If you look for the good in folks, I reckon you'll find it. Likewise, if it's your nature to expect bad, bad is what you are going to get.
So yeah, suppose you get what you look for
I remember it well, those days of yesteryear, before television, cell phones, and the internet. Yeah, even before electricity when we lit our home with kerosene lamps. Those were the days when folks could be trusted... when nobody locked their doors. Yeah, it was a more innocent time.
I remember the gypsy caravans with their garish, brightly painted, horse-drawn wagons. And speaking about horses, boy, they knew how to care for their stock! You never saw a gypsy lady without her long colorful dress, and the men always wore dress hats, suit coats, and neckties not just on Sunday, but in the middle of the week!
I was visiting with a friend one day and overheard his folks talking about how the gypsies would steal everything that wasn’t tied down or locked up... but we never had anything stolen by them.
Some of the parents even used the gypsies as a form of scary boogeymen to frighten their kids into being good. The threat, “If you are naughty we will sell you to the gypsies!” This threat was supposed to terrify kids, but I always figured that if they had the terrible misfortune to buy me, after a couple of days of putting up with my shenanigans those poor gypsy folks would return me and beg my folks to take me back, and likely pay them to do so!
Sort of like the story, The Ransom of Red Chief, by O Henry.
I will never forget the dark gypsy couple that came to our home to buy half a dozen chickens. Nice quiet folks, they were too. Word gets around, and it wasn’t long before we had other gypsy families showing up to buy chickens, milk, and eggs. I knew daddy had no prejudices so I wasn’t surprised when I heard him say to a friend that he would rather sell to a gypsy any day because he had never had them try to cheat him.
It has been my experience, and I believe it wholeheartedly, we will invariably find good in most folks if we are willing to look for it, and I sincerely believe this is what really pleases Papa God, don’t you?
Live simply,
Love generously,
Trust God,
And make a difference, today.
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Oh Chuck, What great memories! My mom was raising three young boys, an, although I was a perfectly behaved child, the same was not always true for my brothers! At times mom would become a bit overwhelmed by our energy and at those times we always heard how if we didn't behave, she was going to sell us to the gypsies! She was our mom, she brought us into this world and thus if she wanted, she could "take us out of it too!" In those days parents were all powerful, kids knew and understood this was true, so usually we behaved because we did not want to be sold to Gypsies but we also understood that mom could if she wanted to!
You are also correct about looking for good, when I was older, America was engaged in "The Cold War" , and we all knew how evil the Russians were, and we believed it pretty much, but then I met some actual Russian people and surprise, they were just like us, they were not evil at all just folks trying to live as peaceably as possibly. The same could not be said about the politicians on either side. I guess if we remember that Jesus died for each and every one of us no matter where we live, it becomes a bit harder to do when someone tells you you have to hate them because they are different than you, have a different language, have different viewpoints or politics, after all all of us can call him Abba!
Monday, December 27, 2021 Report this
Charles
Richard, Yes my friend, as you so aptly said, "She could take us out! Bless you my friend, Chaz
Monday, December 27, 2021 Report this
Charles
Richard, I am sorry pal, but I could never visualize you as "perfectly behaved". Chaz
Monday, December 27, 2021 Report this