Growing up I looked forward to my first 22 rifle and going out in the woods to bag a squirrel for the dinner table. When the time came, I did just that. My dad explained how to clean the squirrel while I did the gutting and skinning. My mom watched over my shoulder while I put it in the pot with the vegetables I had prepared. I even got to put it all on the platter and carried it to the table. Everyone told me how good it was and how good I was to bring home Sunday dinner. I was 12 years old. I was raised to be self sufficient. My folks tutored me in hunting, harvesting wild vegetables and edible weeds, cooking, building whatever I needed, fixing just about anything instead of just throwing it away, even sewing and darning the holes in my socks. Their philosophy was all about doing for yourself. I understood from as long as I can remember that I was put on this earth to take care of myself and hopefully help others less fortunate along the way. I watched as my parents put money in the collection basket at church even when we walked almost an hour through rain to get there because they didn't have enough money to put gas in the car, if they happened to have one at the time. There was always some money for other charities too. Take care of yourself and help those you can.
Sometimes when I listen to the news, I wonder if my folks were the only parents in the world that believed and taught that principal. Were we living in our own little world. Sheltered from reality? Is self sufficiency a lost concept? I'm sure its not. Not really, is it? If we couldn't take care of ourselves we'd be helpless. Then we'd have to depend on everyone else. We wouldn't have any money of our own to help anyone else. Now that's a silly concept isn't it? Ha, being taken care of by whom? That almost sounds like, Hmmmmm!.....................................Joe
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