Sitting on Top of the World 11/11/21
My mother taught us about having our own business and being self-employed. She was not that well educated but, somehow, learned the principles of self-employment. She would say, “If you got a dollar or a penny that’s yours in your pocket, you are sitting on top of the world.” It’s good to have a job with a salary, but it’s better to have a business of your own. And by the way, if you’ve got both, you can be sitting on top of the world. My Father had the ideal - a home, a business, and a job. What I learned from my father’s business ventures was you can have it all. He had less education than my mother, but fate took care to provide for his family through the multiple streams of income. At one time when daddy wanted to start his own brick and motor business, the boss on his job went to the landlord at the location my dad wanted to rent and convinced the landlord to raise the rent to an unaffordable amount. My dad’s dream of opening his own automobile detail shop was derailed. But my dad wasn’t giving up so easily. He took over our family garage as his home-based business. Then he had business from his shop and a salary from the job. Also mama had her store, and I had my barber shop next door to her second hand store. We were all sitting pretty. My parents were married over fifty-one years before Daddy passed. We lived in a big house on a corner of a block that housed a black doctor and a black dentist in the mid-’50s. We went to a little Holiness Church on O Street, where we learned the power of prayer and the theme of sharing and helping others. Mama was a Missionary and Daddy was a Deacon. My sister sang, and my brother and I dodged the Evangelists during the annual revival, but we finally came along and joined the church. As a note, the church was and is a source for customers. I have followed the pattern set by my father in my youth and have rented business spaces to people for housing and businesses such as a Barber Shop, a Beauty Salon, a Birthing Salon, and a gift shop and coffee shop. My father paid off our home and vehicle before he passed to give my Mama a secure future. I have done likewise. I can only say, “What A Man.” I plan to continue to follow the pattern he set. Ruthie and I were married in O Street Church, and we have made it to fifty-nine years, and still counting. I guess I could say our family is sitting on top of the world. Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! |
|