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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: HONEST (05/31/18)
A Generation Like No Other



Recently, I was privileged to attend the home-going of a dear aunt who would have been 92 years old in a few months. She was the baby of my grandmother’s family; the last of thirteen children and truly the last of a most wonderful generation…one like no other. What a very faithful and loving Christian lady she was.



The minister who preached her funeral is another cousin of some 500+ of us. What an awesome heritage to have come from such a respectful family. Because I have been privileged to know each of the thirteen aunts and uncles and their children and many grandchildren, I know their generation was what truly made America great.



The work ethic of each of these family members was none like we see today. There was never a question of being disrespectful to your family and friends. Folks shook hands to make promises either in business or personally. Your word was your bond and it was a rarity to ever be broken.



My great grandparents, the parents of this dear family, were known by everyone in the community and were highly respected. Because of such a large family, so many of the folks in the community were related in some way. People reached out to help others because they cared so much about their community and their Christian values. Families and friends sat and talked and made the effort to visit their neighbors and families on Sunday afternoon. Good friends could answer for one another because they knew each other so well.



Can you imagine going to a family reunion today where there are well over 200 people and knowing about 99% of them? As a child, that was how I grew up; large family gatherings, folks visiting my grandparents regularly, and knowing them on a personal basis. These folks were very dependable and if they said they would do something for you, you could rest assured they would carry out their promise. Even if someone was wrong, they gave you an honest answer and helped to make it right.



We learned at my aunt’s funeral, that our great grandparents’ children had a presence in the community for 116 years. The first was born in 1902 and the last to leave us was in 2018. That’s an amazing amount of years for one family to be represented in one community and to have such a great influence.



Again, the mere fact that these dear folks ALL knew each other so very well, amazes me to this day. In today’s world, it’s so sad to sit in a restaurant and watch a family focusing on their cell phone screen instead of each other. Why do we feel like we have to be so “connected”? In reality, we are so DISCONNECTED! What would our day be like IF we turned off all cell phones and computers and took time to enjoy the company of our family and friends?



Yes dear friends, we HAVE lost so many great attributes of a generation this was like no other. I am so honored to have known and loved this exceptional generation. May we strive to take back much of what we’ve lost? Can we regain the respect of others in a way that our true friends can also answer for us? May we be the shining example that no matter what, we will always do the right thing and live to make our world a better place.
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This article has been read 434 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Shaudonna Bryant
06/07/18
Your message is clear and good to reflect on. Your opening sentence tells your reader what they are in for. We don't get a full understanding of the topic until paragraph three. Keep writing I can't wait to see what you write next.
C D Swanson 
06/08/18
Fantastic job with the topic which you nailed perfectly well. I enjoyed reading this piece which was interesting and filled with truths,

Blessings~
Jenny Fulton 
06/08/18
Good job creating a sense of nostalgia in the piece and bringing forth worthy qualities to strive for.
Nola Lorraine Passmore
06/09/18
It must be wonderful to belong to such a family. You made a good point about the relationship between honesty and respect. I loved your observation about how we think we're connected through all of our technical devices, but we're really disconnected. You also posed some good questions to make us think. There's perhaps a little bit of repetition in the first few paragraphs, so you could maybe tighten that up a little. But you did a great job overall. Your piece made me think. Well done.
Salome Njunge
08/06/18
A challenge.real connection is when we take our time to personally be with our families and refuse the social media fake connection. This is awake up call.keep it up.