JUST THE WAY IT IS: UNCOMMON THOUGHTS FROM A COMMON MAN

Ronnie Coleman

January 29 at 11:09pm ·

Love is something you can take advantage of....You can abuse it, if you so

desire...But you cannot defeat it! ...It will rise again...From the place where it

was left to die...From the pit of bitterness...Where it  was thrown...From it's

island of exile....If you ignore it...It will wait patiently until you need it...And then

wrap itself around you, like the warmth of.

the morning son...It will comfort you

when you are hurting...Applaud you when you are undeserving...It clothes us

when we are stripped bare...Stands by us when no one else would dare...

It causes us to forgive...And reminds us we are forgiven...This love we speak

of...Is not an earthly part...But is freely given..

From the Fathers heart

 

Ronnie Coleman

February 6, 2018

He had timed it about right. He had planned to be there at first light but it had been a two hour trek through the hollers and gorges between his mountain and this one and he almost got lost once. But when he found the footbridge across the creek and the huge hickory on the other side, he knew he was on Jubal McKinney’s land. Now on the other side, the trail became even steeper. His back hurt and his calves burned but he had a job to do. He pressed on. And then in the faint light of the new morning he saw the clearing and the cabin. He sat down where the trees met the cleared land and caught his breath. Looking and listening. He could see the glow of a lantern through the only window. Jubal McKinney was known for being a hard man, even for these parts. People said he hunted and trapped on other peoples land, that he would steal your chickens, kill your livestock and butcher them right in the field. A couple of barns had mysteriously burned in the last year or so. Most folks looked at the old man. The boy sat there and thought about his older brother, Jebadiah, who was at home still healing from getting his foot caught in a steel trap. A trap that was on their land. He would have lost his foot but the Old Woman of the Mountains came and mixed up a salve out of herbs and plants. Told his mama to dress Jebadiah’s foot three times a day. Yes, the boy thought, he's going to be alright, but that trap should not have been there. The boy was only fifteen and proud his daddy had given him this job to do. And now it was time. He stepped into the clearing and walked toward the cabin." Jubal McKinney", he shouted," My pa sent me to give you something." A long minute passed, then the creaking of the cabin door. The boy took his rifle off his shoulder and put it in his right hand. The old man stepped onto the porch. The boy could see he was limping hard on his right leg. He looked at the boy. "Who are you and what do you want." I'm Tom Wilson, Elijah Wilson’s last born and my Pa sent me hear to give you something". His hand tightened around the rifle. "But first I want to ask you something." The old man said nothing. "Did you set that steel trap on our land? It almost crippled my brother." "Don’t know what you're talking about, Tom Wilson, but I'll tell you this. There's a lot of things can hurt a man in these mountains. A man has to look where he's going and pay attention to where he's at." The old mans voice lowered, "Or he might not make it back home." Silence. "Well you said your Pa sent you. Get on with it!" The boy reached in his coat and untied the rope from around his waist. A heavy bag fell to the ground. "We killed a deer yesterday, me and Pa. After supper Pa cut up a ham and some backstrap.Told Ma to put get a couple of bags of grits and corn meal. He sent me here to give it to you. We know you got the gout. The Old Woman of the Mountains told us. Ought to be enough in there to feed you and your daughter a couple of days. Maybe three." The old man said nothing. The boy took a couple of steps and placed the bag on the edge of the porch. He turned toward the clearing. "Tom Wilson." The boy stopped. "Cain't say I'd do the same for you, but tell your Ma and Pa I won't forget it." The boy smiled with his back turned. The trip back home would be much easier! Moral: Do unto others as you would have them to do unto you. It has a greater reward!