Reflections From a Country Girl

In the last months of 2008 and on into 2009 I have been involved in some eye-open experiences.  They have not just been eye-opening.  They have been mixed with a flood of emotions that range from despair to hope, to anger and to hope again.   They have been in a world where I am not accustomed to being.  

I had decided I needed to pen my thoughts about this after it was all over.  However, I have concluded this will be a very lengthy process full of ups and downs. I will begin sharing my experiences now.  Call it a series.  Call it depressing.  Call it a screwed up mess.  Call it hopeful.  Call it life.  

But for the grace of God any one of us could be there.  

 

This is a story of a simple SC man.  A country boy, if you will.  Let’s say his name is Jerry.  I want to keep his story intact without revealing his real name.  He wouldn’t care, mind you.  He wouldn’t understand why I would want to tell his story.  After all, he is a simple man.  

Jerry thrived as a youngster in upper SC.  He went to school and played baseball like you or your children probably did.  He went to public school like most of us. He had a first love, a second and a third.  He graduated from high school.  He went to technical school and studied drafting.  He started to work in construction and became a master craftsman.  

Jerry is a hard and dedicated worker.  His bosses saw his abilities as sharp.  They saw his dedication to the trade as a rarity.  After all, many of the folks he worked beside were not nearly as dedicated or skilled.   He is the kind of man everyone would want to have on their construction team.  

He goes through life with that skill as his partner.  It’s the one thing he can count on in an otherwise challenging world.  His marriage lasts through the birth and early years of a daughter.  He has an adopted son through marriage.  The love fades away and divorce was the clear choice. His skills, however, continue to grow and thrive in the workplace.  

When he thinks, and he does a great deal of that at night after work, he is angry.  Angry that he had to share a room with a grandmother growing up.  Angry that his father didn’t come to see him at his baseball ballgames because he worked 17 hour days – seven days a week. Angry that he didn’t finish that last course at school to complete his degree in drafting.  Angry that his relationships didn’t seem to work.  Angry that his family had to move near Duke University Hospital for over a year while he had several experimental eye surgeries.  Angry that he had only one kidney because the other had to be removed when he was a child.  He cursed the welfare system saying those folks were all just deadbeats and he would never, never be a part of that.  “He would always have money because he can make a good living.”  he said.  “There is plenty of work out there for people who are willing to work hard.” 

Jerry looked for comfort where he could find it.  His favorite was in the bottle.  He began to drink and, before long, he was hooked.  “ It was a family trait.” he said.  “Someone had to carry on the tradition.”  His grandmother, his father, and now – him.  He knew of the likelihood he could follow in their footsteps.  After all, the tendencies can run in a family.  

All that said, Jerry had a good job and could pay for the habit.  He didn’t let it stop him from going to work and doing a good job.  He even had enough to get some occasional “recreational” drugs – something that enhanced the effects of the alcohol.  

He found himself living a fairly decent life for a simple country boy. He had a stable job with good friends surrounding him.  He had a roof over his head, food on the table and money to get what he needed.  Life wasn’t so bad. 

So what could cause him to be “down and out in South Carolina?” 

join me next time…

 

My wish for you today is that you stop to give thanks for the many blessings you have.   

 

~ Joellen

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 25th, 2009 at 8:33:am and is filed under Conflicts, Life & Events, personal challenges. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.