Charles Knowlton (1927-2013)

Many paintings depict groups of happy people gathered around a table, eating a meal. The feeling is of comrades sharing together in peace and good will. Today, however, fewer families than ever seem to be eating together and sharing those comforting feelings of family togetherness.

I remember seeing my mother sew a pouch in my father’s long johns with their life’s savings in it, when news of bank failure came many years ago. My father went to work carrying a shotgun. Why was all of this necessary? Are we talking about the good old United States of America?

While taking a trip down memory lane recently, I suddenly came across a fearful memory lodged there. When I was three, I was in a busy store with my parents, holding on to my mother’s hand, when I looked up and saw it was not my mother. I think the woman was as startled as I was. Panic time! In a few moments my father found me and I was safe, but with a lifelong memory of holding on to the wrong hands.

If you asked my cousin about loyalty, he would tell you about manning a machine-gun post during World War II on a Pacific Island. During an attack by the enemy, his aide deserted him and he was left to fend for himself. He was horribly wounded, and though he lived to come home, his experience left him handicapped and bitter for the rest of his life. Will trials and betrayal do the same to you?

In my younger years, I served aboard a ship of the United States Navy. Navy ships were always in one of three conditions—they were either underway, anchored, or in need of assistance in the form of a push or tow.  This is true of any working vessel. In the commercial world, a ship under power is productive. If it is anchored, it is doing nothing. If it needs assistance, it is usually helpless. Have you ever felt like you were in any of these conditions?