Growing Good

Good Morning,

Many times my wife and I are asked how we can give so much of our time and energy to helping others. How we can be there for people who may not even appreciate our efforts. We have been accused of being naive, foolishly generous or compared to door mats. This is never the case and both of us truly enjoy being there for others in whatever capacity is required. We do not do it for the recognition or to get on good terms with god, it is simply the quickest way to affect change for the better while we are here. My grandfather was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it often won a ribbon of some type.

I often spent my summers with him on the small farm and one year I learned something interesting about how he grew it. I discovered that my granddad shared his seed corn with his neighbors. Shocked at this I asked him how he could afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they were in competition with him each year?

With a gentle smile he looked at me and said don't you know you can't win alone? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If our neighbors grow inferior corn, cross- pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.

As I am older and look back I am always amazed at my elders connectedness to life. My grandfather knew his harvest could not improve unless his neighbor's also improved.

So it is in life. Those who choose to be at peace must help their neighbors to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others to find happiness for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

Have a beautiful weekend and remember if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn!

Peace and Love, Jim