The Act of Giving in Rowlesburg

This blog is anything but organized, my thoughts and posts are normally scattered and random, but I at least try to keep them on the topic of the outdoors or am able to tie the randomness back into the outdoors. This is not a political post, nor is it even my post, it's my mothers (Yes, that's right I said it, my mom's, she has her own blog. It was a quasi Christmas present this past year, just a place to rant and rave). Normally I laugh about her post or will even heed their advice, but I never thought I'd be repost this one. With everything looming over us with the government shut down, she wrote an amazing post this evening that I couldn't help but share with everyone. Taken from my mom's blog, Sit Down, Shut Up, and Listen, I present her latest post, "The Act of Giving in Rowlesburg"...

It is no secret that West Virginia is one of the poorest states in the country.  It is also no secret that Preston County is a fairly poor county in WV and that Rowlesburg in Preston County is not very wealthy either. What people may not know about is the generosity of the people in Rowlesburg. It always amazes me that the people who have the least, give the most and give freely. Tonight in Rowlesburg, for instance, Brandy, an Americorp Volunteer, is hosting a Dance for Hunger.  The entrance fee is nonperishable food for the town's food pantry. She planned it so the first two hours are for kids and the last three hours are for adults. I told her I thought it was a good idea to include  the kids for part of the dance. I meant it would also give them something to do on a Friday night. She said that she thought the kids needed to learn about giving and that there is always someone out there that has less than you, so that is why she was including them.  So, on this evening when the government in our country can't decide what to do, a small economically strapped little community in one of the poorest counties, in one of the poorest states in our country seems to have figured out what to do. You take care of your own. You give what you can or maybe even more. You donate, you give away and you feel blessed in the process. So why is this such a difficult process for the wealthiest and most affluent people in our country, the folks that are always trying to get out of paying taxes and using their power to make things only better for themselves?  Some would say trying to increase your power and wealth is the American way, but is that really what are forefathers had in mind? Can America really be a great country with only the powerful rich?  I don't know, but I think it might do many politicians a world of good tonight to take a little side trip to Rowlesburg, bringing with them 7 nonperishable food items, and spending a night dancing with me at the fire hall for "Dance Out Hunger".

You know, you can call us a lot of things, rednecks, hillbillies, hicks, or bubba, but here's the thing; I'll take my redneck, small Appalachian town friends, who know right from wrong and will give you the shirt off their back if that's what it takes to help someone. Instead of the elected leaders that have, at best, questionable taste in what decisions they are making at this present time. This weekend, I suggest one thing, help someone, do something; even if it is just holding the door for someone, it matters. That's how America became what is is/was; off the blood, sweat, and tears of our ancestors. Somewhere amongst everything in today's world we have let that slip away.