Wet in Big Peach Country: Watching TV today I was reminded of the Watts riots 50 years ago…The situation in Ferguson is eerily familiar. Has society not advanced in the last 50 years? I look back to where I was mentally at that time and I’m a lot different now. We never went to school with blacks. I never had black friends as a child. My senior year in high school we had two that joined our school that year but I never really knew them.. Over the years I feel that I have advanced to the level that I look more at a person’s character than the color of their skin to determine my opinion of them. Dr. King would be pleased. So is God. My lists of friends now contains a variety of races and religions. I never feel uncomfortable around them and I think they feel the same with me. I can’t imagine myself or any of my friends burning down our town for any reason. The vast majority of people I know just try to get along in this world. They get up and go to work or school. They take care of their families. We might hunt or fish a little in our spare time. A lot of us attend church and volunteer some time in our community to help those less fortunate. We would all help those in need based on our ability to do so. In short, we accept responsibility for our station in life. We don’t expect others to carry our weight. This is something we choose to do ourselves. Sure, some of us are born into better material situations than others. But I have some friends who grew up “dirt poor” in a mill house. They are now judges and doctors. They did something about their situation in life. If they weren’t happy with the environment, they worked their way out of it. If you’re not happy with yourself, trying to destroy others is not going to make it better. Attitude is the first key. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to any situation. Education is the key to getting a good job. There are many high paying jobs right here in Cherokee County. A high school diploma and a two year degree at a tech school can start you out at $30K or better. Scholarships are available to all with the grades. But you have to work for it. To me, the most important key is a strong relationship with our Lord …He gave us some easy words to live by. He commanded us in John 15:12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you“… Note that this is not a request but a commandment. I’m sure most of my friends will be doing like me tomorrow. They will have a nice meal surrounded by friends and family. They will give thanks for all of their many blessings. After dinner we’ll find a soft chair and watch a little football. I bet that’s what most of you are doing. Have a great Thanksgiving…..GLYASDI
Posted on: Wed, 26 Nov 2014 12:35:01 +0000