TRUE BELIEVERS

Did you ever wonder why we humans , act the way we do? Do you remember when you were all full of piss and vinegar? You could do A N Y T H I N G you wanted! And woe be unto the parent, or any responsible adult, who got in your way! And" Who in the hell do they think they are? I'm not a kid", mindset. We all went thru it, but there's nothing that feels sweeter than when, as a grandparent, your grown children say: "Ya' know dad, you were right". "About what" I asked? "You Know, pretty much everything". As kids, we never make the connection, or it's a loose connection, that our parents, really, are just trying to help us learn some of life's hard learned lessons. Trying to impart the wisdom of these personal battles to someone who only sees you at best, meddlesome, can be a daunting task. But, as a responsible parent, you feel a duty to at least try to make them see thru your eyes, the hurdles they eventually will endure. Often times to no avail. It is with this mindset, that I viewed the letters to the editor regarding the story, True Believers, published by Isthmus. I can't help but have that sense of saddened resignation that Robert Thelen III, an avowed Republican, will take his "I'm one of them, not one of you", attitude to his grave. It will truly be his loss. One can only hope he survives long enough to see the error of his ways and reach back and try to impart those hard lessons of life on his grandchildren.