LIFESTYLES
THIS IS YOUR LIFE By Del Mattioli IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE!
Does anyone remember when wood stoves were the heating source for the family, the black kettle pots outside over a fire to heat water for a weekly bath, the ice block in a closed container that prevented food spoilage, the chance to work in the hot sun all day with fully covered bodies to stay cool? No one complained. It was all about Love! When the family dinners were prepared—everyone ate at the same time. Love prevailed and everyone was so happy to just be together. Have you ever heard of Brogans shoes, white sailor shoes, tennis—converse shoes, dresses made of used sacks, everyone sitting around the fire trimming & sewing small squares of cloth together to make quilts, shelling butter beans, peeling peaches & apples to can for the winter? Grocery stores, fast food joints weren’t available. Neighbors shared their crops. Prescriptions were unavailable. People seemed healthy and felt Loved. Eggs were gathered each morning from the hens and milk from the cows provided good nutrition. Sharing was so common. Neighborly Love! I was told by a lady recently how her dad would gather old tires cut up in small pieces with his pocket knife to burn in the wood stove for warmth. The mother/wife helped white families just to barter for food to feed their 15 children. The jobs available were mostly farming ones but this is the positive side of this story—each child grew up to break the poverty cycle and took care of their parents during their old age. Will their children do the same for them? Maybe not—since they are all spread out and can only visit occasionally. Love still prevails when they send funds to their parents. Where has this type of family love gone? Today some parents are left alone without food, shelter and can hardly make ends meet. Poor families had “family values which didn’t cost money”. Families took care of their parents, grandparents, cousins, friends, and anyone in need. If you are reading this and you are over 50 -- do you really think that your kinfolk and the new generation will care about you and maintain the family values that you now have? Those days seem to be over! Where is the love? Are we spoiling our kids? Do we really love them or are we satisfying their “wants” Some parents have feelings of guilt and give their children things they didn’t have which can cause laziness. Spoiling breeds depression, low self esteem, ADD, obesity, bossy behavior, selfishness and ungratefulness. These characteristics are passed on to future generations. Is this true love? WE have a serious problem. It is all about Love! Where is the Love? WE must help our children NOT to resort to guns & violence to rid their issues. Love is a feeling. Being ready to shoot to solve a problem is not the answer.
Del Mattioli
Del Mattioli MBA, LUTCF, CLUTCH, CSA—Financial Services Professional/ LifeBridgesmMassMutual’s FREE LIFE INSURANCE /FOR ELIGIBLE PARENTS 919 401 9988 www.massmutual.com/lifebridge, dmattioli@financialguide.com Telephone 919 201 2404 email delmattioli@gmail.com
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www.spectacularmag.com | January 2015 | SPECTACULAR MAGAZINE
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