By Rosie Preston
Because of knowing how quickly time can end for each person, I am thankful each day for the time I have lived and have spent with my family members. Never a day has gone by that I do not pray and thank God for everything my family has been blessed with. I can’t help but remind myself that we don’t know what news the day may bring, good or bad.
At this age in my life, I am married and live in a middle-class neighborhood in an average size home. There is a lot I would like to re-model or improve upon, but I realize that as a senior citizen I should concentrate on the things I can do to keep it clean and tidy. To wit, I’ve decorated my yard with beautiful flowers and bushes!
As a young girl in grammar school, I never wore name-brand clothes or shoes, and I was surprised at how the kids separated at such young ages and already started comparing themselves with others. I could see right through this way of looking at how different families’ lifestyles were. It was a given that the kids who had the same expensive clothing and shoes stuck together, just as the kids like me who had the average price attire immediately bonded.
I look back and realize that it did not stop my chosen friends and I from having great times together. As soon as I graduated to Disque Junior High, I took Home Economics and learned how to cook and to sew. Soon my clothes looked as good as the expensive ones.
I’m sure if my parents could have afforded to dress us in the nicest clothing, they would have done so. However, I appreciated everything we had. I’ll never forget my mom going shopping before school started each year. Between her, my grandmothers and my aunts, they bought me and my two younger sisters an appropriate wardrobe and shoes for each season.
This lifestyle of judging others will never end, as I’ve witnessed it with the children and parents of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My goal is to instill in them that it is what is inside a person that counts, and that kindness, empathy and love are the most important characteristics someone can possess.
Keep Smiling, Rosie
Contact Rosie Preston at prestonrose.m@gmail.com.