Sidse, as your mom, I really appreciate your writing at all times, but especially when you record family events. These stories from our time in Britain and Northern Ireland brought back a lot of memories. I especially remember you feeling snubbed during the inspections entering the grocery store and the day you insisted on having them check your handbag.
I remember going to dinner one night at a little restaurant in the basement of a store and reading the next day or so of a disastrous bombing in a similarly situated restaurant. The bomb turned the tables and everything in the small space into projectiles.
We were very blessed in all of our doings while we lived there. I never take those blessings for granted.
Keep writing- you’re very goid at it. Not just my parental pride speaking, but I do a lot of reading and I recognize quality when I see/ it.
Wonderful writing and great to see a photo of me with you! My mum told me about us traveling to England from Northern Ireland in the early 70's. We went to a store and I saw a woman at the door in a dark suit. I walked up to her and lifted my arms up to be searched - she was actually a customer and not security! My mum told me how it upset her to watch this as she realised I thought this was normal .
Karen! I didn't know that was you in the picture. That's so cool! I updated the post to include your name. I'm so happy you reached out and found me a few months ago. And thank you for sharing your experience when you went to England. It's exactly what I'm writing about in this post. Those intense experiences become normal, regular life. Here in the states, my kids, and all school kids, go to school with the reality of gun violence and the possibility of school shootings. It's terrifying and yet it's become our new normal.
It's difficult to remember when the searching stopped but I think it would have been in the early to mid 80's. I worked in a clothes store in 89/90. People weren't searched coming in but every evening just before closing, we had to do our security search. This involved patting down the clothes on the rails and checking pockets for incendiary devices.Devices could be as small as a box of matches. We didn't think of the dangers, we just did it because it was just a normal part of out job.
Looking back it must seem surreal that it was part of your retail job to search for bombs at the ends of your shift. I’m glad you were safe through all that!
As a child growing up we have no other perspective than what life is like at the time - so whatever our circumstances are, that’s our normal.
To me, it highlights the importance of perspective. When your mom became upset because your normal was to be searched for bombs - she had a different perspective because she grew up in a different time. She knew it wasn’t normal. I’m glad things are more peaceful than they used to be.
Thank Tim. I remember watching that movie and telling my parents about it. That's when I found out it happened when we lived in Birmingham. They kept a lot of the reality from us, but a lot of it was hard to avoid.
Sidse, as your mom, I really appreciate your writing at all times, but especially when you record family events. These stories from our time in Britain and Northern Ireland brought back a lot of memories. I especially remember you feeling snubbed during the inspections entering the grocery store and the day you insisted on having them check your handbag.
I remember going to dinner one night at a little restaurant in the basement of a store and reading the next day or so of a disastrous bombing in a similarly situated restaurant. The bomb turned the tables and everything in the small space into projectiles.
We were very blessed in all of our doings while we lived there. I never take those blessings for granted.
Keep writing- you’re very goid at it. Not just my parental pride speaking, but I do a lot of reading and I recognize quality when I see/ it.
👏👏♥️♥️
Misspelling!! Should be “good” not goid (steal). 🫢
Thank you mom! I Love you and thanks for your encouragement 🙏🏻
Wonderful writing and great to see a photo of me with you! My mum told me about us traveling to England from Northern Ireland in the early 70's. We went to a store and I saw a woman at the door in a dark suit. I walked up to her and lifted my arms up to be searched - she was actually a customer and not security! My mum told me how it upset her to watch this as she realised I thought this was normal .
Karen! I didn't know that was you in the picture. That's so cool! I updated the post to include your name. I'm so happy you reached out and found me a few months ago. And thank you for sharing your experience when you went to England. It's exactly what I'm writing about in this post. Those intense experiences become normal, regular life. Here in the states, my kids, and all school kids, go to school with the reality of gun violence and the possibility of school shootings. It's terrifying and yet it's become our new normal.
Do you remember when they stopped searching kids?
It's difficult to remember when the searching stopped but I think it would have been in the early to mid 80's. I worked in a clothes store in 89/90. People weren't searched coming in but every evening just before closing, we had to do our security search. This involved patting down the clothes on the rails and checking pockets for incendiary devices.Devices could be as small as a box of matches. We didn't think of the dangers, we just did it because it was just a normal part of out job.
Looking back it must seem surreal that it was part of your retail job to search for bombs at the ends of your shift. I’m glad you were safe through all that!
As a child growing up we have no other perspective than what life is like at the time - so whatever our circumstances are, that’s our normal.
To me, it highlights the importance of perspective. When your mom became upset because your normal was to be searched for bombs - she had a different perspective because she grew up in a different time. She knew it wasn’t normal. I’m glad things are more peaceful than they used to be.
Thanks for sharing Karen!
It was full proof.
My active, or overactive, imagination at work. Thanks Greg
Indelible! BTW "In the Name Of the Father" is on my top ten movie list of all time. Keep writing Sidse!
Thank Tim. I remember watching that movie and telling my parents about it. That's when I found out it happened when we lived in Birmingham. They kept a lot of the reality from us, but a lot of it was hard to avoid.