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Looking back at times gone by, I can't help but think about my family. We were all so close. My sister is the oldest grandchild on my Mothers side of our family, she is three years younger than my youngest Uncle. My Grandmother was pregnant with him when my parents got married. We are a large German, Irish, family. If my parents were a young couple getting married in todays day and age, could you imagine what people would say. This is one example of looking back in time and seeing how life has changed.

Coming from such a large family my sisters and I were very fortunate growing up. We grew up with Aunts, and Uncles that were only a few years older than us. We had Parents, Grandparents, and Great-Grandparents. Family gatherings were just great. All our Grandparents and family members on our Mothers side, and all our Grandparents and family members on our Fathers side were all friends, so everyone attended a family gathering. I look back at those times and I think, what a wonderful life. Everyone was equal, who had the biggest or best decorated home, or who's income was larger then the others. Those things weren't significant. Life was so different then.

Today, I see family's who don't even talk to each other, I see so many people playing the Jones'. Maybe those things were done back then, but to my recollection, not my family. My Father, was a mechanic, my Mother a home maker, we lived in a nice neighborhood on Long Island. At one time we didn't have a telephone because my parents didn't think it was necessary. Could you image them thinking that in todays society, I forget what people look like without a cell phone growing from their ear. People today are so rude, no one says excuse me, the sheer lack of respect just blows my mind, I see kids curse their parents out in the middle of grocery stores. I see store clerks that don't even know the names of regular customers.

Back in times gone by, people were kind, and considerate, kids held the door for older people. Families respected each other. Grocery clerks knew what you were going to order before you even asked. They called you by name. In my families case for example, the deli on the corner, the owners knew my Grandparents from the neighborhood, my grandmother would give us a list, and we would hand it to the nice man behind the counter, he would fill the order and say to me and my cousins," the families coming for lunch today, tell Grandma I gave her bologna, she forgot to put it on the list and I know it's Michael's favorite." We would thank him, and go on our merry way. When we got home we would of course tell Grandma what the man had said, and she would respond with, " Thank God for Joey, otherwise poor Michael would have starved." Looking back you realize it was the little things, that made life so nice.

Learn more about this author, Kathy Panicola.
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