The following was submitted by Frank G Ahern. Author Unknown: ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

A Gift.....

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, he was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let him know.

Growing Older, I decided, is a gift. I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body ... the wrinkles, the baggy arms, and the cellulite. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to be messy, to be extravagant, to smell the flowers.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon, before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 a.m. and then sleep until -- ? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50's & 60's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love...

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set. They, too, will get old. (if they're lucky)

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But then again, some of life is just as well forgotten and I eventually remember the important things. Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet passes away? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

I can say "no," and mean it.
I can say "yes." and mean it.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being older. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day... (if I want).

Today, I wish you a day of ordinary miracles.
Love simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.

Click HERE for a really beautiful site about The Old Days

From Mel Jones, Jane Sidelsky Jones' husband: GEEZERS "Geezers" (slang for an old man) are easy to spot: At sporting events, during the playing of the National Anthem, Geezers remove their caps and stand at attention and sing without embarrassment.They know the words and believe in them. Geezers remember the Depression, World War II, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Normandy and Hitler. They remember the Atomic Age, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Jet Age, and the Moon Landing, plus the 50+ Peacekeeping Missions from 1945 to 2006, not to mention Vietnam. They also remember the Gulf War and the current War on Terrorism. If you bump into a Geezer on the sidewalk, he will apologize. If you pass a Geezer on the street, he will nod or tip his cap to a lady. Geezers trust strangers and are courtly to women. Geezers hold the door for the next person and always, when walking, make certain the lady is on the inside for protection. Geezers get embarrassed if someone curses in front of women and children and they don't like any filth on TV or in movies. Geezers have moral courage. They seldom brag unless it's about their children or grandchildren. It's the Geezers who know our great country is protected, not by politicians or police, but by the young men and women in the military serving their country. This country needs Geezers with their decent values.We need them now more than ever! Thank God for Geezers! Let us pray they never disappear from our life. A Veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America", for an amount of "up to and including my life." That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.

The following was submitted by Bob Rainey.

What Made Me Me

Long ago and far away, in a land that time forgot,
Before the days of Dylan, or the dawn of Camelot.
There lived a race of innocents, and they were you and me,
Long ago and far away, In the Land That Made Me Me.

  Oh, there was truth and goodness In that land where we were born,
Where navels were for oranges, and Peyton Place was porn.
For Ike was in the White House, and Hoss was on TV,
And God was in His heaven In the Land That Made Me Me.

We learned to gut a muffler, we washed our hair at dawn,
We spread our crinolines to dry in circles on the lawn.
And they could hear us coming all the way to Tennessee,
All starched and sprayed and rumbling in the Land That Made Me Me.

  We longed  for love and romance, and waited for the prince,
And Eddie Fisher married Liz, and no one's seen him since.
We danced  to "Little Darlin'", and Sang to "Stagger Lee"
And cried for Buddy Holly In the Land That Made Me Me.

  Only girls wore earrings then, and three was one too many,
And only boys wore flat-top cuts, except  for Jean McKinney.
And only in our wildest dreams did we expect to see
A boy named George, with Lipstick In the Land That Made Me Me.

      We fell  for Frankie Avalon, Annette was oh, so nice,
And when they made a movie, they never made it twice.
We didn't have a Star Trek Five, or Psycho Two and Three,
Or Rockey-Rambo Twenty In the Land That Made Me Me.

  Miss  Kitty had a heart of gold, and Chester had a limp,
And Reagan  was a Democrat whose co-star was a chimp.
We had a Mr Wizard, but not a Mr T,
And Oprah couldn't talk yet In the Land That Made Me Me.

  We had our share of heroes, we never thought they'd go,
At least not Bobby Darin, or Marilyn Monroe.
For youth was still eternal, and life was yet to be,
And Elvis was forever, In the Land That Made Me Me.

  We'd  never seen the rock band that was Grateful to be Dead,
And Airplanes weren't named Jefferson, and Zeppelins weren't Led.
And Beatles lived in gardens then, and Monkees in a tree,
Madonna was a virgin In the Land That Made Me Me.

  We'd  never heard of Microwaves, or telephones in cars,
And babies might be bottle-fed, but they weren't grown in jars.
And pumping iron got wrinkles out, and "gay" meant  fancy-free,
And dorms were never coed In the  Land That Made Me Me.

  We hadn't seen enough of jets to talk about the lag,
And microchips were what was left at the bottom of the bag.
And Hardware was a box of nails, and bytes came from a  flea,
And rocket ships were fiction In the Land That Made Me Me.

  Buicks came with portholes, and side show came with freaks,
And bathing suits came big enough to cover both your cheeks.
And Coke came just in bottles, and skirts came to the knee,
And Castro came to power In the Land That Made Me Me.

We had no Crest with Fluoride, we had no Hill Street Blues,
We all wore superstructure bras Designed by Howard Hughes.
There  were no golden arches, no Perriers to chill,
And fish were not called Wanda, and cats were not called Bill.

And  middle-aged was thirty-five, and old was forty-three,
And ancient was our parents In the Land That Made Me Me.
But all things have a season, or so we've heard them say,
And now instead of Maybelline we swear by Retin-A.

And they send us invitations to join AARP,
We've come a  long way, baby, from the Land That Made Me Me.
So now we face a brave new world in slightly larger jeans,
And wonder why they're using smaller print in magazines.

  And we tell our children's children of the way it used to be,
Long ago, and far away In the Land That Made Me Me.
       -- Author Unknown

The following was submitted by John George from an email from Don Lightfoot:

Comments made in the year 1955

(That's only 53 years ago! )
'I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00.'

'Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2, 000.00 will only buy a used one.'

'If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous.

'Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?'

'If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.'

'When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.'


'Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls.'

'I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL of DAMN in it.'

'I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas .'

'Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.'

'I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.'

'It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.'

'It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.'

'Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more, those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat.'

'I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.'

'Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress.'

'The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.'

'There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend, it costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel.'

'No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood.'

'If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it.'

The following was submitted by Joyce MacMillan:

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long. I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.
I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.
I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?
I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60&70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.
I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.
Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face . So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.
So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day. (If I feel like it)

• Tickets to the 4th floor swimming pool, 0 period, Pom Poms, Cow Bells, Pep Rallies.

• Football games were on Thursday afternoons and if you were a member of the Athletic Association, you got 1st chance at tickets and got out of school 15 minutes early.

• Walking down Wakeling Street cheering at the top of our lungs after a football game win or not.

• Girl's lunchroom - Boy's lunchroom (what a mess) Many ate with full mouths open - Yuck!

• Huge Gold Mum corsages on Thanksgiving for the North Catholic Game.

• Fashions of the Times:
  Duffers (Toggle Button), Pea Coats, 6 Button Bennies (navy) long, Bobby Sox, Dog Collars, Peg Pants, Hi Risers, White Bucks, Saddles, Jeff Caps, Spiked Heels - ouch!, Dickies, Poodle Skirts, Shirt Waist Dresses, Cinch Belts, Neck Scarfs, Black Leather Jacket with collar up - the boys, T Shirts with sleeves rolled up - boys again.

• Dancing:
  Somerton Springs, Wagners (Broad St.), Almonesson (New Jersey), Boulevard Ballroom and 45's.

• Music:
  The Platters, Hill Toppers, Dean Martin, Mario Lanza, Fats Domino, Blue Notes - from Philly, they first were the Charlemagnes then Blue Notes and last Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes 1954, "My Hero", "She is Mine", "If You Love Me".

• Hair Doos:
  Brylcream ( a little dab will do you), Boys always carried a comb, Page Boy, Pony Tails, D A's, Barber Shop on Large St. next to Schwartzies.

• Jewelry:
  Friendship Rings, Scatter Pins, Dance Charm necklaces and bracelets, most costume jewelry was $1.00 + 10% tax.

• Drug Stores:
  Zeizecs - Cutlers (Harrison & Oakland), Schwartzies, Regal, Sun Ray, Whelans.

• Cars:
  Jeep, VW Beetle, Woodie, Hudson, Chevrolet & Fords most common.

• Restaurants & Halls:
  Cottage Green, Howard Johnsons - Roosevelt Blvd, Smylies - Rhawn & Roosevelt Blvd, Verdi's - Oxford Ave & Wakeling St., The Noshery - Tyson & Whitaker St's., JC Ranch - Castor & Wyoming Aves., Greens - Frankford Ave N. of Harrison St., Greenwood Dairies, Big Bobs Drive In on Roosevelt Blvd, Dairy Maid, Lintons - Cottmans & Roosevelt Blvd, Horn & Hardarts - Frankford Ave., Gino's.

• Buildings of Interest:
  Frankford Library, Dumonds, Stranges Hall - Frankford & Wakeling (2nd Floor), Frankford "Y" - 1300 Arrott St., Girard Trust Bank - Frankford Ave., Bell Telephone - Oxford Ave.

• Stores - Frankford Ave:
  Sachs, Judy's Gifts, William's Stationery, Joseph's 5 & 10, Charming Shop, Dan's Shoes, Annette's, Dial Shoes.

• Books:
  Lady Chatterley's Lover.

• Movies:
  Forum (between Bridge & Sanger), Circle, Regal, Roosevelt, Devon, Tacony Drive In, Lincoln Drive In, Roosevelt Drive In.

• 1950 Movies:
  From Here to Eternity (1953), East of Eden ( James Dean), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), To Catch a Their, Battle Cry, Blackboard Jungle, The Bridges of Toko-Ri, Marty, Love is a Many Splendor ed Thing, The Bad Seed, Giant, The Eddie Duchin Story, High Society, Ten Commandments.

• Lovers Lanes:
  Fishers Lane, Pennypack Park, Allengrove St., Little Italy (where was that? I'm sure I was there, but can't remember).

• Pools:
  Highway, Boulevard, Somerton.

• Grocery Stores:
  Kessons, Pfiefers.

• Clubs:
  13 Club, Senior 12, Danaides, Future Teachers of America, Highway Staff, Thanatopsis.

• Sororities:
  Zeta Gamma Phi, Beta Gamma Phi, Beta Sigma Delta (?), Alpha Beta Omega.

• Fraternities:
  Sigma Delta Phi - Colors Grey and Black.

• Misc:
  Northwood Park, Hurricane Hazel, Quoite Club - Harrison Street (now tennis courts).

• Remember when:
  Bustleton Ave. was 2 narrow lanes, Roosevelt Blvd was only 4 lanes with a huge grass plot in the middle, and the guys played football in the middle of it. The boys got a huge thrill out of snapping the girls bra straps. When we sang "Trees" and the word "bossom" was sang and we all laughed so hard we couldn't sing anymore. The 59 Trolley went through Oxford Circle, People would take large glass jugs and fill up on spring water at Wissonoming Park, A big walking trip to Tookany Park - some said "two" and some said "took", Playing in the Frankford Creek - even back then glowed in the dark - and we swam in it fully clothed every spring for a few years - only the boys "skinny dipped" and I'll never forget the afternoon, we girls, found them skinny dipping and moved their clothes away. We ran like lightning and never told them it was us - if we did, they would have pummeled us. Sledding in Northwood Park, Wissonoming Park, Torresdale Country Club. Learning to drive in Oakland Cemetery.

Edie Bryant - selling elevator tickets to the freshmen!

Joyce MacMillan - Lovers Lanes: the little hill that overlooked Somerton Pool.