Words of Wisdom from Paul Harvey

“Paul Harvey has been bringing interesting information to us over the radio waves for many, many years. His words of wisdom often help us find comfort when we’re down. . .his stories make us laugh . . .and sometimes cry. But tonight, we share a story from Paul Harvey that takes us back to “The Old Days” when life was much simpler and people took time to take care of each other, teach children, and be people of character. The era of high tech, more parents working, more single parent families, and lots of other societal pressures have caused us to move away from the simple things of life. . .away from the things that make us appreciate what we have. Listen as we share with you the vision of Paul Harvey and what he wishes for this generation.

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.

For my grandchildren, I’d like better.

I’d really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by
being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog
put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it’s all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he’s scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you’ll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don’t ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won’t be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy/girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don’t care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don’t like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor’s window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it’s the only way to appreciate life.

Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I’m here for you. And if I die before you do, I’ll go to heaven and wait for you.

Paul Harvey closed his comments with a riddle. . .see if you can answer it.
What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich
need it, And if you eat it, you’ll die?
The answer is “Nothing”.

We share this message from Paul Harvey with you in hopes that you will stop and take time to appreciate the small things in life. Don’t get so caught up in the busy-ness of the day that you don’t take time to tell your parents that you love them. . .that you don’t take time to enjoy just being in the moment. . . that you look back on your life and feel like you’ve flown through it so fast that you feel like your accomplishments amount to “nothing.” You are a wonderful, creative, and innovative generation! Learn from the past, live in the present, and apply your knowledge to be a success in the future. “