Money, Money, Money!

Hello, everyone.

There is a new topic this morning, well new for this round of blogging, at any rate.

Lived way below the poverty level
Lived with just enough
Lived with a plenty
Lived with the Lord whether
The going was smooth or rough.

Lived below the poverty level
On cornbread, fatback, and dried  beans
Rice was a standard staple
As was, when in season, collard greens.

Food was bought by the week
And whatever was on sale
Made up the extra fare for the week
Sometimes hominy, sometimes grits
But always plenty to eat.

"Gonna" be somebody," was my inner cry
And kept praying to Jesus
To allow it to come by.

We learned how to make a decent mess of meal mush, how to eat fatback and rice when food was plentiful and rice and eggs when it was somewhat scarce.  Eating the rice with gravy, when nothing
else was available, was a common practice for the family. As for the evening meal, deciding which kind of dried beans to cook for the day was standard procedure, pinto, northern or blackeyed peas. (The charcoal bucket and the some of the rest of the days of penury can be read about in my new book, W.O.W. created w.o.w.)

The poem above is based upon my life, and I am sure that some of you had difficulties growing up in poverty that makes my story pale in comparison. The simple fact is that no matter what situation you were reared in or exist in now, you must continue with one constant, "prayer." That has been my sustaining power, when I was close to the Lord and when, like Job, I could not find Him. I was like a tenacious little bulldog; I kept holding on to my faith. Sometimes the tight grip that I had on my faith would cause damage to the teeth of hope that I held it with. I didn't let go, though. I kept my grip. I gripped it so hard that I thought that the end had come for me and I was preparing to see what was on the other side. I determined within myself, "Even if the Lord does not help me, it doesn't mean that He can't." Just like the bulldog that I told you about though my once gigantic faith had been whittled down to the size of an acorn, I determined to carry that acorn to the other shore and see what awaited me there. Yes, folks, I have been tried by the fire, but I didn't give up! I gave everything over to the Lord and waited minute by minute to see what He was going to do, if anything. I determined that if He didn't help by making my enemies be at peace with me, what could I do; He was/is God. That's what I mean when I say, I have been taught how to lean on Him. Meet me back here on tomorrow for Part 2 of Money, Money, Money!

Doing What I Can While I Can
Alma Jones