Grammar and Grief

I had a good chuckle last night while reading a bit of one of the book series I love. There was a conversation between the parson and an old country bumpkin. The beloved bumpkin was throwing his "ain'ts" around with abandon. It suddenly tickled me so good as my memory was brought back to my teacher mother and my less than educationally interested father. My father hated school. He is a brilliant man but was not keen on taking on the habits of the ivory towers. To this day he has a bit of suspicion about higher education. I can hear my mother correct him over and over when the ain't word came out of his mouth. He just paid her no mind. After my mother died, he married another teacher and one that was very concerned about diction and proper grammar. Smile. My dad was not left in the dust over his use of ain't. He was very successful as a business man and as my brothers and I reminisced Saturday, he always wrote checks for his new cars. He wore a suit and tie every day of his work life and somehow kept up his dignity dispite the ain't word.

One generation down.........my sister and I wouldn't use ain't on a bet BUT, my two brothers carry on their father's tradition. My husband was a Chicago boy and educated in private schools. Then he moved to De Motte and started taking grammar lessons from those around here including my father. "Ain't" does flip out of his citified mouth. Years ago it bugged me and I tried just as diligently to correct him. He listens as well to me as my father did to my mother. I think I have accepted that neither he, my father or my brothers will ever change that habit. There isn't much I would change in any of them but the word "ain't".

So much for grammar today. We had a sober weekend as my sister's husband clings to life in a Florida hospital and Ken learned he lost a dear cousin. There were three children in that family who were Ken's dad's brother's family. They were very close to Ken and his parents. Just a few months ago the son, John died, and now his older sister has gone to glory. Marcy, the youngest, remains. When she called yesterday, it seemed to me she expressed a sudden lonliness. Our prayers are with the entire family. There are four children whose mother is no longer among us. Dear God, send mercy and grace and comfort.