Contact

Where have all the good people gone?

That is a good question. We walk through this world and we never look around us. We don’t even see that person standing next to us. We all go through things in life. Some good and some bad. We can’t control things that happens to us.

The other day my car would not start. I needed a part for it. I had no one to count on so I had to walk 3 miles to the closest part store and back. I am 69 years old but I made it in about four hours. I did have to stop and rest a few times. Not one time did any one stop to see if I was okay or not. To people around here just saw another old homeless man walking down the road.

We all call ourselves Christians. But most people don’t even know what the word means. We’ll right here I am going to tell everyone. It means to be christ like. So tell how many out there really think and do what christ done while he was here on this earth? I tell it is not many. Even the preachers don’t even speak the truth anymore. At the end of the day it is all about making people feel good and how much money they can get in that collection plate.

I used to wonder how money could be the root of all evel. Well guess what, I figured it out. For money people will do anything. They will lie, cheat, steal, kill, and anything else that will get them more money. So tell what will you do to get more money?

God did not say he would give you all your desires. He said I will supply your needs. Do you really think you need a big fancy house or that big fancy car you drive? And a lot of people like me forget to be thankful for what they have. I thank God that I have that old car I have. At least I have a way to get where I need to go. Yes I will soon be homeless. But I will get by on what little I do have. So take a good look at what you have and be thankful for what you do have. Because there are many people out there that don’t have as much as you do.

I know I have been away for a long time. I am sorry for that but I have been walking through a very dark valley. For what I am going through and have been through I would not wish it on anyone.

I ask each of you to keep me in your prayers.

Advertisement

Irish: The Forgotten White slaves.

Well, you learn something every day…p

They came as slaves: human cargo transported on British ships bound for the Americas. They were shipped by the hundreds of thousands, men, women and even the youngest of children.

Whenever they rebelled or even disobeyed an order, they were punished in the harshest ways. Slave owners would hang their human property by their hands and set their hands or feet on fire as one form of punishment. Some were burned alive then had their heads placed on pikes in the marketplace as a warning to other captives.

We don’t really need to go through all of the gory details, do we? We know all too well the atrocities of the African slave trade.

But are we talking about African slavery? King James VI and Charles I also led a continued effort to enslave the Irish. Britain’s Oliver Cromwell furthered this practice of dehumanizing one’s next door neighbour.

The Irish slave trade began when James VI sold 30,000 Irish prisoners as slaves to the New World. His Proclamation of 1625 required Irish political prisoners be sent overseas and sold to English settlers in the West Indies.

By the mid 1600s, the Irish were the main slaves sold to Antigua and Montserrat. At that time, 70% of the total population of Montserrat were Irish slaves.

Ireland quickly became the biggest source of human livestock for English merchants. The majority of the early slaves to the New World were actually white.

From 1641 to 1652, over 500,000 Irish were killed by the English and another 300,000 were sold as slaves. Ireland’s population fell from about 1,500,000 to 600,000 in one single decade.

Families were ripped apart as the British did not allow Irish dads to take their wives and children with them across the Atlantic. This led to a helpless population of homeless women and children. Britain’s solution was to auction them off as well.

During the 1650s, over 100,000 Irish children between the ages of 10 and 14 were taken from their parents and sold as slaves in the West Indies, Virginia and New England. In this decade, 52,000 Irish (mostly women and children) were sold to Barbados and Virginia.

Another 30,000 Irish men and women were also transported and sold to the highest bidder. In 1656, Cromwell ordered that 2000 Irish children be taken to Jamaica and sold as slaves to English settlers.

Many people today will avoid calling the Irish slaves what they truly were: Slaves. They’ll come up with terms like “Indentured Servants” to describe what occurred to the Irish. However, in most cases from the 17th and 18th centuries, Irish slaves were nothing more than human cattle.

As an example, the African slave trade was just beginning during this same period. It is well recorded that African slaves, not tainted with the stain of the hated Catholic theology and more expensive to purchase, were often treated far better than their Irish counterparts.

African slaves were very expensive during the late 1600s (£50 Sterling). Irish slaves came cheap (no more than £5 Sterling). If a planter whipped, branded or beat an Irish slave to death, it was never a crime. A death was a monetary setback, but far cheaper than killing a more expensive African.

The English masters quickly began breeding the Irish women for both their own personal pleasure and for greater profit. Children of slaves were themselves slaves, which increased the size of the master’s free workforce.

Even if an Irish woman somehow obtained her freedom, her kids would remain slaves of her master. Thus, Irish mothers, even with this new found emancipation, would seldom abandon their children and would remain in servitude.

In time, the English thought of a better way to use these women to increase their market share: The settlers began to breed Irish women and girls (many as young as 12) with African men to produce slaves with a distinct complexion. These new “mulatto” slaves brought a higher price than Irish livestock and, likewise, enabled the settlers to save money rather than purchase new African slaves.

This practice of interbreeding Irish females with African men went on for several decades and was so widespread that, in 1681, legislation was passed “forbidding the practice of mating Irish slave women to African slave men for the purpose of producing slaves for sale.” In short, it was stopped only because it interfered with the profits of a large slave transport company.

England continued to ship tens of thousands of Irish slaves for more than a century. Records state that, after the 1798 Irish Rebellion, thousands of Irish slaves were sold to both America and Australia. There were horrible abuses of both African and Irish captives. One British ship even dumped 1,302 slaves into the Atlantic Ocean so that the crew would have plenty of food to eat.

There is little question the Irish experienced the horrors of slavery as much (if not more, in the 17th Century) as the Africans did. There is also little question that those brown, tanned faces you witness in your travels to the West Indies are very likely a combination of African and Irish ancestry.

In 1839, Britain finally decided on it’s own to end its participation in Satan’s highway to hell and stopped transporting slaves. While their decision did not stop pirates from doing what they desired, the new law slowly concluded this chapter of Irish misery.

But, if anyone, black or white, believes that slavery was only an African experience, then they’ve got it completely wrong. Irish slavery is a subject worth remembering, not erasing from our memories.

But, why is it so seldom discussed? Do the memories of hundreds of thousands of Irish victims not merit more than a mention from an unknown writer?

Or is their story to be the one that their English masters intended: To completely disappear as if it never happened.

None of the Irish victims ever made it back to their homeland to describe their ordeal. These are the lost slaves; the ones that time and biased history books conveniently forgot.

Every single person in this world needs to be saying this prayer.

This interesting prayer was given in Kansas, USA, at the opening session of their Senate. It
seems prayer still upsets some people.
When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities,
but this is what they heard:
“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says: “Woe to those who call evil good”, but that is exactly what we have done.
* We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
* We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.
* We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism.
* We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle.
* We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
* We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
* We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
* We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
* We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
* We have abused power and called it politics.
* We have embezzled public funds and called it essential expenses.
* We have insitutionalised bribery and called it sweets of office.
* We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.
*We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
* We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh GOD, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!”
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.
In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls
responding negatively.  
The church is now receiving international requests for copies of
this prayer from India, Africa and Korea.
With the LORD’S help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and WHOLEHEARTEDLY become our desire so that we again can be
called “ONE NATION UNDER GOD.”
forward this prayer

So Let’s Go Through This.

People it is time to wake up. If we don’t we are going to be the next third world country real soon. Wheather you want to except it or not. It is coming and there is nothing to stop it unless you are willing to stand up and do something about it.

We’ve got 1000s of illegals arriving here every day and being treated like Royalty being put up in top hotels and awarded allowance rises on top of already far too generous handouts. The bottom line is they shouldn’t be here anyway! All this whilst some of our ex service personnel who risked their lives for this country are living in cardboard boxes.

Talking of Royalty, we’re keeping this dysfunctional, irrelevant entity in oof and splendour whilst we’re suffering trying to pay utility bills or fill our cars at the pumps. We’re handing out cash to that Zelensky clown in Ukraine also.

Then there’s an assault on common decency with this LGBTQIXYZ agenda even making its filthy mark on our children (what’s wrong with just a normal man or woman reading them a story – why does it have to be a weirdo dressed up as a drag queen?) Before anyone says ‘What about pantomime dames?’ – that’s quite clearly different as its comedic content is obvious and aimed at the whole family audience. Also, they don’t have to be escorted from the theatre under the protection of the corrupt police unlike the aforementioned weirdos where it is obvious they’ve attracted the ire of decent people who oppose this. And that’s even before we’ve considered 16 year olds getting ‘bits’ cut off or added on a whim only to regret it soon afterwards because, on reflection, they’d prefer to actually be Paul again after a week or two of being Paula! Decent, traditional, wholesome values being destroyed whilst sick, modern, trendy ones are celebrated? Was that a bit homophobic? Not really! If you’re gay, just get on with life (like the vast majority of gay people do) No need for an agenda that finds its way to you whether you want it or not (rainbow flags whilst shopping in Sainsbury’s/rainbow police cars/rainbow armbands at the World Cup anyone?)

We had that awful Theresa Tam woman in Canada still trying to poison children with this disgusting, dangerous gene therapy (there was this cringiest video circulating yesterday about it) When I say I’m worried about people suffering, of course I’m referring to decent, awake people who know what it’s all about – not the moronic sheep who, not only are aiding and abetting this sickness, but moreover, are cheering it on. If they’re suffering in a cold home against this backdrop – GREAT!

We often talk about psyops but it’s obvious there is a multi-faceted one going on to demoralise every aspect of a decent, functioning society.

Does anybody know any jokes? 

 For raw truth, knowledge guidance & wisdom follow our telegram messenger group.

Every person in this world needs to read this at least once.

Good morning to everyone. I hope everyone will read this all the way through. Wheather we want to except it or not revelation is starting right now. There is nothing that can stop it. So I ask you to read revelation and take a good hard look at this world and what is taking place right now.

Trump says up to 10 countries set for peace with Israel. Be ready! Bible prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes, whether you like President Trump or not (hold your thumbs, this isn’t about him nor do I care to hear it) he has already fulfilled one of the last prophecies in the Bible prior to Jesus’ return. Moving the US Embassy in Israel back to Jerusalem and recognizing Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel is one of the prophecies that must be fulfilled. No other President in history has done this, but Donald Trump did.
We haven’t seen nothing yet!! What the world is experiencing right now is Just the tip of the iceberg!!!
Just in case anyone wonders where I stand: The 7-year tribulation will be worse by far than anything anyone could imagine. If you think this is our last Pandemic or “natural” disaster you are sadly mistaken. Read the book of Revelation. As a Christian, I’ve heard about the corruption and debauchery of the end-times most of my life. It appears the book of Revelation is unfolding right before us. We shouldn’t be shocked either, given the state of immorality in our world. Every day, the boundaries of sin seem to be pushed further and further. The line between right and wrong has slowly been erased by society, television, and pop culture. Witchcraft, spiritualism, “New Age” belief systems are being celebrated and exalted, even among some professing to be Christians. We have been removed further from the world God created and intended. We need to take this time to re-evaluate ourselves. We need to prepare and repent. Jesus will return just as His Word tells us. This is a huge wake up call, and I am taking it seriously. I want to go Home to my Father, when my time is up.
Until the Lord calls me away from this world to the next, I want to make it clear that I believe in Jesus Christ as the true Lord and Savior. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, was sacrificed on the cross, died for our sins, and rose again. He loves us all dearly (far more than we deserve) and forgives our sins if we repent. His Word says “whoever believes in Me, will not perish but have everlasting life”.
This is the best challenge I have seen on Facebook, so if the Holy Spirit moves you, and you’re not embarrassed, just copy and make this your status update.
Can I get an Amen for being a believer in the Father, Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?

A Christmas story from long ago.

Stop and think about how much you have to be thankful for.

Reposting: A dad’s last Christmas. My mom wrote this. She was born and raised on Dry Road.

My mother wrote this for her brother around 2003 when he was in his 70’s. It is a true story. Merry Christmas 🎄

A Christmas Story for R.C.
By Tootsie

When I was a very young girl my greatest anticipation was the coming of Christmas.

I didn’t anticipate toys for we seldom got toys or gifts. I took it for granted Santa could not get down our little thin chimney. And usually in my deepest heart I knew I hadn’t always been a good little girl.

I anticipated the Christmas tree. Our decorations weren’t great. Some cotton balls dabbed here and there, some faded paper ropes; a few silver icicles from carefully cut tobacco cans.

The wondrous thing was the tiny white candles in clip-on holders. We could only light them for a few minutes because momma was afraid of fire and we had to hoard the tiny candles for another year.

But those beautiful, flickering flames, combined with the quiet calm of the night created a sense of holiness and peace. I searched the night sky for a glimpse of that one bright star that spoke of the birth of a tiny baby.

Sometime later Daddy had taken me with him to see Uncle Cleve, Aunt Luna and Muriel. That was a special treat because they were special. A bad storm turned the bright day into slashing rain, thunder and lightning. Daddy said he had to go home but could not take me because the storm was too bad. You see, we walked the miles to visit, we had to walk the miles back. He couldn’t carry me. Daddy was sick but I didn’t understand that.

I clung to him. I grabbed his legs. I begged Daddy to take me home with him. I cried, I crawled after him, but he had to go.
I ran upstairs. I ran from window to window screaming for him to come back and take me with him.

Uncle Cleve was paralyzed from the waist down but between them they finally got me to come downstairs. I was still crying but I cried without hope.

Uncle Cleve rolled his wheelchair close to me; picked me up and talked to me for a while. Then he told Muriel to go get a box of Christmas ornaments. He wanted me to see them.
When he opened the box, it was as if flames of color exploded into my burning eyes.

Wonder of wonders he told me I could have an ornament for my own. I looked and looked and looked at the beautiful things before me. I finally selected a round, shiny, red ornament with white design. I was in awe of such a gift. It was proudly placed on our tree each Christmas.

Then I was 10 years old. Daddy was not able to get out of bed. Christmas came closer and closer. We had no tree. My sisters weren’t into Christmas decorating and the clean up afterwards. I kept begging Mama until one afternoon she got an axe and we walked until we found a tree we liked. She quickly cut it down.

She stopped for a few minutes and said “Tootsie, let’s get your daddy a tree. We’ll put it beside his bed. He can see it even if he can’t get up to see the big one.”

We walked home in the gray, cold day. She pulled the big tree. I probably pulled the small one.

We put the big tree up. Then Mama put Daddy’s tree beside his bed. We had to divide our decorations. The trees looked a bit naked.

Then I picked up my red ornament and walked to the big tree. Mama stopped me.

“Why don’t you put it on your daddy’s tree”, she asked. “He would like to see your decoration again this year.”
Some small voice inside me said no. After all it was only for me.

But I looked at my Daddy, once so strong, now so weak.
I put the ornament on his tree. I sat beside him until Mama lit the oil lamp. It was supper time.

Daddy went home less than a year later. Our home was empty. I was desolate.

The red ornament survived until a fire destroyed our house and everything in it when I was sixteen.

And that is my Christmas story for R.C. The miracle of life here on earth. The miracle awaiting us as we follow after that tiny Christmas baby.

The miracle of love from those around us.
The circle of love of family and the red ornament that glowed the night of Daddy’s last Christmas.

Please read this and think about the lesson here.

I have been in this young man’s place many times in my life. So many times that I don’t trust many people anymore. Why? Because the ones you trust the most will be the first one to stick a knife in your back.

During a prank, a student stuck a paper on his classmate’s back that said “𝗜’𝗺 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗽𝗶𝗱”, and asked the rest of the class not to tell the boy.
Thus the students began laughing on and off…
Came afternoon math class started and their teacher wrote a difficult question on the board.
No one was able to answer it except the boy with the sticker.
Amid the unexplained giggles, he walked toward the board and solved the problem.
The teacher asked the class to clap for him and remove the paper on his back.
She told him: “It seems that you don’t know about the paper your classmate has pasted on your back.”
Then the teacher looked at the rest of the class and said:
“Before I give you a punishment, let me tell you 2 things:
First, throughout your Life, people will put labels on you with many nasty words to stop your progress.
Had your classmate known about the paper, he wouldn’t have gotten up to answer the question.
𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻, 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.”
“Second, it’s clear that he doesn’t have any loyal friend among you all to tell him about the sticker.
It doesn’t matter how many friends you have – it is the loyalty you share with your friends that matters.
𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸, 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲.” Author unknown

This is so true everyone needs to stop and think about it.

This is NOT a joke. Just something to think about. You will appreciate the final statement.

There was a professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class.

One day while the class was in the lab, the professor noticed one young man,an exchange student, who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his back hurt.

The professor asked the young man what was the matter.

The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting Communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country’s government and install a new communist regime.

In the midst of his story, he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked: “Do you know how to catch wild pigs?”

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line.

The young man said that it was no joke. “You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free food.

When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side. The pigs, which are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat that free corn again. You then slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.

Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn they are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.”

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening in America & Canada. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/ Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tax exemptions, tobacco

subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare entitlements, medicine, drugs, etc., while we continually lose our freedoms, just a little at a time.

One should always remember two truths:

There is no such thing as a free lunch, and you can never hire someone to provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.

If you see that all of this wonderful government “help” is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America & Canada, you might want to share this with your friends.

If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life, then you will probably not share this.

BUT, God help us all when the gate slams shut!

Quote for today: “The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a living are now outnumbered by those who vote for a living.”

A thought to remember, Marx said, “Remove one freedom per generation and soon you will have no freedom and no one would have noticed.”

I think many of us here in the United States feel the same way.

I never dreamed that I would have to face the prospect of not living in the United States of America, at least not the one I have known all my life. I have never wished to live anywhere else. This is my home and I was privileged to be born here.

But today I woke up and as I had my morning coffee I realized that everything is about to change. No matter how I vote, no matter what I say, something evil has invaded our nation, and our lives are never going to be the same. I have been confused by the hostility of family and friends. I look at people I have known all my life so filled with hate that they will agree with opinions that if they were in their right minds they would never express as their own. It’s absolutely unbelievable. I think that I may well have entered the Twilight Zone…..then I saw this and I think that it’s pretty close to describing how I feel.
I’m not starting a fight, but it is something to think about. This may open up a ton of outraged comments by some. Many who will argue how “wrong” this post is. My suggestion, save your time and effort! You’re not changing the reality of what we are living by trying to somehow justify this insanity. Nevertheless, I couldn’t resist because we are becoming the Twilight Zone. We have become a nation that has lost its collective mind!
• If a dude pretends to be a woman, you are required to pretend with him.
• Somehow it’s un-American for the census to count how many Americans are in America.
• Russians influencing our elections are bad, but illegals voting in our elections are good.
• It was cool for Joe Biden to “blackmail” the President of Ukraine, but it’s an impeachable offense if Donald Trump inquires about it.
• Twenty is too young to drink a beer, but eighteen is old enough to vote.
• People who have never owned slaves should pay slavery reparations to people who have never been slaves.
• Inflammatory rhetoric is outrageous, but harassing people in restaurants is virtuous.
• People who have never been to college should pay the debts of college students who took out huge loans for their degrees.
• Immigrants with tuberculosis, Covid and polio are welcome, but you’d better be able to prove your dog is vaccinated.
• Irish doctors and German engineers who want to immigrate must go through a rigorous vetting process, but any illiterate gang-bangers who jump the southern fence are welcome.
• $5 billion for border security is too expensive, but $1.5 trillion for “free” health care is not.
• If you cheat to get into college you go to prison, but if you cheat to get into the country you go to college for free.
• People who say there is no such thing as gender are demanding a female President.
• We see other countries going Socialist and collapsing, but it seems like a great plan to us.
• Some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born, and other people are not held responsible for what they are doing right now.
• Criminals are catch-and-released to hurt more people, but stopping them is bad because it’s a violation of THEIR rights.
• And pointing out all this hypocrisy somehow makes us “racists”?!
Nothing makes sense anymore, no values, no morals, no civility and people are dying of a Chinese virus, but it racist to refer to it as Chinese even though it began in China. We are clearly living in an upside down world where right is wrong and wrong is right, where moral is immoral and immoral is moral, where good is evil and evil is good, where killing murderers is wrong, but killing innocent babies is right, where darkness is light and light is now darkness.
Wake up America, the great unsinkable ship Titanic America has hit an iceberg, is taking on water and sinking fast. The choice is yours to make. What will it be? Time is short, make your choice wisely!
Reposting from a friend because I believe it is true although very sad.

Some times all it takes is a good heart. Not many would do this today.

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas.

I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes.

Pondering the peas, I couldn’t help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

‘Hello Barry, how are you today?’
‘H’lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus’ admirin’ them peas. They sure look good.’
‘They are good, Barry. How’s your Ma?’
‘Fine.. Gittin’ stronger alla’ time.’
‘Good. Anything I can help you with?’
‘No, Sir. Jus’ admirin’ them peas.’
‘Would you like to take some home?’ asked Mr. Miller.
‘No, Sir. Got nuthin’ to pay for ’em with.’
‘Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?’
‘All I got’s my prize marble here.’ ‘Is that right?
Let me see it’ said Miller.
‘Here ’tis.. She’s a dandy.’

‘I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?’ the store owner asked.

‘Not zackley but almost.’

‘Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble’. Mr. Miller told the boy.

‘Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller:

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.

With a smile she said, ‘There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever.

When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn’t like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.’

I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.

Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts…all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband’s casket.

Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband’s bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.

‘Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim ‘traded’ them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size….they came to pay their debt.’
‘We’ve never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,’ she confided, ‘but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho..’

With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.

It’s not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.

  • Helen Walton