Andy Griffith passed away this morning. This kinda makes me sad. The Andy Griffith Show, the black & white ones at least, were a part of my childhood. That's all thanks to my dad! They were a part of his childhood and he made us watch them with him...but we liked it. :)
I don't know a whole lot about his personal life, but as for the "lessons" he portrayed on The Andy Griffith Show, they will stick with me forever. After all, "everything I need to know about life, I learned on The Andy Griffith Show". Okay, so that's not entirely true, but it is something my dad would say a lot -jokingly- when we were young. I think he even had a little devotional that provided Biblical application to lessons from Andy. Maybe that's a stretch, but maybe not.
A few simple lessons I learned from The Andy Griffith Show:
1. You have to take responsibility for your actions. When Opey shot the momma bird and had to take care of the babies, then release them when they were ready..."but aren't the trees so nice & full"...ugh, -tears-
2. Drunkenness is not cool. Barney would accidentally sip on some moonshine now & then, which was really funny. And Otis Campbell was a sweetheart citizen in Mayberry who would lock himself up when he had a few too many.
3. Guns are not toys. Barney wasn't allowed to have a bullet in his gun because he had an overeager trigger-finger.
4. If you need help, just ask. "Call the man!" Aunt Bee was so stubborn and never wanted to admit when she was wrong. Didn't she read the script? Andy was always right. ;)
Andy, you were a television legacy. I don't know where your heart was, but I do hope we get to see you again one day. Thanks dad for instilling Biblical principles in our lives when we were young, and for introducing us to good, uncontaminated television (and music) classics, as it should be. I love you!
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
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| Me & my Dad .circa 1979 |
I read the other day that Andy Griffith wanted to be a preacher but the college wouldn't let him do that and still major in Music, so after praying about it he stuck to his music major. even taught high school music for a while before getting into acting. In a statement after his passing, his wife said he had an incredibly strong Christian faith and was ready to be called home to his Lord. Good to know we will all see Andy again someday! http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/03/showbiz/andy-griffith-dead/index.html
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