I am thankful

As this Thanksgiving approaches, I am thankful for many things. To start with, I am thankful for my family. I have a wonderful wife who is a daily reminder of the good in people, and two beautiful, although hyper, daughters, who keep me hopeful and tired. I am thankful for my friends, who keep me laughing and constantly on my toes. I am thankful for my church, which keeps me in the right perspective.

I am also thankful for the organizations in Laurens that provide valuable services to our citizens. Two of these organizations are Habitat for Humanity and Hospice of Laurens County. Without the services of these people, many would be lost and without help.

Habitat for Humanity makes it possible for families to have a place to call home. Since 1993, the Laurens Habitat for Humanity has provided 12 families with shelter. Volunteers do most of the construction and some of the materials are donated by businesses. The organization also does not charge interest on the mortgage, which cuts the cost of the house almost in half as compared to a mortgage issued by a financial institution. I am thankful for the work that Habitat for Humanity does.

As a licensed funeral director, I have a special sense of gratitude for the people who work with Hospice. Their job is not an easy one. But, there is a great reward in knowing that you were able to help people through one of their darkest times. With the opening of their new Hospice House, Hospice of Laurens County is able to provide services to families that enable those families to have a place to go that feels like home. I am thankful for the service that Hospice of Laurens County provides.

I am also thankful for two international organizations that seek to provide a better life for people around the world. The ONE Campaign exists to end poverty. By raising awareness about the issues of global poverty, hunger, disease and efforts to fight these problems in the world's poorest countries, the ONE Campaign is a champion of people across the world.

The Blood:Water Mission is an organization that has funded 340 clean water initiatives to more than 276,000 people in Africa. With the widespread effects of malaria and HIV/AIDS, clean water and clean blood is a commodity in Africa, and it should not be. It should be a humanitarian right, and Blood:Water Mission is helping to make it so. I am thankful for their efforts.

On this Thanksgiving holiday, we have much to be thankful for. I hope that each of us will take the time to reflect on what we have been blessed with. I wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Yes We Can…Do It For You

While writing for GoLaurens.com for the past few months, I have had the privilege to sit at plenty of conference tables, meet many good public servants, and witness the announcements of groundbreaking news that has changed Laurens, and will continue to do so. Yet, as I have been to all these meetings and listened to these men and women speak, I cannot help but to ask myself, “Why is it that the same people are at every conference table making decisions and leading the people of Laurens?”

Now, please do not misunderstand and let me make this very clear from the beginning. I am in no way criticizing these public servants. Many of them have made drastic improvements to our lives and are genuinely interested in helping move Laurens in a positive direction. What I am saying, however, is that while these same men and women are bettering our society, they are alone in their fight, thus you are alone in yours.

We just witnessed one of the most historic and dramatic presidential races in the course of United States history. Regardless of whom you were for and how you voted, you have to admit that being part of history is every bit as important as learning about history. Back to the subject at hand. One of the slogans of the Obama campaign was “Yes We Can.” Yes, we can end partisan politics. Yes, we can regain our moral authority in the world. Yes, we can get our economy back on the right track.

The problem is that many people have interpreted this slogan as “Yes We Can…Do It For You.” There is a big difference in these two slogans, just as there is a big difference in the words of Abraham Lincoln that government should be “of the people, by the people, for the people.” For the people implies that we are giving up all of our decisions to the elected few. By the people inherently implies anarchy and self-rule. What we need is government of the people.

While our leaders are doing a good job, they do not represent an honest cross-section of Laurens residents. They are people with influence, and some with wealth. And, while there is nothing intrinsically wrong with these two attributes, it still worries me when we give up our futures to a select group, without considering the will of the people. The Roman Senators had an expression that said, “Rome is the mob.” While we may not constitute a mob, we still deserve to be heard and included. If we are not, we can never truly be in the fight. We can only be spectators, and there is neither glory nor honor in that.

So, I encourage you to take part in your community. Run for office. Attend board meetings. Know what is being decided about you, and take action. To honestly be equal, we can no longer ask people to do things for us, we must go out and do it ourselves. There is hope in that. There is freedom in that.