Sharon Kennedy: The importance of setting good examples
I rarely re-read what I’ve written in these columns. Once I hit “send,” I’m working on another one for the following week and don’t have time to reflect upon the current one. However, I made an exception when emails regarding Roe v. Wade poured in from grateful women who thanked me for offering an opinion. That got me thinking about my education, which got me thinking about my parents.
After high school graduation in 1965, I registered for fall term at the college in Sault Ste. Marie. Dad received a tuition bill and paid it. He also handed me money for books and supplies and gave me the keys to our Chevy station wagon. He said I could charge gas at Bill Osborn’s station on old US-2. When winter arrived, Mom was concerned about snowstorms and icy roads. She checked the paper and found a room for rent.
The house I lived in was across from the college. I don’t remember the lady’s name, but she was “house mother” to another girl and myself. She cooked our meals and washed our laundry. Whatever rent she charged was paid by my parents. I have no idea what it was. When my freshman year was over, I moved back home. Never once did Mom or Dad complain that I was costing them a fortune. Dad’s yearly income was less than $8,000. Four years earlier, they had paid for my sister’s secretarial school and then her nursing program. They would have paid for my brother’s college education, too, but he chose a different path and worked construction on Mackinaw Island until he enlisted in the Army after which he was a sailor on the Great Lakes freighters.
There’s a point to this rambling. It’s something I never thought of until I read the emails. The women thanked me for a non-aggressive approach to a highly divisive subject. That’s when I realized the debt I owed my parents. It wasn’t in the form of money, for no amount of cash could repay their example of generosity and determination to do the right thing. Without ridicule, fanfare or expectation of repayment, they expressed their unconditional love by offering their children financial and emotional support.
When I write these columns, I try to remain as even-tempered as my parents who didn’t allow their emotions to overrule their respect for each other. Although they had different opinions on various subjects, they didn’t have shouting matches. At times, they simply agreed to disagree and let it go at that. Other times, they postponed an argument until they calmed down. They taught me tolerance and the importance of listening to a different viewpoint instead of insisting I was always right.
Sometimes I broach controversial topics that upset readers who are sick of hearing politicians and news commentators bash the “other” side. I’m sick of it too, but it’s hard to stand by and ignore the serious decisions facing our country. If we continue down the slippery slope of lies and half-truths, the commandment to “love your fellow man” will be replaced with “hate everyone who disagrees with you.”
I’m not good at recognizing the obvious. It’s taken seven decades for me to wake up and thank my parents for instilling in me a sense of decency and respect for others while simultaneously expressing my opinion. I thought I was born like this, but no. The credit belongs to Mom and Dad.
— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at authorsharonkennedy.com. Kennedy's latest book, “The SideRoad Kids: Tales from Chippewa County,” is available from her, Amazon, or Audible.
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sharon Kennedy: The importance of setting good examples
