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Does anybody think in those terms any more?

LOL!

My dad has come across a stash of wartime-era letters from his grandmother to his mother. One of them talks about Dad's impending birth, and how they're saving safety pins because the pins are so hard to come by.

At the time Dad found the letters, I was working on bring WBill Jr. into the world, and our house looked like an explosion at ToysRUS. Quite the contrast.

I think the difference is this: during WW II many people believed that it was insensitive and tasteless to have a huge, lavish, costly public celebration when fellow citizens were worried for their sons and daughters and grieving for the dead. These young men and women (the nurses) were in danger because they were fighting for a common good, a good that would benefit all.

They still are. But do any of those sentiments register now? How many bridezillas, liberal or conservative, are willing to wear a pretty dress that costs less, and have a buffet instead of the same lavish sit-down with all the bells and whistles, and donate the rest of the money to the wounded veterans, or for body armour, if that is still needed?

Since theme weddings are so in vogue, why not a WW II-style wedding?

Something else. It's funny in retrospect, but very touching.

When I got engaged my NY Jewish liberal friend Sandy dropped in, looking grim. Sandy is my mother's age, and she remembers the war. She sat me down, and the lecture began. She began by telling me that I was now in a different role than the usual fiancée. I had to think and live differently. To paraphrase:
"Nothing you do and nothing that happens to you or the kids is important. If you break your ankle, he doesn't have to know about it. If one of the kids gets into trouble, don't bother him with it. If the kitchen catches fire, deal with it. The same goes for the kids. Be cheerful and funny. He needs that. Listen to him when he talks. I mean LISTEN. Don't forget he's where the fighting is. I heard him tell your cousin a mortar came through his tent. Lucky he wasn't there. He needs to focus on his safety and the safety of his men. He can't have his attention wandering because he's thinking about some trivial c*rap going on with you. He'll probably forget your birthday, the kids' birthdays, your anniversary and everything else. His mind will be on other things. You chose to marry a soldier. Deal with it."

I thought I heard the sound of Big Band music, and that if I looked in the mirror the face that looked back would be wearing red lipstick, hair encased in a snood. It was like a scene out of a very bad movie. For all that, Sandy's WW II-era advice was spot-on. And bless her heart, she was there for us.