Shade Tree Wisdom 2/14/09

Valentines Day and I am sending a dozen red roses. You can appreciate them best in your imagination.

What a day this is for this country. Washington passes a ‘stimulus package’ that one side says will ‘get this country moving again’, while the other side snorts that it is filled with a “massive collection of unnecessary spending, pet projects, and giant earmarks.” Only the future will tell.

What I firmly believe is that what we need is to work where we are to the best of our ability. There was a time when my freedom stopped where yours began. I was responsible for my own affairs, and if I could not afford a better car, I used the one I could afford. If a person could not afford a big home, he made do with what he could.

A business that failed to produce what people wanted, failed, and was replaced by another that did. In other words, each was personally responsible for his own actions.

Today, what a difference. People who can only afford coach demand first class. If they cannot afford to pay for something, they expect someone else to provide it for them. Instead of spending the time to acquire skills, they either cheat or demand standards be lowered so they ‘fit in’. And if they make a mistake, there is always someone else to blame.

In short, victimhood and entitlement has replaced common sense, self-reliance, and prudence

I was reading a letter written by one of the survivors of that Hudson river plane landing, and his conclusion seemed to be that each helped another. He and a fellow passenger, for example, pulled a woman who slipped into the icy water back on the wing and helped her to safety on a ferry.

That sort of attitude is what we need again in this land. Let us pray that the LORD will help us find the way, and keep us in safety while we blunder about finding the track again.

He does say, “This is the Way, walk ye in it,” and Jesus said, ”I am the Way the Truth, and the Life” words that are eternally true.

GPD 2/14/09