How much is that doggy in the window?

I grew up with a certain sense of innocence. An innocence now lost for many. In my street, older adults kept an eye out for me as a child. I played outside, climbed trees, caught small fish, lit fires, stayed in the local park after hours, rode a bike without a helmet. Of course, with hindsight, I took so much in trust in those days - like we all did then. Days before we understood trust was a fragile commodity and that all adults were not looking to the best interest of children Innocence is not a term I use to make any value judgement. It wasn't a better or worse time. It was a different time. I learned old songs like the doggy one. I read books where mummy never worked, marriages were always stable and colour was virtually absent. With the benefit of hindsight, that was not so innocent. But we are stewards of both our past as well as our shared futures and while we cannot change the past, we can create a future worthy of those we care for. So while we might yearn for the old days and say "nostalgia isn't what it used to be..." let's be intentional with our investment for the future, the one we long to leave for those we love.. for the one who calls me Papa.