back to the prairie

little to none sarcasm, hard work, obedience, God-fearing people, honesty, kindness, trials with hope, morals, family first, respect for children and parents...

Does it get any better than Little House on the Prairie?

I mean I will admit, I am a little desensitized by the culture. I find humor in demeaning TV shows where the pessimistic things in life are supposed to be funny, where infidelity is a given, where competition between people go to extreme and back biting and deceiving is how you win, where sexual conduct is almost expected, where destructive sarcasm towards the family unit is down right hilarious...and isn't it sad? It is sad.

One day a few weeks ago, I was flipping through channels right in the middle of the day. I had laundry to do and counters to wipe but I just wanted to do nothing but watch TV. Well I came across an episode of Little House on the Prairie. I instantly was having flashbacks of my childhood and how I would race off the bus and run down my driveway as fast as I could so I could catch the first part of Little House on the Prairie. I still remember it started at 3:30 in the afternoon.

The flashbacks were inviting and so I decided to keep watching...The first 10 minutes or so of Little House on the Prairie I kind of giggled...almost embarrassed at how gentle and loving the Ingles family were towards each other.

"Oh Charles I am so glad you are home. Sit down and have supper, you've must of had a hard day" says Caroline as Charles walks in the door after a long day of work. Charles responds, "Nothing is better than being home with the family" The whole family smiles at each other as they sit together for dinner.

I wanted to smile knowing if I was with my sister and in a certain mood I would just laugh uncontrollably at the overly unrealistic kindness portrayed in the show. Joette and I would have a hay day making fun of this show...but the more I watched the more intrigued I became by the wholeness of the show and the more intrigued I became by the emptiness of the shows that are on television today.

I can't even believe the show was allowed to air because it definitely wouldn't fly today. There is too much about God which would make the ACLU and insane liberals go crazy and too much kindness and morality which would bore the average TV watcher who is looking for sour entertainment and blown out of proportion drama. I mean honestly when Caroline tells Charles to stop tilling their wheat fields on Sunday because it is the sabbath you know you are in for an hour of pretty dang good stuff- but to the average person who is sucked into a "world of shifting values" (thank you Pres. Hinckley) would be completely bored with the good of the show... parents disciplining their children for not being honest, serving your neighbor, faith when life is hard, hard work teaches great lessons, depending on family through trials...these type of principles taught on the Prarie don't seem to grab the interest of many anymore like I guess it used to...

Oh back to the prairie...a life lived simply- where you wear the same dress every day and have nothing yet life is rich in blessings and happiness. I just love the show. I reminded my mom about how a couple channels still play the reruns and we talked on the phone yesterday how she cried and cried over an episode...Where is Michael Landon when you need him most?

When my mom was a stake missionary they were teaching a man with a rough past who was even an ex-con I believe about the Spirit and what it feels like. The man said, "Is it kind of like the feeling you get when you watch Little House on the Prairie?"

So anyway...this is my kick on my new favorite old time favorite TV show. I have decided after watching how hard people had to work back then just to eat and survive that I better be more grateful and work a little harder. And as embarrassing as it may sound and I probably won't mention it in testimony meeting, Little House on the Prairie has helped me see many blessings in my life and well...as Charles Ingles so beautifully put it, "If you have a lot of money and no friends or family you are the poorest man on earth." The show has really put things into perspective for me and kind of made me rethink my priorities.

Ok I know you are humming the theme song in your head right now...