Mr. McGovern Goes to Dinner

Two days before this editorial by George McGovern appeared in print we were sitting in a smalltown steakhouse having dinner with family. (In his editorial McGovern speaks out against the Employee Free Choice Act and FOR employees. It's a short read, so if you have time, click and read.)

But back to our evening at the restaurant. Mr. McGovern and his guest were sitting at a small table at the side of the room while our rather large family was gathered at a long table. Most of our family had traveled long distance to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of our granddaughters. The wedding was still two days away and we were saying our first "hello" after arriving in Mitchell. (We're a noisy bunch she said under her breath).

One of our great-grandsons was present...a quietly sweet, less-than-two-year-old, tow-headed tyke of bashful demean. He's well-behaved and towards the end of the meal, his mother put him down on the floor and let him "wander". We had noticed Mr. McGovern when he entered the room but none of us had made much to-do about him, just quietly mentioning him to each other, then averting our eyes and letting him have his privacy. (I don't know how much privacy he experienced under our loud laughter, she said, again with a smile.)

Our great-grandson slowly sidled away from his mother's side, testing the territory, glancing back now and then at his mother, enjoying his freedom, edging unknowingly close to Mr. McGovern's table. Mr. McGovern and his guest each chuckled and smiled and said hello or some such thing to him. Our quietly sweet DGS, taken aback by friendly strangers, scooted back to the safety of his mother's side.

I wish I had a photo for his baby book. His first encounter with a famous face.
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