note from a friend of mine

[Rick Mulhern]

Thank you for posting this story Rick. I was needing it. I still believe there is a majority of people out there who still have morals and ideals and the backbone of America is still there. Sometimes I get to worrying that they are gone and then I see a story like this..
Take care and thank you!
Cody

Cody

What you don't know....I will somewhat elaborate on! During the '40s era there were 18 Negro tenant houses on my grandfathers' property...all share-croppers working cotton, corn, cattle and tending to equipment in general. Grandfather donated a right-of-way across the property I'm living on today in exchange for gaining electrical power to several tenant houses whereas some were still burning coal-oil for their lighting and cooking. The houses were well kept...white-washed exteriors with metal roofing and clean as a pin on the interior. I remember being inside each and every one betwixt the ages of six and eighteen years old. I ate lunch in several of them on occasion because there was always good garden vegetables on the tables and fresh ham, eggs and pork. These people worked...and had PRIDE...not like the vast majority of their race that live in the cities today on welfare! Nothing gives me the RAzz more than to read about liberals claiming that poverty causes crime! Each and every child of the lady shown in the photo above are today productive people. Three of her children have Doctorates from Grambling University and teach at that university and four others have degrees in education and teach in local Monroe, Louisiana schools. Two children own their own business and there is one child that is slightly handicapped but that individual works also cleaning houses five days a week! ALL....are productive! This family, by todays standards basically grew up in abject poverty but their parents instilled into each of their children the incentive to work to better their state of living. During this era all the men hunted, fished, worked their gardens, tended to their chickens and other fowl they had! They had hogs they slaughtered in the fall of the year and their own smokehouses to preserve the meat. Grandfather kept each family with a good supply of beef from the cattle he raised as well!

Even though this family would not have to do so, each and every member, including some of their older grandchildren have let me know personally that they recall this era and appreciate the kindness shown to them by my grandparents! I am probably more proud of these people than any others that I'm acquainted with!!