In the town where we grew up the cheerleaders had a chant for each touchdown the opposing team scored:

That’s all right
That’s okay
You’re going to work
For us someday! 

Because our opponents were usually bigger, faster, and better, the cheerleaders chanted it a lot. They kicked their heels, twirled their pompoms, and mocked the future of our teenage rivals with glee.

In the stands, the cheer cracked us up. None of us took football seriously, and most of us enjoyed lives that gleamed like freshly minted hundred-dollar bills. On our tree-lined streets nothing bad had ever happened.  The sun shined, the moon shimmered, and even the birds were struck dumb.

You could say we should have known better, and perhaps that’s true. Learned mercy. Taught humility. Found dignity.  But the sins of the fathers are visited upon the sons.