas! met them at SILVERDOCS after viewing, "How We Get By," a documentary about them. Click here to see the trailer.
This description of the documentary from its website more than makes the case for why it's worth seeing:
Beginning as a seemingly idiosyncratic story about troop greeters --
a group of senior citizens who gather daily at a small airport to thank
American soldiers departing and returning from Iraq, the film quickly
turns into a moving, unsettling and compassionate story about aging,
loneliness, war and mortality.
When its three subjects aren't at the airport, they wrestle with
their own problems: failing health, depression, mounting debt. Joan, a
grandmother of eight, has a deep connection to the soldiers she meets.
The sanguine Jerry keeps his spirits up even as his personal problems
mount. And the veteran Bill, who clearly has trouble taking care of
himself, finds himself contemplating his own death. Seeking out the
telling detail rather than offering sweeping generalizations, the film
carefully builds stories of heartbreak and redemption, reminding us how
our culture casts our elders, and too often our soldiers, aside. More
important, regardless of your politics, "The Way We Get By" celebrates
three unsung heroes who share their love with strangers who need and
deserve it.
As we celebrate the birth of our country today, let's remember all of our heroes, including the unsung ones like Jerry, Joan and Bill.
I just say here and watched the trailer again and started to cry. I know, I know . . . I cry at the drop of a hat. But I gotta tell ya, sistas and mistas -- meeting Jerry, Joan and Bill IN PERSON was a real thrill. The first thing Joan did was give me a hug.
I sometimes worry about my own usefulness when I'm in my seventies and eighties. If nothing else, I can get up in the morning and greet somebody. Ask them how they are . . . and if they're in a uniform, say, "thanks."
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY, SASSOSPHERE!
Posted by: Flannista | July 04, 2009 at 08:25 AM
Happy Independence Day!! Woo-hoo!
Hope everyone has a safe & happy holiday weekend!
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 10:09 AM
Good morning, sweet pea. When you are an old woman, you shall wear purple, and you'll be just as essential and witty and loving and incisive and crazy and loved as you are now. So there.
Thanks for this. I'll watch the trailer in a moment. I bet it will remind me of my dad, now at the big Navy Reserve barracks in the sky, who loved the military more than anything, except maybe us his daughters.
Treesta and I are going to my daughter's 8th annual bake sale, then down to the mall to see the folklife festival. And then i'm not sure what we'll do. Its a kid free weekend with no agenda. How rare. We'll hold hands in public and be grateful we have some rights in the district of columbia.
have a wonderful day,
dcsistah
Posted by: dcsistah | July 04, 2009 at 10:22 AM
Found this quote- feels right to me...
Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members.~~Pearl S. Buck
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 10:26 AM
OK, found another one, then I'll shut up...
ROBERT MCAFEE BROWN:
How does one keep from "growing old inside"? Surely only in community. The only way to make friends with time is to stay friends with people…. Taking community seriously not only gives us the companionship we need, it also relieves us of the notion that we are indispensable.
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Awesome quotes, Chryso! Keep 'em coming! Since i now work for AARP, i have a particularly keen interest! And, as i contemplate turning 50 next month, too.
dc
Posted by: dcsistah | July 04, 2009 at 10:41 AM
Those ARE awesome quotes, Chryso -- the second, in particular, is haunting as Jersey (who arrived about an hour ago with two dawgs) and I have been talking about her moving down to the Sassistas! neck of the woods, because, as I literally said, "At our age, it's all about community."
Ain't that weird? No rhyme or reason in the 'sphere.
We'll be checking in throughout the day. Have a good time holdin' hands, dc. Chryso -- hope your cold is better.
FYI -- Serena beat her sister, Venus in the Wimbledon Women's Final.
Posted by: Flannista | July 04, 2009 at 10:57 AM
Thanks, sistas! You know me, always digging for a compliment ;-p
Planta and I have often thought about what would be involved to set up some sort of community of like-minded souls. Purchase the property, build some very "green" energy-efficient, very accessible (maybe even off-the-grid) homes, building the homes within easy walking/shouting distance, with a "great house" in the middle for social events. Develop a nice shared victory garden, and leave most of the property undeveloped, but with a walking trail thru it. It would be really cool to have a craft studio (pottery, kiln, etc) and an area for chickens, rabbits, etc...
Neither of us are legalese enough to know how you would construct this so that it worked well for everyone, however. It's utopian, I know, but a nice supportive one ;-)
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 11:14 AM
One of the signs of passing youth is the birth of a sense of fellowship with other human beings as we take our place among them.
~~Virginia Woolf
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 11:17 AM
“When marrying, ask yourself this question: Do you believe that you will be able to converse well with this person into your old age? Everything else in marriage is transitory.”
~~Friedrich Nietzsche
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 11:19 AM
“Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, you've got to start young.”
~~Theodore Roosevelt
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 11:21 AM
This one's for Half-a, thinking of the class he's taking:
“I can live for two months on a good compliment.”
~~Mark Twain
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 11:22 AM
One for you, Flannista!
“When angry, count to four. When very angry, swear.”
~~Mark Twain
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 11:27 AM
“Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of eighty and gradually approach eighteen”
~~Mark Twain
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 11:29 AM
Hey, Chryso -- thanks for gracing the 'sphere with all these quotes.
Gotta say, though, that I need to work on my anger, no?
Jersey, Matiss and I have been taking retirement communities for the past couple of hours. It sounds a lot like what you and Planta often talk about.
I love the Nietzsche quote. Just love it. I'll be talking to Matiss the day I die.
Posted by: Flannista | July 04, 2009 at 12:50 PM
Thank you, Sassistas! for this post and for the link to the trailer. Both made me teary.
When my son Pete returned from Iraq to Texas, on leave after six months, there was a huge welcome. Each soldier was given a gift bag. It felt like a "heroes welcome" to him and he was deeply moved. When he returned to New York, after completing his one-year deployment, his unit received no such welcome. In fact, he felt that people intentionally diverted their gaze to avoid seeing them, though 160 soldiers would be hard to miss. I can only imagine the let-down after their previous welcome.
As the mother of both an Army veteran and an active duty Marine, I am deeply grateful to those who make an effort ... any small effort ... to say thank you to the men and women who volunteer service to the country. Thank you Sassistas for your effort today.
Posted by: PEACEsista | July 04, 2009 at 02:12 PM
Ahhh, T-bones on the grill, kiddo has his small-time firecrackers for the neigborhood celebration and the Daytona Firecracker 400 on the TV! Yep, it's the 4th! ;-)
Love to all!
Posted by: Chrysosistah | July 04, 2009 at 05:06 PM
For the fourth of July dinner, before the fireworks, we had an omelette and our grandson told us that if it weren't for mucous, your stomach would digest itself. I had forgotten how much ten-year-olds love digestion.
As to the greeters, May Sarton said, "One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being." These lovely three! Thanks for telling us about them...
Posted by: frida | July 04, 2009 at 07:46 PM
As I write, I can see some of my town's fireworks through the window.
Travel blessings to you tomorrow, Chryso. Happy 25th wedding anniversary to you and Planta!
frida -- love what your grandson said. Also May Sarton, of course.
dcsistah and treesta crashed the barbeque and it was just fine. Margaritas all around.
Love to all!
Posted by: Flannista | July 04, 2009 at 09:43 PM
Great post! I loved the Friday night party for back-from-Iraq guy - turns out he is actually ARMY, not Marine. He was a Marine early in his military career - got out after first stretch, then wanted back in military, so joined the Army.
He's a totally awesome person. Loved talking to him and grilled him about all-things politics. Talked to the other military guys there too. Their opinions and perspectives were extremely interesting. The whole night was so fun, including having a shot of scotch with the "boys." Been a long time since I've done that.
Posted by: Westsista | July 06, 2009 at 06:25 AM
When a soldier is returning to or from Iraq or Afghanistan, or other spot, he is usually wearing his cammies and carrying a pack. You see them fairly often in about any airport. The haircut gives them away. I have found the easiest thing to do is simply to ask if they are going home. Either they are or they are going back to theater. I have yet to shake hands with one who did not seem grateful for a few words. Thanks to these folks for being so faithful to others and themselves.
Posted by: nowayasista | July 07, 2009 at 07:52 AM