More great families –may God bless them all!

Recently I wrote a column about great families. The family I wrote about was the family of my sister-in-law, Violet. Violet grew up in Loris, South Carolina, in a large family. And as a matter of fact, this column is simply a continuation of that one – when the family came to visit.

By Anne S. Haynes

In other words, more family members came to visit Violet. These members were Violet’s sister, Gladys, as well as her nieces, Heidi and Patricia. As I have said before, family is so important, and frankly, in the days we are living in, it is more important than ever. All of these precious people are all part of a super family who include Tommy and me when they come to visit.

You may not agree with me about my opinion on family, but that is quite all right. But it is my opinion that families are so important these days, and they may actually be more important than ever.

One reason for making such a strong statement about families is that many families have had some difficult issues to deal with recently such as the COVID virus, and storms, and high prices.

All of these issues though have shown us just how important families really are today. Because to me it seems when times get rough and it’s difficult to keep going, that family becomes more important than ever.

My mind goes back to the awesome family I was a part of since birth. My dad and mom were great people who dearly loved my two brothers and me.

My dad worked hard at Dixie Lumber Company the “whiz-bang” of things, let me also say a big “job well done” to the Chamber of Commerce, the City staff, all the City of Cherryville workers in whatever capacity they served, the great folks at Cherryville’s First United Methodist Church; pastor AND congregation, and just about anybody and everybody who took part in this 2023 ID4 event.

Cherryville folks have been treated to some great ones in the past, thanks to retired Chief Jeff Cash and the CFD crews then, and now with Chief Jason Wofford and AFC Colby Heffner and the captains and fire crews are continuing an unbroken tradition of excellence, making all of us smile as we “oohed” and “aahed” the warm

(and somewhat muggy) night away last week.

Folks, with all the bad (and I mean BAD!) that’s going on in the world today where even a simple thing like a Fourth of July celebration gets turned into a senseless bloodbath, it’s nice to know God has been gracious to our little town. I for one pray that continues on ad infinitum, which means… well, like, forever!

Look, I know many things about this great land of ours aren’t what everyone would like for them to be, but look around you at what other countries are going through. While we do have our rough patches, we have been very, VERY blessed, would you not agree?

Nothing in life is ever perfect and none of us are ever promised a warm, fuzzy Kodak-moment life by any means, still we do have it far better in America than many other countries, even the more westernized ones. of Cherryville five- and one-half days a week. He drove a truck part of his career. He also worked as a carpenter. My mom was a wonderful stay at home wife and mother. She had a snack for us and a listening ear to whatever we wanted to talk about when we arrived home from school. On Sundays, we attended Shady Grove Baptist Church of Cherryville, which set us all on the right path early in life.

Anyway, didn’t mean to preach here.

Just wanted to give a big shout-out and say, “THANK YOU!” to all my friends and neighbors and those who keep us safe each and every day, and keep the wheels of local government moving forward, day in and day out. Folks… all y’all keep doing what you do so well. You are the best! You really are!

Have a safe and happy summer y’all!

Now, I know that everyone can’t be fortunate enough to have grown up this way, and I do know other families who have managed with the help of grandparents and other relatives. But, as you see, it all still comes right back to special families loving each other and finding ways to support each other. Violet’s family is a wonderful example of how special families really are in these days.

May God bless all of our families!

What is next for you? Are you making plans for furthering your education? Are you interviewing for employment? Are you debating about your career path? What type of occupation will be fulfilling and pay the salary you want to earn? Possibly you are making plans to get married? You may be wondering about the best strategies for buying a house or saving for retirement. Consider talking to people who are doing what you want to do.

Life coaching and mentoring are sadly missing today. It’s missing in our schools, churches and even worse, our families. Young people are desperate for the wisdom of senior Americans but most of the time think they know everything, We all thought we knew everything when we were young. Looking back, we now realize how little we really knew.

Throughout life we are typically stuck with figuring it out by ourselves. We made the choice to make our own decisions. When we make our own decisions then we can’t blame anybody but ourselves. However, education is expensive. Learning the hard way is never fun. You have heard people say, “Let him figure it out. He’ll learn.”

This is typically true, but if your grandchild is about to pick up a poisonous snake, would you just stand back and let the child learn? Would you not care enough to snatch the child away from the snake? Of course, you would save your child.

You can’t save everybody, but when you can, then why not do what you hope someone would do for you?

If you consider yourself a young adult then you need to interview some older people. You need to ask questions about their vocations, businesses, and whatever path they have walked. How did they do what they have done? What would they do over? What would they never do again? What would be their advice to you about life in general, money, marriage, faith, church, raising kids and anything else. You might be surprised at what you will learn.

Most older people think no one wants to hear their opinion and too often it is true. Sadly, years of life’s experiences – worth more than money could ever buy – are never utilized.

Every high school and church should have an occasional life coaching day. A day when some of the community sages are invited to sit and field questions from small groups and even talk one on one.

You may not always hear what you want to hear. Sometimes the truth is surprising. Always keep in mind that the truth will set you free. Proverbs 19:20 says, “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.”

And lastly… always keep in mind that advice giving should always be done in love and gentleness.