Make Sure They Know

If the real meaning of who we are is built on our belief system, our values and ultimately identifies us as individuals, then when looking around me, I can’t help but wonder what my future generations’ identity will look like.

You may find this hard to believe, but I don’t mean their financial future.  I am concerned that MY future generations will be robbed of a critical part of their family story and face a loss of their family heritage. Simply put, I don’t want our southern culture, and specifically, our core values to deteriorate and disappear forever.

I want my grandchildren to know where they come from.   Now, I don’t mean the part where people assume that because you are from the south that you are backwooded, (southern term) and uneducated.  I’m talking about all that is good and right, like knowing that respect for the elderly is expected and saying please and thank you is not a suggestion.  I want them to know that being kind is never wrong and being mean is never right.  I want them to know that even though their path may take them far away it’s never too late to come home and most of all the faith of their grandmother was real.

I want them to understand the value of community, the benefits that come from it and the best things in life really are free, like riding your bicycle through town and everyone waiving and saying hello. I want them to understand they better “act right” because someone will tell on them.

As we begin a new year, I resolve to make sure I tell them the stories I remember and encourage them to spend time listening to my parents tell their story. I will also remind them that everyone is not replaceable so be careful who you hurt. AND yes, I want them to know the value of a dollar and that having lots doesn’t make you rich just as having little doesn’t make you poor.

Happy New Year!            

I Don't Know Everything

I have come to the conclusion there are basically two sets of people: those of us who don’t know everything and those who don’t know that they don’t know everything. I recently came to this conclusion by several events that transpired on Thanksgiving Day.   One of which happened as I was taking my grandson home; he asked a question I simply didn’t know.  Without hesitation he said, “Let’s google it”. Now, I knew my cellphone had a password protection on it and immediately thought he will need my password as I smiled and handed it to him.  However, what “I didn’t know” was apparently my smart phone password is overridden with the simple placement of my thumb on the home button.  I apparently didn’t know as much as I thought I did.

The second was when I received a message through social media from a non-customer concerning a mishap at our ATM.  Unfortunately, his financial institution was closed, as was ours, for the holiday.  This mishap had caused him to be out $500 and with no way to contact his bank he was given my name and told I might be able to help.  This young man had no “knowledge” of how “banking” rules work, he only knew that he needed his money and someone needed to help.

Through both situations, I learned we can’t possibly know everything. The truth is we are not wired to know it all; we just need to surround ourselves with people that are willing to share their knowledge.

In the case of my grandson, I am so glad I have him in my life; he keeps me technologically up to speed. In the case of the “potential” customer, he truly didn’t know what to do, but he realized he needed to contact someone at the bank.   On a side note, I found out that by listening we learn, and by showing empathy and putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes we too learn.  I wasn’t able to get the $500 immediately, but it did get me a thank you for listening and a really nice bag of fresh picked tangerines.