Be selective when choosing a pattern for life

During the time that I was growing up ? mostly in the 1940s ? Dad owned two horses, one cow, a flock of chickens and a hog or two. From time to time there were other creatures to come our way. Most of the time we had a dog or two. We also had a goat, although not long because a goat won?t stay where you want it. And we have had ducks and geese.

With this many farm animals around, feed had to be brought. Table scraps were plentiful at our house, but still there weren?t enough to feed all those animals, so the ?store with the checkerboard? came into play. I don?t remember if there were other feed stores around at that time or not, but I remember riding down to Depot Bottom to the Purina store with Dad or some of my brothers to pick up feed and/or baby chicks. Visits to the Purina store wasn?t frequent, because feed trucks came by the house and dropped off bags of feed every so often. If the boys didn?t take the feed to the barn, they got ?what for? when Dad got home.

Back then feed, as well as flour and maybe meal, came in cotton print bags. When emptied, Mom would go to town to a ?five and dime? store on Main Street, to buy a pattern. When she got the pattern home, she?d spread the material out on a table, lay the pattern down on the material, and cut pieces of a garment out, then sew them together. It could have been a ?new? dress for herself, a shirt for Dad or one of her boys. You can be sure it was made with the love that only a mother could give.

In thinking of a pattern. You can make as many things as you want to with one pattern. A shirt, a house, yes, even a life. I remember my sister moved into an area near Chattanooga that every other house was almost the same. When these houses were built, two patterns were followed. In life each one of us should choose a pattern to follow. Choosing the right pattern might be the tricky part. Have you ever wanted to be like someone else? Follow the pattern! Have you ever not wanted to be like someone else? Don?t follow the pattern!

Simple when you really think about it. The pattern we choose to follow will continue to mold our lives.

All of the television commercials push for a better quality of life. Whatever product that is being advertised, is the one that can bring a better quality of life.

Commercialization of happiness doesn?t bring true happiness.

True happiness can only be had by following a pattern that has a good character. Not because we think it is good, or say that it is good. Our opinion about ourselves isn?t worth much. But if we can follow a pattern worthy of following, then all of our other goals would be secondary.