The Golden Rule

It's real simple....that good old Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  It's even reiterated in different versions in the Bible -- Luke 6:31 and Matthew 7:12.  We grew up hearing our parents, teachers, preachers and other adults saying it to us over and over and over yet why is it so hard sometimes to follow and practice what we preach?

I've been fortunate to be surrounded by countless wonderful role models in my life.  Recently, I have found myself going through a transformation in deciding on exactly where God is leading me and what path He wants me to take.  Admittedly, I am frustrated.  I struggle with who, what, where, when and why?  I struggle with feeling let down by people I thought I knew, I struggle with feeling judged by fellow Christians who seem to feel they wield a higher knowledge of His word, I struggle with where I should be everyday in my daily walk with Christ, I struggle with forgiving and why I'm not being forgiven by others and most recently, I struggle with WHY?  Why do bad things happen to good people?  In writing this blog, it has taken a different direction than I originally intended but I suppose that was the entire purpose of me blogging in the first place -- therapy!   


One would have to be under a rock not to know the recent tragedies which occurred April 27th in the South.  The tornado outbreak and destruction was deadly, tragic and shocking.  I stayed awake until 3:00 AM that morning following the news, facebook and twitter and praying none of my family and friends would be in the path.  I found myself texting JT's mom at midnight when I heard Glenn Burns say, "If you are on Birdie Road in Spalding County, take cover!"  Sure enough, it hit right beside her.  Thankfully, she was fine along with her home but her neighbors and community are not.  


I immediately woke up with an urge, a yearning to do something, a feeling of being grateful for being alive but also feeling a need to help others who weren't so lucky.  I often struggle with the question do I pay it forward nearly enough?  Hence, that darn Golden Rule creeping back in and seeping into my conscious my parents raised me with.  There are 4 people I credit with instilling these values in me of paying it forward.  


Meet.....Jane and Ralph Gatlin

  
These 2 helped me stay on task in my high school and collegiate years.  I remember a funny story of Mr. Gatlin picking up a hitchhiker in North Georgia to help him out and his daughter Amy and her friend waking up startled to see a stranger in the car.  This man of God and his wife stand for everything I love about being a Christian and a steward of the community.  There is no telling how many dollar bills he has handed out in blessing the less fortunate.  I don't think he will ever fully understand the impact he has had on my life.  


My Mom & Dad

  

I am richly blessed with parents who are "doers."  My Mom, a stroke and brain tumor survivor, can get more done in one day than the average young healthy adult.  They have taught me that it is always more fulfilling to pay it forward and to help others.  Jean Ann & Barnes having taken men who have just gotten out of jail to get clothing and toiletries, driven a man to the bus stop who was stuck in Griffin after a car wreck, cooked countless meals at the soup kitchen, passed out countless vouchers weekly at Benevolence.....and I could go on and on.  The beauty of all of the above is they don't ask for anything in return, they don't advertise their good deeds, they simply lay their heads down on their pillows at night feeling blessed for all they have been blessed with.      

This leads me to the last part of my blog......"The Tornadiacs."  I felt any great volunteer team for tornado relief deserved a name.  Shortly after the tornado hit, a website, Volunteer Network: Tornado Relief for Spalding County, popped up on Facebook.  These girls rock!  They have brought together a community and plugged in volunteers, workers and helped victims all over Griffin.  I'm amazed at them!  They led me to Jerry Gilreath on Patterson Road.  Jerry and her 3 dogs (a motley crew I might add) survived the tornado while watching her home and her belongings being sucked out around her.  In the picture below, it shows the 3 sided lean-to/barn she is currently living in which has no running water.  It is heartbreaking!  However, once one meets Jerry you quickly feel that she has been through tough times before in her life and this is just one more added to her biography and she is a survivor!  Several of us spent Saturday and Sunday out at Jerry's doing all we could to clean up the aftermath of debris.  Coleman chain sawed, Ellis loved on Jerry and Molly, Suni, Ben, Amanda, April, Chandler, Claire Ann, Leighton and I raked debris and sifted through trash looking for anything we could find to salvage for Jerry.  Her wants were simple....pictures of her daughter who had been murdered, pictures and the folded flag from her husband's funeral, a tiny box holding a cross and chain for her son from his father and 3 rings (one of which had miraculously been found).  Sadly, the salvageable items are few and far between.  Suni did find her bathtub way back in the woods.  It's a good thing Jerry didn't make it to the tub like she intended!      

Jerry's old foundation where her home once stood

Suni on her gazillionth swing of the rake

Ben, Claire Ann, Chandler & April working at Jerry's

Ellis and Molly the sweet puppy who survived

It was the most frustrating feeling to even try to know where to begin in cleaning.  As my closest friends know, I'm a much better Indian than I am a Chief and my ADD kicked in big time with all of the mass chaos around me.  I cannot imagine how Jerry must feel or all of the other victims in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.  One thing I've learned is we can all do something!  We each were blessed with different talents in helping....some cook, some clean, some write checks, some pray, some hug, some wash clothes.  Hopefully you will feel led in a direction to do something and remember the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."