BEING RESPECTFUL

In this fast pace, High Tech world we are living in today, I feel sometimes we can lose that lost that character quality of respect along the way, if we are not careful.

I grew up in a strict household. All the kids were in bed and the lights were out at 9:00 PM. On thing my Daddy instilled in us was to be respectful. It was always "Yes Sir" or No, Sir" , "Yes Mam" or No, Mam" when being addressed by an elder, Male or female.You will be respectful. No questions asked. It did not matter where you were, the service station, barber shop, grocery store, ect. If not, daddy would discipline when you would get home. To this day, even though daddy is no longer here, I am respectful to my elders. If you were with mama and were not respectful, you would hear the most dreaded words..."Just wait til your daddy gets home!!".

"Oh No, A funeral possession!!!

Do we look at it like a major interruption in our very busy schedule??? You know, traffic slows or stops, you have to be somewhere.and now there is a funeral possession passing by. How do we view it? I would venture to say that we seldom think or is mindful that this family had a family member or relative that slipped into eternity, never again to be seated at the dinner table with their loved ones.

When my wife's dad passed away, we were in a long funeral possession in Arkansas years ago. As we were going down the rural highway, I noticed a elderly gentleman perhaps in his 80's, stop his car, got out, and placed his hat over his heart until we passed. Seeing this, really touched my heart and I have never forgotten it. Although this man did not even know us, he was being very respectful to the family.

On a lighter note, a couple of years ago my daughter and her family moved here from Illinois. One day we were going to town and we passed a car. They waved at us, but my daughter did not wave. I asked her why she did not wave. She said said, "was I suppose to?" I said yes, everybody waves at each other whether they know you or not. As we were going down the road, we came upon another car. It was an elderly couple. My daughter started waving with both hands very wildly and frantically. (I can't help but wonder what they thought about it) I said, "No Cindy, just a little friendly gesture off the steering wheel will suffice". This is just the way they do it here. I gave her a basic 101 lesson on a simple form of friendly respect and courtesy.Coming from a big city, regrettably, the waves and gestures are not the same in which I will not describe on my hub.