I Remember When….

Written By Sharry Kennedy

I went back to re-read an article on "Back to Basics" today. As I read the poem called "The Old Paths", I reminisced back to my own childhood.  I am old enough to remember those days of "the old paths".  Life seemed to be so much more simple then.  Most people knew basic Bible standards and morals and actually tried to live by them.

 I remembered back to when I was growing up on the farm.  We worked hard, and it was so rewarding at the end of the day to see what was accomplished! I remember that hard work actually felt good!  We did not have all the conveniences of today that take away the simple pleasure of getting your hands into the task.  It was truly hard work, but at night we slept well because of working hard all day.  We didn't even think to look for something to entertain us because we were busy with what needed to be done.

It was so nice to work alongside Mom and Dad and learn from them as I watched how they responded to different things.  Granted, not all things were good but I learned good character from them.

Things like:

- Finish what you start

- Do the best you know how to do

- No matter how big the task, start at the beginning and soon it will not seem so large

- Plant the seed and trust God to bring the rain and sunshine to help it grow

- Only buy what you can afford to buy

- Return something that you borrow in better condition than you got it

- If you break something you have borrowed, you need to fix it or replace it with a new one

- Be a good neighbor and be willing to help others out when possible 

- Neighbors seemed to work together to get the crops and hay in.

These were just a few valuable lessons I learned on the farm. The old days were not so bad.  There were not as many distractions from the simple joys of life.

I yearn for the days when America was a country we could be proud of and people respected our flag. Vulgarity was at least hidden in back rooms and not flaunted for all the world to revel in. They did not have a problem with "In God We Trust", for most people trusted Him and worshipped Him.  God was in our thoughts and people would quote things from the Bible without apology because no one was offended.  Men would control their language when there was a lady present. 

How far we have fallen from the foundation of Christianity that our country was established on!

We really do need to get back to basics.  May it start with me.