Little Pebble Big Ripple

Spring is so inspiring. So many changes on the horizon. So many motivating factors for change. Alas the many motivated people at the beginning of Spring- Or so it seems. It starts with Spring cleaning, a purge of all the excess accumulated throughout the winter months. there is get ready to wear your swimsuit exercise and diet go time- once again getting rid of the excess from the winter months. The children are winding down from the school year- The older ones looking into which Summer jobs and plans are most advantageous to their 'future'. Whether it be in combination with their future academic schedules, their social schedules, or their collegiate interviews to come- these decisions as which route to take don't come easily. Spring Training for Sports. Trying to decide which team to devote your time (and mom and dads money) to. Mom and Dad trying to coordinate their schedules to spend the most time together as a family- Make the most of the time allotted for Memory making... When I lay it out ike this it sounds so exhausting...
But don't you just love Spring?
Over Spring Break the kids and I took a trip out to Lufkin Texas. Doug was working a contract weekend job there and we wanted go have dinner with him. Haven't heard of Lufkin you say? There really is no reason to hear of Lufkin. It is about 20 miles South of Nacogdoches, close to the Louisiana border. Tiny little town. Not a cultural Mecca calling anyone's name. Not an academic Utopia. Not a lot to it.
The drive there was breath taking! It was like we were in a different state. Forests, every shade of green, color all around. Hills and Horses. There were flowers and beauty all around. Dont get me wrong, I think Austin Hill Country is a sight to be seen in Texas, l but there is something about getting a little further off the path most traveled that allures me. There were enormous Mansions neighboring Tiny Shacks. Antique stores, Mom and Pop produce shops..o yes and it is Texas, so every 30 miles or so there was a Walmart for all your fashion essentials. God Bless Miley Cyrus fashion inspirations. We drove through a few ghost towns. It reminded me of the movie Cars. I wondered what wonderful places that those towns probably were at some point of time. Looking at the buildings- thinking at some point of time those businesses were people dreams, their futures that most likely entailed some serious sacrifice. All the abandoned buildings in the downtown area, all the broken windows in between the beautiful columns, It was really quite sad. So much wasted. I wondered if these peoples dreams were fulfilled? Why did this town fail? What happened?
Wouldn't it be great if everyone saw the beauty of these towns. Their potential. People could farm and trade. Become self sufficient. Help and teach each other. O wait, I guess that is only done in places where perverse men marry multiple little girls and have oodles of children all in the name of their God- Too bad- I could see their potential. With so many towns like that why dont we pour money into rebuilding them for welfare reasons-Have people pay back their (private) student loans by working for a year or two in town being rebuilt- fix the houses- Have the people farm or choose a trade to barter pay back their loans. Education/vocational training must be criteria to live there. Wouldn't it be great for people to learn the value of their dreams and education and the power of service for our fellow men...
Spring- I realized once again how much we as Americans discard as excess- The saying one mans trash another's treasure- Maybe these Ghost towns can be someones treasure...