25
May 2002
Subject:
Clean Your Plate
Dear
Ones,
A great big hello to you on this Saturday morning. Hope this finds one and all healthy and happy. As you proceed on this day, don't forget to take another marble out of the jar.
Recently, we were talking to a friend about how hard it is in today's world to raise kids with one's own values especially with all the influences bombarding them from outside the family. I mentioned to our friend that all we could do was to "give them roots and, then, give them wings".... and pray that most of what we tried to teach them took root.
I then told our friend a little story about how our son, Christian, once reminded us that some of our teachings do, in fact, sink in.
When Christian was attending college at LSU, he would always bring some of his friends home for a weekend visit with us on the farm. This particular Saturday morning, it was several of his track teammates who joined us around the breakfast table. Leavon had prepared a traditional "lumberjack" breakfast for all the guys, which consisted of biscuits, eggs to order, grits, bacon, ham and other such "fixings".
I noticed that all the guys were "making haste" with their breakfast meal, but I was especially drawn to the Swedish kid, named Magnus, who had taken to this Southern country cooking like it was something with which he was quite familiar.
I said, "Magnus, I see you ate all your grits. Being that you are from Sweden and may not had tasted them before, did you like Mrs. Ladner's grits?" He answered, "Well, not really, Mr. Ladner, but Christian told me before I came here that you have to clean your plate'."
I
chuckled and told Magnus, "Yes, that's the rule at our house.... 'Take all
you want, but eat all you take'.... 'Clean your plate'. I guess Christian
learned something from us, after all."
Christian, with his mouth full of grits, nodded his head in approval.
Have a GREAT day!! Give thanks for the daily bread you receive and don't forget to "clean your plate".
Don
