Candy Was Just A Penny Back Then. 2/15/2019 Good Morning World!

Good Morning World,

Friday already. I hear another cold spell might be in store for our region this weekend. I am headed off to physical therapy  with a cup of Door County Jamaican Me Crazy in my hand. It sure tastes good today.

When I was a little kid large chain grocery stores had not really arrived on the scene. Most grocery stores were small Mom and Pop places located on a corner within the neighborhood. It was amazing how much and how high they owners could stack items on shelves. Isles were crammed and two grocery carts could not pass each other without yielding a right of way. I used to do the shopping each Saturday with my Dad. At the one and only check out lane was a rack filled with candy. It was sold for a penny each. Some of the candy was sold "two for a penny".  My dad would let me pick out two pieces for myself and then two for my sister. That was a real treat for us. Those are good memories. But it wasn't the candy that was the treat. It was spending time with my dad, learning how to tell a good piece of beef from a bad one, adding the dollars to know how much we were spending, and then watching as he paid the bill. I always wondered why he paid more for the groceries than what we purchased. I asked him one day. "Dad if we bought $15 worth of groceries how come they charged us $22?" He replied "because we owed $7 more." Dad explained that during the week if we needed something and my mother sent me to the store (which was safe to do back then) and they gave it to me, they gave it to me on credit. It never dawned on me that I left the store without paying. But Dad explained that it was very important to go in each Saturday and pay our bill. "Good credit is important to have as well as a good name."

That has always stuck with me. It is a lesson that we can all learn from yet today and it certainly is a Biblical practice that is best to adhere to.

Romans 13:8         
Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Psalm 37:21                    
The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives;

I have learned a lot from my Dad. I do remember the candy, but I remember the life lessons on money and how to enjoy a good cut of beef! Pay our bills on time and have a good name.

God bless,
Marty