The resilient Williams family of Glenwood MN

My grandparents, Martin and Carrie

Today, Saturday, the day after Christmas, would be my late parents' wedding anniversary. They tied the knot in 1949. Dad had been through WWII in the Navy. He would spend the 1950s teaching music at the University of Minnesota-St. Paul School of Agriculture. Ah, my pre-school years! 

I don't know what my parents would make of our circumstances in 2020. My father was born in 1916 as the youngest of five boys. All five had long and interesting lives. They were a disparate group. 

My father was especially close to Howard, mainly due to proximity because Howard and wife Vi lived in Glenwood. The five boys contrasted with talents and occupations. In Howard's case, banking was his calling from the get-go. It was in his blood, whereas my father had an equal passion in music. 

I was never able to meet my grandparents on my father's side. The five boys were sons of Martin and Carrie Williams. Martin and Carrie are laid to rest in Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery. I am proud to see our family represented there. It is a testament to their grit as they coped with the Spanish flu epidemic and the Depression. They lived on the shore of Lake Minnewaska west of Glenwood. I believe the house has been razed. 

What a vibrant family it must have been! I'd love to close my eyes and get a vision of how they celebrated Christmas. The Depression must have cast a shadow over so much. Amenities minimal, love overwhelming. 

My father Ralph graduated from Glenwood High School in 1934 at the height of the John Dillinger spree. "Machine gun bandits," yes, romanticized in our popular culture since. 

 

Spending eternity

You'll see a master piece of rock with "Williams" at Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery. On one side are buried my grandparents Martin and Carrie. On the other side are Howard and Vi. I know my uncle Andy is in the immediate area because I was a pallbearer and went out for graveside services. I'm sure he's buried next to his beloved wife Irene. Irene held yours truly for my baptism at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. 

Glenwood Lutheran Church

So the five boys were Clyde (the oldest), Howard, Andy, Joe and Ralph. The first Christmas after my mother died, I attended Glenwood Lutheran Church for the early Christmas Eve service. It was the Williams family church. Bright music played as I entered, and laser light dots danced on the walls. We got communion wafers that were already dipped in grape juice/wine. I appreciated the ease this facilitated. I don't recall any deep spiritual sermon, rather it was just the festive air that ruled - it was wonderful. 

The five Williams boys had been confirmed one-by-one there. The service was at 3 p.m. so I could go out to Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery afterward. This was my second attempt at locating the cemetery. This time I had better directions which I had obtained by calling the church office. It is truly a top-notch church. For my first attempt, I had gone with directions that I thought were sufficient from the web. I was on the right road but the left turn to the cemetery wasn't clear. 

The second time, I got there just fine. I had no recollection of ever being there before. I have a theory that Mom feared a visit would be emotionally hard for Dad. Dad would have been a junior in high school when his father died a painful cancer death. So Martin died in 1933 and his wife Carrie would pass on in 1949. They both have small flatstones at the cemetery, too small IMHO. Even though Martin's was placed many years previous, it's Carrie's that shows more weathering/erosion now, and at some point I may do something about that.

Maybe I would have gone to Glenwood Lutheran again for Christmas Eve this year. My, what would my parents make of the pandemic/shutdown? What would they make of an American fabric now that tolerates such a crude person as Donald Trump being president? How would Dad feel about Trump's "losers and suckers" quote about military service people? 

A fantastical "what if"

We can be sure that the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future did not visit Trump on Christmas Eve. We should have prayed for this to happen. Could you imagine the jubilant air yesterday and today, if only the three apparitions had come around? It's the most fantastic scenario I could imagine. 

We could hear: "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, let's make sacrifices to save lives, take every possible step to ensure survival of all our loved ones, even those up in years and past the productive phase in their lives. Please let's all show abundant love and prioritize life and health above all else. America has the wealth to make this happen, even if our short-term sacrifice might be unpleasant. Please show our classic American grit, our can-do genius, and we can get past this. I will step to the side as Dr. Fauci can be in charge of news conferences. Life means everything." 

 

Oh, to be confronted

Maybe Kristi Noem of South Dakota could have been visited also by the three ghosts of the Christmas tale. Put aside your worries about the cotton pickin' stock market and Dow Jones "points." Just imagine the phantom-like ghost of "Christmases yet to come" pointing at gravestones. It scared the heck out of Scrooge. We need some other people scared at present. 

I awoke this morning on the day of my parents' wedding anniversary, turned on cable news and unfortunately I was not surprised: Trump is the same disruptive force. Don't you see his motivation now? He wants to rule like an autocrat - he does not want to deal with Congress at all, as it's simply an inconvenience for him. 

The citizens of the nation need to understand what is happening. The forlorn Trump supporters of our Stevens County, some with a profile of Trump on the side of their pickups, need to learn to modify their thinking. Please, don't worry about admitting you were wrong. 

The right wing political churches which now have the majority in Stevens County need to wake up and smell the coffee. Quit being so scared of gay people and just put that concern aside. Lutheran churches didn't even allow women pastors until 1970! Prior to that it was probably a matter of contention: women pastors! Oh my. You all are on the losing side of history. 

And now, are you willing to risk the very vitality and future of this nation over issues like gay rights and women's reproductive health? Why should I even remain a Christian? Can anyone answer that for me? 

Here's a headline currently on "Mediaite": "Vacationing Trump says Afghanistan better than United States." Well, f--k you, Donald Trump. I repeat: f--k you.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

The Williams brothers of Glenwood, from left: Joe, Clyde, Ralph, Andy and Howard. Sons of Martin and Carrie Williams. Ralph "the music man" was my father.