I really am convinced that a great deal of crime present in today’s world is a direct result of broken families. Children need a village to raise them, but first, a strong family or parent is a must.
I am the eldest of seven children who were blessed with good parents. They were strict and corrected us when we needed it and praised us when we accomplished something of value. My father was the eldest of nine children and was raised on a farm. Although my dad was a very successful contractor, the farming life never left him.
We moved from a residential area in Speedway, Indiana, when I was in fourth grade to a small farm not far from Speedway. The acreage was quickly turned into several large plant-producing areas, which at the time I hated. My father grew and sold tomatoes and green peppers at the local produce market, picking the vegetables in the evening and delivering them to market around 5 a.m. I quickly learned how to stake, sucker, and pick and pack tomatoes as well as tend, wash, and basket peppers. Again, at the time I hated it, but it kept me and my little brother out of trouble. One lunch day, he brought home two weed wackers (they looked a little bit like a golf club with a blade at the end). Dad told us to cut the weeds down. I made the mistake of asking where, and he simply replied, “Just look around.”…