Social Services Arrive In NC

Comment on Learning with Git-Some

 

Atop Bald Mountain, NC

 I have a similar story from my uncle's wife, who just recently passed away at approximately age 86.

I remember riding her back as little boy as she would take me to the tobacco fields where we would work all morning. I remember the stories she would tell me as I marveled at a time long since gone.

Angeline was from a small town named, Danbury, in the foothills of North Carolina. She told me a story once of when the county services came to her home and spoke to her mom. This was sometime right after WWII, when social services first went county wide in the state.

Angeline's family had lost their dad several years previous and there was the mother and 5 girls (I think.)

The county social agent came up one day while the children were playing. The person asked for their mother, and Angeline being about 10 at the time, went and got her mother.

She over-heard the conversation from the social services person, them telling her mother they qualified as a poor family and could receive government help.

The mother kindly turned them down saying she could manage alright.

Angeline told me her thoughts, saying, "I didn't know we were poor?" "I thought we were in good shape, We never went hungry and always had something to do. Surely the government person was wrong?"

All those children grew up and married nice "Christian" men. They had respectable families and contributed their part to society.

Personally, for the life of me, I fail to see where these people were poor? Actually I see it quite the opposite. I see these people as being extremely rich in morals and life, having the moral fortitude and Christian faith to make the most from their situation.

The lesson learned is there are two ways to classify rich and poor. One way materially and the other spiritually. I'll leave it to the reader to decide on which type people determines which is the case for each circumstance.

Michael-- Deo Vindicabamur