Wow! What do you do about that? How did that happen?? How did you find out? It happened over time as your friend studied you, got to know you and your family, visited your home, saw your life style.. That’s another thing my mother used to tell us girls too, “Don’t let people hang around your home all the time either.” That’s what my mother used to say. She used to say, “Jeanetta, don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing.” That’s a difficult rule to live by. After all, shouldn’t we be able to trust somebody…Mae Mae would say, “Jeanetta, you just can’t trust everybody. And some of the people you trust are the ones who will ‘go behind your back’ and do you harm.” [Now, ain’t that the truth..”] That’s what my mother used to say. We called her “Mae Mae.” She was a really wise woman, wonderful mother and very intelligent too. So, let’s get back to the friend who is the enemy in disguise. Do you remember Bob Marley? “Bob Marley was due to sing at a peace rally. He believed that racism and hate could be cured through his music. Someone came to his house and shot him. He walked out on the stage two days later, singing. When asked why, he said the people who are trying to make this world worse are not taking a day off. So, why should I?” He has these enormous number of quotes: “Don’t judge someone just because they sin differently than you.” “Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I’m not perfect and I don’t live to be, but before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean.” “Don’t gain the world to lose your soul.” Your worst enemy could be your best friend and your best friend could be your worst enemy.” “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.” [Bob Marley quotes online] As I thought more on this subject of friend/enemy, I began to ask myself, “How is it that you help a person come up, nurture that person, help them come up [so called] and then the person does something really clandestine?” So, as I thought more two words came to my mind: covetous and jealousy. Just to let you know, covetousness and jealousy are close relatives. A person who is covetous wants what you have, not just admires what you have, but actually wants what you have. Covetousness has an inherently jealous component, which could be deadly detrimental if the person doesn’t put it in check.
Teach the children.
Jeanette Grattan Parker, Ph.D., Superintendent Today’s Fresh Start Charter School; author, speaker, All rights reserved copyright: Will You Marry Me; Inquiring Minds Want to Know. [email protected]
