Ordinary circumstances…
O
n the short trip from the house to the church this morning, Jack Pattie was giving the most popular names in the U.S. James Smith was the most common name for males. This brought back memories for me. My grandfather was James Smith.
Pa, as I called him, dropped out of school in the 8th grade to take care of his family. Stories like that were not uncommon back then – about 1889. They lived in very rural Russell County. Today you drive by where they lived on your way to Lake Cumberland's Alligator Docks.
They moved to southern Casey County where there was no school. The County seat was 20 miles away by horseback.
Pa soon delivered a petition from the area residents to establish a school in that neighborhood and it was established.
Later he moved his family to Liberty just so the kids could get a better education.
He had read the Bible many times and read the Courier-Journal cover to cover every morning when it came in the mail.
When the County Extension Service was established he soaked up all the information they had about farming and thus was one of the first farmers to spray his fruit trees in Casey County.
He dabbled in politics and when I ran for Mayor of Youth Week in high school I asked him, at age 95, what advice he could give for my speech. He told me something which I realize as true and very sad at the same time. He said, “You better tell them what they want to hear.” I didn’t and I lost.
Those seven words have explained to me, why we don’t, as a whole, have better people in politics than we do. I think Pa knew this was not entirely a good thing either.
He was wise, poor, faithful, strong, kind, a hard worker and more.
An uncommon man with the most common name of all.
Think of what uncommon and good things you can do in common and ordinary circumstances.
Even if you just have an ordinary name and “ordinary” work to do.
Moving to the deeper places,
Jeff