Posted 5-24-19
There’s no need to fear! Underdog is here!
When criminals in this world appear
And break the laws that they should fear
And frighten all who see or hear
The cry goes up both far and near
For Underdog!(Underdog!)
Underdog!
(Underdog!
Speed of lightning, roar of thunder
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog!When in this world the headlines read
Of those whose hearts are filled with greed
Who rob and steal from those who need
To right this wrong with blinding speed
Goes Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!Speed of lightning, roar of thunder
https://genius.com/Robert-rigani-underdog-theme-song-lyrics
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog!
Theme Song…because I know you wanna hear it!
I couldn’t find a free picture and I don’t steal stock pictures, so watch the YouTube video if you are unfamiliar with Underdog! I love me some Underdog!!
Growing up an Applegate, one of the things my parents, and our life experiences, taught us is that you fight for the underdog. Today our Christian faith also undergirds this critical notion that we are blessed beyond measure and that we should share/use our blessings to help those who had less fortunate/easy circumstances. Growing up, we had two cousins who fit this mold and that we loved in a unique way too. One was born with a host of physical conditions including Spina Bifida and the other had mental conditions at least partially related to lead paint poisoning. My mom was such an advocate for these two that it made a lifelong impression on me. She wanted to do things for them and she talked to us about them both a lot. We were blessed to hang out with them quite a bit too and she taught us to fight for them, especially for cousin #2 with whom we went to school K-12. In a time when discarding “friends” and “family” was almost accepted and schools seldom mixed the “normal” kids with those outside the norm, mom rebelled and fought, not for headlines but for love. We learned and shared this love growing up, although imperfectly. I remember one time in particular punching a kid who was teasing my cousin and leaving the bully in a pulp. To the principal’s credit, he told me sternly that we cannot punch kids like that…but didn’t punish me because he knew the kid was picking on my cousin. Today I would have been suspended for at least a week to ten days.
Mom was also an advocate for the entire animal kingdom. We had countless shelter/stray dogs and cats growing up. We also raised a wounded duck named Donna and turned her loose once she recovered. We raised guinea pigs, an occasional wounded rabbit, a squirrel, and hamsters/gerbils. We took a shot at raising tadpoles, but they frogged up over a long vacation and escaped into the house. I am sure there were more Applegate critters that I am forgetting. The Applegate house was a zoo, and it had animals like one too.
Mom was an advocate before advocating was cool. She fought city hall over their inhumane euthanasia of animals and made the paper and many friends (and unfriends) in the process. I honestly feel like she both had a heart for the underdog and she was intentionally raising us to do the same. It was a planned parenting method. She did, however, occasionally shelter us for the inevitable consequences of said caregiving by hiding the fact that our animal project of the day had bit the dust. One time she was quoted as saying our pet bird “flew high over the fence and away out of site” when it was actually put out of its misery by my dad who tended to be similar on the loving side but a tad more practical with animal pain. In his defense, after ending its life, dad did, apparently, fling him high up over the fence into the sky to enjoy its eternal reward in one last flight….
So today, we find ourselves with mom, who is the wounded duck, the broken bird and the sick guinea pig. When some may give up on their loved one, we are committed to helping her the best we can as long as we can. I say this not to toot our own horns, but rather because that is how we were raised and because God also deeply loves the injured and the underdog. He deeply loves mom and the Sweet 17 and grieves for them and their hardship.
Update: Not much difference lately. I look forward to seeing mom tonight. She has been doing pretty darn good lately and I expect another nice visit.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! I will be posting reruns unless an event of note happens. Thank you all for coming to the Cornbread table. 🙂
#EndALZ