What was the point?

In this excerpt from Pilgrims:  A Wobegon Romance by Garrison Keillor ©2009, Norbert Norlander speaks of his mother's communication with the ghost of her son Gussie, an Allied soldier who was killed in World War II:

She said, 'How was it, Gussie?' He said, 'Not like you think it was.  But it's all over, it doesn't matter,' he said.  And then he'd moan.  That made her cry and he'd say, 'Ma, they all died and it didn't matter.  Nobody cared.  It didn't change a single thing.  The world goes on.  They just went up the road and died in the mud and the filth and then life went on and it didn't matter.  The Germans didn't want Italy and neither did we.  It was all for show.  A big opera except they shot the orchestra.  What was the point of it?'

Maybe it's hitting harder because I just finished Catch-22. 

But it seems like maybe the Nazis really were that bad, but maybe we weren't all that good.

Lake Wobegon Summer 1956

 

I've read most of Garrison Keillor's books, but somehow overlooked this one even though it's more than twenty years old. Mona found a copy of Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 at the thrift store for $2 and grabbed it for me.

It has become my favorite.

Usually I read Keillor's books for the same reason people went to Grateful Dead concerts: there were always a few moments that were simply transcendental.

This is his most complete novel. Most of his books feel like a string of vignettes strung together like lights on a Christmas tree, but this one takes you on more of a journey.

I don't typically like "coming of age" stories. Usually they give you a protagonist that is going about his daily life, then something dramatic (usually tragic) happens, and things Will Never Be The Same.

This is much more gentle. Over the course of the book the main character experiences a subtle shift in perception.

It's very well done.

I recommend it.

 

Oh well.

"I am taking it easy. Reclining on the porch swing, nestled in four pillows, a bottle of Nesbitt orange pop within easy reach. I am fourteen. In 1958 I will obtain my driver's license and in 1960 graduate from Lake Wobegon High School. In 1963 I can vote. In 1982 I'll be forty. In 1992, fifty. One day, a date that only God knows, I will perish from the earth and no longer be present for roll call, my mail will be returned, my library card canceled, and some other family will occupy this house, this very porch, and not be aware that I ever existed, and if you told them, they wouldn't particularly care. Oh well. What can you do? I hope they appreciate the work I did on the lawn." ~excerpted from Lake Wobegon Summer 1956 by Garrison Keillor, ©2001

The Persistence of Gentleness

"What keeps our faith cheerful is the extreme persistence of gentleness and humor. Gentleness is everywhere in daily life, a sign that faith rules through ordinary things: through cooking and small talk, through storytelling, making love, fishing, tending animals and sweet corn and flowers, through sports, music, and books, raising kids – all the places where the gravy soaks in and grace shines through. Even in a time of elephantine vanity and greed, one never has to look far to see the campfires of gentle people. Lacking any other purpose in life, it would be good enough to live for their sake."  ~ Garrison Keillor

Life's Been Good To Me, So Far…

"Yes, politics is a mess because liberals are uncertain and conservatives want it to be 1958, but our happiness never depended on politicians.  Not ever.  If the lights come on and the toilet flushes and the grocery store is open, then we're basically okay.  The rest is gravy.  Complaining is fun, a whole art form, but don't get carried away.  Life is good."  ~Garrison Keillor, from "Life is Good," Men's Health April 2016