The stranger was quickly accepted and was around to welcome me into the world a few monthslater. As I grew up I never questioned his place in our family. In my young mind, eachmember had a special niche. My brother, Bill, five years my senior, was my example. Fran,my younger sister, gave me an opportunity to play 'big brother' and develop the art ofteasing. My parents were complementary instructors -Mom taught me to love the word of God,and Dad taught me to obey it. But the stranger was our storyteller. He could weave themost fascinating tales.

Adventures, mysteries and comedies were daily conversations. He could hold our wholefamily spell-bound for hours each evening. If I wanted to know about politics, history, orscience, he knew it all. He knew about the past, understood the present, and seeminglycould predict the future. The pictures he could draw were so life like that I: would oftenlaugh or cry as I watched.

He was like a friend to the whole family. He took Dad, Bill and me to our first majorleague baseball game. He was always encouraging us to see the movies and he even madearrangements to introduce us to several movie stars.

My brother and I were deeply impressed by John Wayne in particular. The stranger was anincessant talker Dad didn't seem to mind-but sometimes Mom would quietly get up- while therest of us were enthralled with one of his stories of faraway places- go to her room, readher Bible and pray.

I wonder now if she ever prayed that the stranger would leave. You see, my dad ruled ourhousehold with certain moral convictions. But this stranger never felt obligation to honorthem. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our house-not from us, from our friends,or adults.

Our longtime visitor, however, used occasional four letter words that burned my ears andmade Dad squirm. To my knowledge the stranger was never confronted. My dad was ateetotaler who didn't permit alcohol in his home not even for cooking. But the strangerfelt like we needed exposure and enlightened us to other ways of life. He offered us beerand other alcoholic beverages often. He made cigarettes look tasty, cigars manly, andpipes distinguished.

He talked freely (probably much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimesblatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing. I know now that my earlyconcepts of the man - woman relationship were influenced by the stranger. As I look back,I believe it was the grace of God that the stranger did not influence us more.

Time after time he opposed the values of my parents. Yet he was seldom rebuked and neverasked to leave. More than thirty years have passed since the stranger moved in with theyoung family on Parkside Avenue. He is not nearly so intriguing to my Dad as he was inthose early years. But if I were to walk into my parents' den today, you would still seehim sitting over in a corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him drawhis pictures.

His name?
We always just called him TV."

Author Unknown

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