“IF IT’S TO BE, IT’S UP TO ME”
Last night, I was out demolishing the jungle
in front of my home. A few years ago, it was
landscaping and flowers. Until last night, it
was a jumble of weeds, over five feet high in a
few places. I could not stand the mess, so I
decided to just start pulling. I discovered some
coral bells, peonies, and a beautiful lime green
ground cover, name forgotten by now. I kept
telling myself that I had good reason to ignore
it: death of husband, broken wrist, family in
other places. The list went on and on.
Then I remembered other tasks that had been accomplished in former years for
the reason, “I wanted it, no money or help, so it’s up to me!” The stairway was
a mess from children’s hands. I covered it with a bright wall paper and it was
beautiful! I did wait until Carl and my family were gone for a day, so there
would be no one to say, “You can’t do that!”
Another time, I wanted shelves in the laundry room. So I found some boards
and dug out my husband’s power saw. I finished my shelves before Carl came home.
He did buy a smaller saw just for me, showed me how to use a level and gave a
safety lesson. The last example is when I wanted a room painted. I am a slob
when it comes to painting, and the fact that it had to be done “now” didn’t
help. My youngest child was watching, and re-marked, “My Daddy won’t like this.”
But by the time Daddy got home, only a few smudges remained on the floor.
I am not the only person with the feeling of “I’ll do it myself!”
The first kindergarten in the county was organized because we wanted it for
our children. We didn’t know about grants, so it was very low expense and lots
of volunteer labor. Joy Sugg and Edna Jarvis were the instructors and it was
held in the social room of First Baptist Church. The committee was Joanne Perry,
Betty Haynes, Ellen Rodriguez and myself. The kindergarten flourished for
several years, and then public kindergartens filled the need.
Civic Club members wanted a supervised summer playground for area children,
so the school board allowed them to use the school playground and the club
financed the program with volunteers and lots of imagination.
The swimming pool was another project. The Jr. Women’s Club raised a
specified amount of money, matched by a local citizen, and the property was
donated by another citizen. People wanted it enough that they jumped in and
supported the project.
This is still being done in our county today. The Ox Roast, Molasses
Festival, Wood Festival, horse shows, farmer’s market, and Heritage Village are
only part of an endless list.
I just heard of two local citizens who worked several days in front of the
old high school, getting rid of weeds, cleaning the sand and cinders from the
street, digging drainage ditches to empty pot holes, and then filling the holes.
Calhoun Pride and the willingness to “Do it myself” with God’s guidance will
help us to keep our county on the map.