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                It is getting to that time of the year when we start thinking about Christmas being right around the corner and approaching fast. We try to come up with some idea of what to give and what to cook that day so that family togetherness can be that blessing so needed in today’s world. But did you know that there are those families out there in this great city that started thinking about Christmas for this year right after New Year’s Day. One such family is the Wyant family who for many years has given of themselves so that others might have that day of enjoyment and Christmas cheer. . Mike Wyant and his wife Nancy and all their family including all those brothers and sisters that both families came from take it upon themselves to be Santa’s helpers in order that they might be able to bring that little smile from the faces of the children and of their parents. Mike and his brother Ralph have stood in the streets during cold rainy, sleety days, and snow up to the knees to collect money from the cars as they go by. They never press anyone to give because they know that coming from a large family, sometimes there just isn’t any money to give. But you will never see a frown on their faces because they know that deep down all people have a lot of good in them. I have known Mike for over 48 years and I know him to be that little teddy bear that everyone wants to touch and hug. He, like his wife and like his brothers, has a heart of gold and God has sort of given him the job of spreading that heart over the entire city of Kokomo. You would think that he would eventually run out of good deeds to do but far from it because in his heart he knows that someone out there would not have a good Christmas without help from someone and that someone is part of that wonderful family of Angels called the Wyant family.

               Mike and his family have WE Care Park up in the north end of town, and they along with the neighborhood try to decorate that end of town so that come Thanksgiving evening, the park and that neighborhood is lit up with thousands of lights and lots of displays, and is open to the public to come and see them. They don’t press you for donations but if you do give you will get a big smile and a thank you for being a part of their help to We Care. This next Thanksgiving after you have filled your tummies with all those goodies cooked by that Angel in your family, let the dishes sit for a while and take that time to visit a display of love for all fellow men put together by the Wyant family. I know that if you are there before the lights go on, when they do throw the switch, you will be amazed at the beautiful display, as the lights bring joy and feelings of cheer to your hearts, and you will be that much better for it. Take it from me folks, this family has Kokomo in their hearts and they show it by all the hard work they do in all kinds of weather, in order to make WE CARE PARK the finest in lighting and the best in family brotherhood.

             My life has been that much richer in knowing the Wyant families and I know that you will feel the same way come Thanksgiving evening when WE CARE PARK is lit up in all it’s glory for you and for me and for all the children in this fine city of Kokomo, Indiana to visit and enjoy. So with the Wyant family Christmas isn’t just a one-day happening. God has given that family the gift of good will and they have used it to make this world a better place. They are a large part of the WE CARE program that was started by two announcers on our WWKI radio station many years ago and the legacy has gone on to be a part of everyone’s life at Christmas time. The gifts of donations, an auction, and many wonderful volunteers make the families who otherwise would not have a Merry Christmas a little happier and the city of Kokomo is better because of it. Mike Wyant and his loving family are part of a glorious plan which is to try and help those in need. Every year it seems to be larger , because of the generosity of that family and the residents of this great city. And if you want to have some good fun, there are always something going on in WE CARE PARK. There are singers there several times around this time of the year and there even has been weddings performed there. A web site about it is at www.geocities.com/mnwyant and the park has been mentioned on the television shows. Take time to check out WE CARE PARK and see what gift has been given to that wonderful Wyant family. You will be amazed and you will feel joy in your heart.
 
 

        Maybe next time I will use a little common sense and wait another day to walk out in the mud. At least I enlightened her day with her knowing that this old man wasn’t really too smart after all. And that brings me to think about all the times when we will do something that really didn’t help any at all. We will pass the car in front of us only to have to stop at the light and who is in the other lane passing you. Yes it was that car you just went around. You hurry to get to that eating place only to have to wait in line to get seated. The same goes for work in that the people will cause havoc on the road so that they can sit in the parking lot at the factories. And what about trying to figure out what to wear to a funeral. We all want to look our best even though we are not the main person in the room. We are all vain in some way or another, and that sometimes is good. But we overdo it sometimes, and that is not good. We should do what we want without worrying what others think. Of course, make sure that it is not against the law nor against the will of our Lord.

        Many times we think bad but our soul and our faith will over-ride that emotion. I know that my life has not been one without sin and The Great Father has forgiven me , but you have to be on your toes all your life if you want to remain without sin. Just recently we lost a great man, our 40th president, who lived his life one day at a time and he kept his faith through some terrible times. I truly believe that he is Home now. And the way that this country paid tribute to his life was one of proud Americans who respected him and the way he lived. President Reagan rode out into the sunset, not on his horse but on the hearts of all those who knew him. His passing, I think ,brought a lot of people together that normally are at odds with each other. And who can not love that little woman named Nancy who for ten years took care of her man during his bout with Alzheimer’s disease. To the very end she served her love for the man she called Ronnie. My heart goes out to her and also my thanks go out to her for the way she kept her vows for her beloved. If there was ever a love story to be told, it was the one that she and Ronnie had. Whenever you saw the old tapes of both of them, you could see her looking into the eyes of her love with adoration and respect. We here in America were witness to what God wants of two people in love. Till death do us part.

I took a look the other day to see how many columns I have written for this newspaper. As of May 9, 2004, I have had 199 columns printed in a little over a four-and half years span, and yet the full story of my life in the days of old has yet to be finished. It is amazing to this old man, just how much I remember about my life and all the things told to me through the years from those who lived further back in time. Things have changed through those wonderful years with our means of transportation, entertainment, the food we eat, and the many wars, which leads me to make the following statement.

We find those people who are always trying to find that easier and better way of making something happen. The price of goods that we need are going up and up, with the top not in sight. Everything costs more these days because we find ourselves dependent upon another country because of the oil resources. It seems that we can’t get by on our own, even though we have the oil here in our country. So having grown up when things were not too plentiful, I think that we need to step back and once again look at the full picture, and realize that we don’t need those oil countries that through the years have had us on our knees with their on and off again production of oil. It is time to say goodbye to all those countries that have milked us dry, and tell them that we want to be paid all the money that is owed to us. For years we have supported many countries that without our help would otherwise die from hunger. It is time for us to tell the United Nations that we are through trying to buy our freedom. It is time for our leaders to give an ultimatum to those countries that breed hate for the Americans, that we are not going to stand still for them to continue to spill their hate for our country.

I am AMERICAN proud and I support my president, and his stand against terrorism, because he is our elected leader . But it is time my president, to bring our soldiers home . Let those who hate us so much, lose their freedom once again to the people who wait in the background ready to take over once we leave. We tried to give them peace and they have showed us that they don’t appreciate anything we do for them. What we need to do as a country of peace is to pull our troops out of those places that don’t want us there and once you have them home, you station the soldiers all around our borders and we say that we are not going to continue to buy our freedom because if you step foot anywhere along those borders , then the risk is yours. I, like many others ,want to remain free and we can’t protect that freedom if we are over in another country trying to protect theirs. I ,like all the others ,am a true American, and it is time to say to the world that we are not going to be the pillow for the world so that they can sleep in peace, while we are fighting so that they can.

We ,as the American people, are made up of many different ethnic groups, but we are Americans who through the years have tried to live in peace with the rest of the world. It is time Mr. President ,to pull the troops from those places who care less about us. We are not two parties ready to take the other one out. We are or we should be united in wanting peace in the world but not by sacrificing our soldiers. I must say right here that our fighting among ourselves just so we can be the governing body, does not send the right signals to our troops over there. To bash our president in a time of war is to bash our troops who are trying to do their job over there. To change our leaders in a time of war is to tell the rest of the world that they are right and we were wrong. To continue to allow terrorists to dictate our life would be the same as saying that we are afraid of them. We need to back our leaders in their decisions , but we also need to tell them that it is time to bring the soldiers home. So what if we lose face in backing away. We have been the patsy too long now and we don’t need to add to it. Things are not too holy in the holy cities now. This is my opinion, not necessarily that of anyone else.
 
 

Kokomo is the home of many inventions, and thus is known as "The City Of Firsts".In 1893, Elwood Haynes purchased a one-horsepower upright two-cycle engine, that used gasoline as fuel.He hired Elmer and Edgar Apperson to build a "horseless carriage" in their Kokomo Machine Shop. On July 4, 1894, Mr Haynes made the first trial run. He first used a horse and buggy to pull the car out into the country on Pumpkinvine Pike, three miles east of the city. He then drove his car about six miles, at about seven miles an hour, making a successful run. He never sold that car, but instead gave it to the Smithsonian Institute, in Washington. He also joined up with the Apperson Brothers, and formed the Haynes-Apperson Automobile Company, and started production of the automobile. This started others to form factories all over the state, and so Indiana has had 256 different makes of cars built in our state.

    He also invented the first stainless steel, and the first Stellite Cobalt-base Alloy, which is used today for blading the small turbines, which power the fuel pumps in liquid-propelled missiles, such as the Atlas rockets.

    In 1923 Mr. Haynes ' company was producing 40 cars per day. He passed away in 1925, at the age of 67, and as a tribute to him, all business was suspended for one hour , during his funeral. He was a very successful  man with all his achievements, and he was respected and loved by all who knew him. If you visit Kokomo, take time to visit the Elwood Haynes Museum, at 1915 South Webster Street, You will enjoy the many rooms dedicated to this great inventor. 

Many other inventions were made first in Kokomo, and are as follows.

In 1894, The First Pneumatic Rubber Tire,invented by D. C. Spraker, at The Kokomo Rubber Tire Co. It was made of strips of three-ply rubber, canvas, and other wrappings of vulcanized rubber, wound around a slender pole. 

In 1895, The First Aluminum Casting, made at the Ford and Donnelly Foundry, by William "Billy" Johnson. 

In 1902,The First Carburetor,developed by George Kingston. It was made from a piece of brass pipe, six inches long, with a cap fitted to one side, in which a float and wire guage regulated the flow of fuel. 

In 1906,The First Stellite Cobalt-base Alloy, discovered by Elwood Haynes, while searching for a metal to be used in producing tableware. 

In 1912 ,The First Stainless Steel,invented by Elwood Haynes to develope a tarnish-free dinnerware. 

In 1918, The First Howitzer Shell, made by the Superior Machine Tool Co. It was first used in World War I.

In 1918, The First Aerial Bomb with Fins,. produced by the Liberty Pressed Metal Co. 

In 1920, The First Mechanical Corn Picker, developed by John Powell. 

In 1926, Dirilyte Golden Hued Tableware, invented by Carl Molin. 

In 1928, The First Canned Tomato Juice, developed by Walter Kemp of the Kemp Brothers Canning Co. at the request of a physician, who was seeking baby food for use in his clinic. 

In 1938, The First Push-button Car Radio,developed at Delco Radio Division of General Motors Corp. 

In 1941, All Metal Life Boats and Rafts,Manufactured by Globe American Stove Co. The lifeboat in 1941, and the life raft in 1943, nicknamed the "Kokomo Kid". 

In 1947, The First Signal Seeking Car Radio,developed at Delco Radio Division of General Motors. 

In 1957, The First All Transistor Car Radio, developed at Delco Radio Division of General Motors. 

Kokomo also has several landmarks that are great to see and visit. When you drive to the south end of Kokomo, you will see the Kokomo Gas & Fuel Co. storage tower, that can be seen from several miles away, day or night.

On south Webster Street, you will find the Elwood Haynes Museum. It has many sights to see about the first horseless carriage.

On west Sycamore Street, you will find the Sieberling Mansion, which is now the Howard County Musuem and Historical Society.

On the corner of Walnut and Washington streets,you will find the former city building, which in my own opinion,is one of the best ones that are still standing.

Mr. Foster also gave forty acres to be the site for the county seat. He was a great friend to the Indians, and often invited them in to stay over night. His portrait can be seen on the door of the courthouse. He and his wife had eleven children, one of which was the first white child born here.

Also I have to say that there is a man and his family who do a lot for Kokomo's community, in that they take thier time in the fall, to decorate the "WE CARE PARK" in the north end of Kokomo. This year they had over 750,000 lights strung up, so that those who came to see them, might feel the desire to donate to "WE CARE". This man is named Mike Wyant, who with his brothers and friends, make the Christmas season much more enjoyable.

Kokomo also was the home of Kokomo Steel and Wire, later known as Continental Steel, which produced the first color-coded wire, and was famous for many different steel items such as nails, rebar rods,and chain-link fence.

Kokomo, Indiana can be seen as you come north from Indy on U.S.31, where you well observe the "Gas Tower" on the south part of the city. It can be seen on a clear day from a long distance, Here is what you will see. On Sunday Morning, September 7, 2003, the tower that most of us knew as a big part of the Kokomo Community, became only a memory, as it was imploded with precision explosive action, coming to the ground to be cleaned up and , never to be seen again. What took workers who built that tower, 13 months , to construct, only took a few hours to set off and take away a memory so dear to many who lived here and for many who used it as a travel direction. I really thought that there would be some way to save it as did about half of the people who lived here. But the so- called expense of it being there and maintained, dictated the tearing down of it. When it was standing there for whole city to see, it covered 36,855 square feet of land. It was 378.5 feet tall, and the inside of it could hold 12 million cubic feet of gas. At the top of that tower, was the home of a pair of Peregrine Falcons. From the bottom to the top, there were 550 steps. It was built in 1954, painted in 1955, again in 1972, and painted for the last time in 1985. There were 22 sides to the tower. It took 2,000 gallons of paint to cover it. The Gas Tower was at one time used as a navigational reference point for aircraft when Grissom Air Force base was used.

I get a lot of e-mail, letters and visits from my readers after each of my columns are published in this newspaper and it really gets my heart to feel better knowing that you like my column. It seems like whenever I get up on the soapbox and I single out a situation that effects us all, I get a lot of positive feedback from you letting me know that you either agree or dis-agree with my stand on the subject. So as time goes by, you will read some of my thoughts about what is going on in this small place called earth, and what I think is right or wrong with it. But I must tell you that what I write is of my opinion only and not to be the opinion of this paper nor that of any group or individual.

So let us drift back into the time of turmoil when the great depression had fallen upon us. Not too many had anything more than the clothes on thier backs and just enough food to keep from dying of hunger. There was the scarlet fever scare which fell upon myself and my two older brothers. That left a mark in all three of us, and I am the only one of the three left. Tyfoid fever was a dangerous sickness in which there were many deaths.TB was another problem. There was a deficit of sugar, coffee, and a lot of other foods that we today take for granted. We needed all the surplus of paper, steel and rubber for our armed forces to use.We were issued rationing stamps so that each of the homes had the neccessary things to survive. We had blackouts every once in a while to prepare us for that possible invasion by the enemy. And we had curfews to make sure that the families in each home were secure and that the children were now under the watchful eye on the parents.

There is an old saying that some families didn't have a pot to pee in, and that was true. Many homes had only the small plumbing so that they had running water to drink and bathe in. As far as toilet facilities, there was that little building out back that you used for the disgarding of the waste from the body. For most this was a one occupant building but some homes had a two holer and some had a three holer. Needless to say that you didn't stay in there any longer that neccessary due to the aroma of the waste. We had just enough plumbing to be able to have an inside toilet, and with all the kids in our family you were only in there long enough to do the job and get out. We did not have a furnace to heat with and we didn't have heat in each room. One coal stove was the source of the heat, and if you got too close to it you were too warm. Electric cords of anything used were plugged into a light socket hanging from the ceiling, and the radio was the source used to bring in the shows of the era.

So, we today holler about having to give something up once in a while so that others might be able to share in the goodies of today. Think about what our parents , grandparents and all the others before them gave up to improve the quality of living from thier time to today. Think about what it might be today if the ones before us decided to let the enemy take us over. Do we have it good today? We sure do and if we are to continue to have it so good, we must be able to build for the future. In today's world, we live knowing that out there there is someone who wants to take us down. But also we know that in order that our youngsters might continue to live in a free country, we must stand up to them and tell them that our forefathers wanted us to be free and if it takes some muscle to do it, so be it. And we must continue to operate with the Grace Of God with what our forefathers designed in our money and our public buildings as well as our schools. In God We Trust, The Ten Commandments, and the Pledge Of Allegience should co-inside with our governing body. Together we will prevail. But separated, we fall prey to the enemy. May America always stay free. So to end this week's column, I ask for peace for everyone. See you next week.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

This week, I am going to climb up on my soapbox and give some views that need to be addressed.You know what? I don't know how many times I have stated that I was going to say something about the national holidays, and then didn't. But today is the day that I get it out of my system, and let everyone know about it. When I was in school, we were taught that there were certain dates on which something in history happened, and that they were to be remembered. Those dates through the years were part of the history of this great nation and thus were given holiday status. That way those dates were something special and should be treated as such. Most of the time, those holidays have stayed intact , but there are many which are honored on a Monday, so that the workers can have an extra day off. My feeling is that when you change the date of a holiday so that it is a convienence for business or the worker, you are saying the holiday is not that important. All those important dates that we were taught in school should still be important enough that we observe them on that particular date. Now to get to another thing about holidays, how many times are we going to allow our elected officials to come up with a day for this and a day for that? Did you know we have people in congress who are supposed to be doing thier jobs, but who are continualy bringing up a new day for someone or something? And there is a panel there that is supposed to stop that sort of nonsense, but guess what ; the people on one group are the same people on the other group. Talk about wasting the taxpayers money. And here is another thing to think about. It used to be that Sunday was a day of worship with no stores open, and the only thing open was maybe the movie houses and a place to get a coke or a sandwich. Now everyone stays open on Sundays and if you look long enough you will find a tavern open even though it is supposed to be closed. There are places where you can go and play peek-a-boo at certain clubhouses. And there is gambling going on all the time. Where did the meaning of Sunday go? Now you are asking what business is it of mine and my answer to that is you are right because it isn't none of my business. I am just stating the fact that things have changed for the worst and someday, I would like to see us go back to the blue law and enjoy Sunday as a day of worship and/or rest for all. Maybe I am old fashion, but the things that I lived with all these years have gone the way of the outhouse. I know that we have to have progress but do we have to sacrafice all the honor in order to have it? As to our police chief position,we should fill from within. I have been friends with a lot of our policemen and women, and I know that they do the best job they can to protect us, and many times the stress they recieve goes home with them. To bring an outsider in would be a slap in the face of those good protectors who we have there now. Take a look sometime at all the work they have and tell me they aren't doing thier job. They do it well and I thank them for it. Think what it would be without that protection. I might not agree sometimes with a method but I do agree with the results. Now one more thing and I will get down off my soapbox and let it rest. I am sick and tired of hearing that there are those out there that hate Americans, and wants them to perish. It is time that the rest of the world realizes that we are peace loving people but don't back us up into a corner because that is where the rest of the world will get bit. It is time that others learn that we live here because we are free and we are God's people. Enough for this week. Visit with you next week.E-mail me at arermdrd@netusa1.net

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

I guess that when you really think about it, this isn't a bad place to live and raise your children. Kokomo has been a part of my whole life, since the day I was born, and I really can't think of ever moving away. What does any other place have for me that I can't get here? When you look at it from  it's location on the map and you sort of visually think about it as a body, it seems to me that we are in the heart area and that tells me that we are very important to the rest of this country. Think about it, and remember that this is the home of the inventer of the First Horseless Carriage.. And if you go to my web site to my "History of Kokomo" section, you will find that Kokomo is and was the home for many inventions that have been beneficial to the rest of the country. Why would anyone want to leave Kokomo and live elsewhere.??

Kokomo is a quiet type of place, yet has made a lot of noise in the intertainment world, with many of our residents being in motion pictures. As in other parts of Indiana, we did our part to intertain the rest of the country. I have recieved e-mails from as far away as Newfoundland to the north  and Australia to the south, who have made thier visits in Kokomo with friends, and they all have praise for the kindness and hospitality of Kokomo, Indiana. Naturally, I am bias in saying good things about Kokomo, because it is my home and the home of most of my family.

We now have a great visitor convention center , and we have a great variety of shopping places to find what we need  in the way of clothing, furniture, and food. Business is sort of slow at this time, but then so is the rest of the country. Things will get better, so we just wait it out. As far as the schools here in Kokomo and the rest of the county, I must say that they are very good and the teachers here are dedicated  to doing thier job.

We have a good group of people running the city and county, and they have things under control most of the time. Our police , fire and sheriff's departments are of the finest, and I feel secure with trusting them to protect me, my family, and my property. Oh sure there are problems that arise every so often with parts of each department as to personel problems, but that happens in all the other places too. We have a terrible drug problem in our streets, but that is true elsewhere too. The only way to fight the drug problem is to let the police do thier job. That is what we are paying them to do, but if you don't let them, it won't get done. That is also a problem elsewhere.

Every year we are blessed with the "We Care" people doing everything they can to make the holidays happy for those who need it. It makes me feel real good to see that "We Care " can bring out the best in the people of Kokomo and Howard County. There are a lot of people out there that really care about you and me and they show it every year. Mike Wyant and his brothers with the help of all thier friends prepare "We Care Park" with several hundred thousand lights each year, along with other decorations, whether the weather is good or bad. They donate thier time and all proceeds go to "We Care". Talk about "Angels" here on earth.

And who else has something as great as the Haynes-Apperson Celebration around  the 4th of July holidays. Old cars taken well cared of by those people who love them. Food cooked by those who love to cook. And people just getting together for some good old Kokomo fun. Great, isn't it??

And in other parts of the year, we see people doing for others when they need it. When there is someone sick or going through great medical bills, some group is organized to help. When there is a fire and people have no clothes or food, we see someone coming forth to  help them.. So that is why I don't understand how anyone who likes Kokomo so much, can just up and leave to go to another area. If they move to Florida, they must put up with the storms. If they move to California, they must put up with different types of people who are only living today, and don't care about tomorrow.. There also, they have to fight the fires that rage each year. And crime here is nothing compared to that state. Over there they pick out one suspect and do not follow leads on others. Thier idea of fighting crime is to pick out an easy suspect and take him to the bank. No way that this old man would want to live there. Anyway the chances of most of that state one day breaking off into the ocean to became another Atlantis is very high what with the earthquake fault there.

Now , taking off for a few days to visit the different states would be ok, but to want to pick up everything and move somewhere else just because you have retired, seems to be a rash thing to do. Maybe buying another home in another state, so that you could spend your vacations there might be a great idea, but don't just leave the place you were raised in. The chances of you wanting to come back to Kokomo, Indiana will always be greater than staying away the rest of your life. I think that I will be content to stay here in this city where I am known and where my family is.

I tell you this , my friends , Kokomo is my home now and will be until I leave this earth.. My family and all my friends are here and that is all I need in this life. I guess that I am sort of old fashioned, but then that is what and who I am. Why, oh why ,would anyone want to leave Kokomo Indiana? Take care out there and thanks for inviting me in to spend Sunday morning with you. In parting  for this week, I leave you with this little message. "Be Happy Out There".

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

Why is it that laughter isn't around much? In my time, we were always ready to pull something on someone else, and have fun at doing it. That set that person up to trying to figure out what he or she could do to get back at you. and it wasn't just the kids doing it, because Mom and Dad wanted some fun too. You never did anything to hurt someone, so you had to think up some sort of a trick or story just enough to fool the other person. After a person was treated to whatever we pulled on him or her, he or she was in for a few days of joking about it, until he or she came up with a trick or joke of thier own.

You just don't see any of that anymore. If you pull something on someone, the first thing they want to do is have the police on you, or sue you. Where did the fun go? Where did the thrill of fooling someone go?  Did we just grow too old to enjoy ourselves anymore?  Did we decide to turn our lips upside down from that grin to a frown?   Or is it just time passing us by? Well, here we go with why something is or it isn't.

First off ,we are living in a fast-paced world, where there just isn't any time to start off the day with a good hot breakfast. Either you don't have time ,or you are told that certain foods are no longer any good for you . Take the idea of food not being any good for you, and disect where that came from, and who is telling us that. From the early days of our lives, we are told and instucted to eat three meals a day starting off with a hot breakfast. Then as we grow older and our bodies get a little out of shape, and our bodies get weak, they use the reason that we are eating the wrong type of food and we don't exercise enough. Well , wake up  people, because without starting off that day without the energy derived from that breakfast, you won't feel like exercising. And you've started off the day in a bad mood.

Then we sit in front of the big tube watching all the soap operas and the game shows, and we live the parts of those actors , and we get depressed, and so we sit there eating small snacks that keep getting bigger and bigger all day. Now we are not only in a bad mood but we are depressed too. Then we go to the news on the television and we read the newspapers, and all we hear is that there are people getting killed, assaulted, and robbed, along with the widespread use of drugs by all those "dopes" out there. Boy, we really are in a bad mood and we really are depressed and now we are afraid to leave our homes because of all the trouble out there.

And we ask why don't we have fun anymore. Whatever the answer is , I can't tell you, but I will tell you what I do . First off, I eat what I want because my body will tell me if it is harmful to me. Being a heart patient, I know what my limits are and I follow through on that. I don't watch those silly soap operas, although I have always been a wrestling fan and anymore that is the same as the soap operas.  I don't get depressed because I have found out that it does not get you anywhere and if you learn to control  your self without the use of the drugs prescribed by those who are treating you, and who really don't live with you each day, so there is no way that they really know how you feel, you are so much better off. No one knows any better how you feel but you yourself. And if you use the gift of that brain that The Great Father gave each of us, you can control how you feel.

As to the news on the tube, I am one of those people who believe only what I see and very little of what I hear. Naturally I would be a bad juror because unless I actually saw what another person did, I could not pass any judgement on him or her. And I guess that I would be a poor representative in Congress because I wouldn't back up another's views just to get on friendly terms with them. and I sure wouldn't be any good at being president because I would tell those who were not there to represent the people who voted for them, that they lose their droppings elsewhere.

And last but surely not least, I won't take any drugs not prescibed by a reputable doctor that I trust. It is my body and my mind that I have to take care of and the same goes for each and every one of us. You decide for yourself as to how you feel. You start off the morning feeling good enough to smile, and you pass it on to the next person you meet. Then it's up to him and whomever he or she meets as to how they pass it on. You started it off with a happy note and that is all that counts. You are happy and I know that somewhere down the line someone else is too.

Use the training that you recieved while growing up in using good comman sense as you meet all those headaches head on, and you can't go wrong. The rule is to be happy at what you do each day, and don't let the problems of life grow so large that you can't get through that day. Each morning I thank The Great Father for allowing me one more day and I ask for guiudance from HIM, and that night as I lie down to rest, I thank HIM for letting me get through that day. Will HE give me another day? I have to wake up the next morning to find out. Pretty simple isn't it. As always it has been my pleasure to enter your homes with another visit from Uncle Ray who loves all of you very much.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

I really am amazed how many people tell me about my articles each week. The praises  means that people out there are reading and talking among themselves about this nearly bald old man who tells it like it was and like it is today. I won't get on a bandwagon just to be heard. Most people out there who know me will tell you that I won't argue a case that has no merit. I won't back anything that would hurt, cheat or tear someone down. If I am to be a voice against something , it has to be something where there is a possibility of someone being cheated, hurt, or brought to thier knees by those who would profit by doing so. Thus said, if you hear me make a statement, it will be one of fact and not fiction.

I recieved an e-mail the other day from a old friend named Lee who lived here in Kokomo, until 1938 when he moved to the New England area, and who remembers what it was like to live in Kokomo far before I came. Refering to my story about the grocery stores , he said that the little Ma and Pa stores carried a lot of people during some very hard times . Many never collected the full amount owed due to deaths . Things were much different in those days, and loyalty and shaking hands meant something . He said that maybe we couldn't rub two coins together but our Faith in the Almighty carried us through and we could say IN GOD WE TRUST without fear . There is a lot of truth in what he says, because I know that if you put your trust in someone back then, you could bank on them to come through. Lee remembers and in his words talks about walking down the dirt country roads . Only the best was gravel . He doubts now if there is a dirt road in all Howard County . He could shut his eyes and see little dust devils in the middle of the road . In the distance were shimmering heat waves . Burma Shave signs were nailed to the fence posts . There were the big beautiful barns . The hex signs had a meaning. He wonders if there are any barns out there now with a Bull Durham painted on it? How about a big Beech Nut pouch or a Black Mayo ? He remembers climbing in the hay loft on a rainy day and listening to the music of the rain on a tin roof . There is no sound to compare to it . How many kids today have played hide and seek in a corn field ? After harvest it was fun crawling into a corn shock to hide from your friend . Lee says that he has some good friends in Kokomo, and the letters he gets from them are more precious than gold and more beautiful than diamonds .He considers himself to be the most luckiest man in the world . He calls me his friend although I have never met him. He likes to read my column because he says that I write with sense.

It is a big world out there and to have people from all over the world letting me know that they have read my columns, sent to them by friends or relatives, makes me just feel overwhelmed with joy. Let The Kokomo Tribune know because it is because of them that my words reach you. I am there not only to sound off about my days as a youngster, but to learn from you how bad or good you had it growing up. Any way you look at it, this old man will write until his last day on earth and then you will still have one more to read, because no one can tell my obit the way that I would like it to read. To leave this world with one more for you to read would be giving you the chance to read the last words.

To finish up this week's column, I want to remember a good friend that went Home last week. Raymond Bassett passed away and will be missed by this old man who knew him all my life. He too, liked to read my words, and he was a good man. Thanks for the visit.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

Many times during the week, I have the opportunity to speak to one of my readers and it really is great to hear that I am writing about things they like. The praises and all the accolades make my day and they also give me the strength to continue to write about my past and of all my great friends from the old days. But once in awhile I do meet someone who sort of places a negative view of my column and this is what I will address today. A young man of about sixteen came to me and told me that he thought that I was old-fashion and I needed to write about the things that youngsters like him like to read about. So we talked about what he thought was important to him and his friends. He said that I write negative thoughts about the modern music and he likes the heavy metal type of music. Well, I don't write negative about things I know nothing about, and heavy metal music is not in my thought of what music is about. So here is a negative thought about it and that is that it isn't music, but it is loud , dirty sounding, and no reasoning to the words. He said that I talk against the use of drugs by the teenagers, and that I ought to get off the young people's back and let them decide what is right for them. Well, he is right that I talk against the use of drugs, but I don't limit it to the youngsters. I talk against the use of drugs by all ages, except those prescibed by a practicing doctor. The use of drugs is a trip to an early grave. He said that I am critical of the clothes worn by the young people, and that it is thier right to wear what they want. Well, I do make my point about the baggy pants where the crotch is down below the knees. I do make a point about the clothes that barely cover the personal parts of the body. And he said that I talk against the type of hairdo that the teenager wears and that I do that because I am almost bald. There is where I will make a stand, in that I am not jealous of anyone having more hair than I do. I like the way I look and you might say that you don't need to cover up a perfect head. And he finally told me that he gets tired of me always giving GOD credit for everything. Well, you know I guess I am old-fashion, because to me music of my time and before was pleasant to hear and you could even whistle the tunes. Try whistling some of the weird sounds today. And I do think that the youngsters of today are ruining what could be a wonderful life by using the drugs so easily found today. And I do think that the youngsters of today look pitiful in the way they dress and the way they do thier hair. And just maybe those young people out there who don't believe in GOD, ought to see and experience some of the miracles that this old man has witnessed. I have been the recipient of GOD's gifts and I have seen many things that HE sends to us. So if you kids out there think that this old man is old-fashion, then you are right in all senses of the word. But it really is not any of my business how you ruin your life, because I can look the other way and see those who still believe in the old way of being neat, proper, loyal, and a believer. Take a long look at where you are now and where you are going to wind up if you continue to do those things that tag you as a so-called modern teenager. One parting thought and I will end this column for this week. We had two daughters and a nephew who lived in my house and I must say that all three of them have made me proud of them. One of them left us to go HOME a few years back, but I look at the pictures of those three kids and I can't say the first bad thing about them. And that is what people of my time think about thier kids too, because they too are proud of the way that thier kids turned out. My opinion offered here in this column is of my own and not that of this newspaper , or of any group. See you next week.
Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day
 
 

Several times in the past few years, I have looked back in time to see where I have been and where I am now. To be able to know where you are going, you need to know where you've been.You have to go back and remember why you do things today, and you need both to know where you will be in the future. Ok  folks, so far, you have been reading a lot of glibberish and you are asking yourself ,where is he going with this week's column. Well really, I don't know because as I write, words come to me and I put them down so that I can see them bounce onto the screen, and then I move them around until they put my thoughts in the way that I want you to read them. Sometimes, I am asked how old I am, because they say that I don't look as old as I write. You have to remember that a lot of my articles are written from experience, but some are written from the words that I heard from my mother and father, who  were a great influience in my life. In my mind and in my heart, those two people were the best I have ever known and I love them very much.

Somethings I remember about the old days really gets me going, because it reminds me about things that mom and dad did. Do you remember the old pop bottle that had a stopper on it with lots of holes in it? That was what mom used to sprinkle her ironings with. How about the old washboard that they used to rub the clothes against to get the grease and dirt out. And how about the old ringer -type washer where after you got the clothes out of the washer, you would run them through the wringer to force as much water out possible. That ringer was also great if you wanted some good creases in your overalls. You would get it started just right and then let that ringer which was two solid rolls running against each other, put on the best crease that you would ever want. And add to that, we had some metal pieces that you would place down the legs of those pants and spread them out so that it was tight and then hang them out on the line to dry. Talk about going to school in style, that was it. Remember when the cars had the head light dimmer on the floor and the ignition switch on the dash? And at one time you started your car by pushing the floor switch.How about having to use hand signals because most cars had no turn signals. How about the old icebox where you actually had to put ice in it in order to store and protect your food? How about going to the grocery store and dipping your hand down into a ice filled pop box. Man that was cold. How about the jukeboxes in the driveins, where you played that favorite song for that special partner? And do you remember the milkman leaving your milk on the doorstep? That milk was in a glass bottle and a round cardboard lid in it. and how many remember the old party line telephones. Each home on that line would have a certain number of short and long rings  that would tell them that the call was for them. Now you know that as soon as that phone was answered, there were several more that would pick up the phone very quitely and listen in. Then there was a word before the telephone number, which in our case was gladstone. How about those 45 RPM records that you played on the record player. I still have a lot of them. Remember S&H Green Stamps, that you would recieve at the supermarket, and after you filled so many books with them , you could redeam them for some great prize.? Do you rember using butch wax or Brillcream on your hair. Believe it or not , we use to take a bit of lard and run it through our hair and then comb that head into one great look. How about the old Packard and Studebaker cars. I could sit back and remember a lot more stuff that was only in my time and will never come forth in your time again. Walking thirteen blocks to school each day, the same back home for lunch, then the same back to school and then the same back home . That is fifty-two blocks in one day and you still had chores to do when you got home. You know what? We never were tired of doing it, because it was fun. Now if you are more than five blocks, you have to wait on a bus to pick you up. Well, the past is just that in that it is gone but not forgotten. I hope you have enjoyed these memories that was a part of my life way back when.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

My goodness, we made it into the year 2002, even though we went through a lot to get here. We survived the scare that was sent to us by one of the most cowardly persons ever born in this great world. We survived the economy scare that wanted us to crawl down deep in a hole or corner and let someone bankrupt us. We survived the loss of many of our great firemen and policemen who did all they could to try and save others. And we survived the fear that our president and his cabinet could not lead us in this time of turmoil. He did his job and he is doing all he can to bring peace to us and to the world. It doesn't matter what party he belongs to because he is our president and he belongs to the USA and all the people. Where would we have been if someone else might have been our leader? We don't know because this man is getting the job done. We, here in the good old USA, will survive because this is AMERICA, the land of the free and the home of the brave.

As all of you know, by my own declarlation, I don't belong to any group, nor to any party , even though I am registered as a democrat. I vote the way I choose to vote, and I listen to no one as to how to vote. That is a right that I and you have in this country. I do believe in the two party system, because it has proven to be as close to perfect as you can get. Too many times we do get someone in office , who has gotten there, because there was a third party getting the votes, but not enough to win.. Those votes could of been put to use better under only a two party ticket. But that is the right of those who back the third party, and I will not run them down. The one thing that I do not believe in, is the decison by a  party to back someone, before the voters have something to say about it. And too many times we have those who leave their elected positions, to take on a more powerfull job ,as to further their chances at getting a top position in our city, state, and federal government. My stand on that is ,if you are elected to a position by the voters, then you should have to serve the whole term, unless there is sickness or death or if there is undue sacrafice on the part of that person. That person is under contract to you and me and if they want out, then they should have to pay back whatever earnings they recieved while in office. But then that is your choice and you will have to live with it. As for myself, if the voters were confident enough in me to elect me to office, it would be my obligation to serve the entire term, and make it clear that the party does not own me, the people do. And you know that I would never get elected to office ,because of my word to the people being the path that I would follow. That is of my opinion only, even though I have heard the same from many others.

Now ,to get on with this new year, I look for things to continue to prosper even though we might meet with a few roadblocks along the way. We might have to pull a little tighter on our belts, and we might have to dig deeper in out pockets, and we might have to forget about some of the things that we want now, but there will be a brighter day with more to follow. I don't get down on life because it is only a day at a time, and what wasn't a great day today, might be a better one tomorrow. You use what you learned about yesterday, today, so that tomorrow will be better. Don't dwell in the past so much that today passes you by so quick that tomorow is here and you aren't prepared for it. Live it one day at a time.

Being in the retail field, I meet a lot of great people who come to me for advice about tools or sometimes they come in to tell me that they read my column each week and they like the way I write. Last week one of them came in and said that he read the one about how you can combat depression before it gets a big hold on you. He said that it did a lot of good for him because he had been depressed due to losing a good job and not being able to get another one such as the one he lost. He said that after he read the article, he felt a new presence in his body and he declared to himself that he was going just take it one day at a time and he wasn't going to let depression take over his life any longer. That made me feel real good about my visits with all of you because what I write straight from the heart is making a difference in someone else. Many times you only hear the negative view and not words of praise, but when someone comes up to me and says that they like my column and then walks away, that is all the praise this old man needs. When they hang around to talk about my column when I get time, that raises my spirit, and makes me feel great. I write this column because of you out there who let me into their homes each Sunday morning and we visit over a cup of coffee and the newspaper.

So to all of you who take the time to open your newspaper each Sunday before church or whatever you do that morning, I ask for peace, love, and joy for each of you. May your new year be one of tranquillity, of prosper, of knowledge, of opportunity, and of blessed events for your families, which will mark the year of 2002 as one to remember. In our lifetime which is only a blink of the eye, we are blessed with all the beauty of the seasons and the effect of love that springs from The Great Father, and spreads to the far corners of the world, for all to enjoy. I look forward to any comments to this newspaper for allowing me to visit with you each week, and for all of you who let me know you read it. Blessed be the reader who uses my words to help themselves and others around them. Until next week, I bid you a Happy New Year.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

Once upon a time, four score and twelve years ago, there was a child born to Hallie and Walter, in Tipton, Indiana. This child was one of many to be born from the love of those two great people. But this story is about him, because I knew him very well.

This young man, who was no bigger than a large bag of potatoes, was none the less one of the toughest youngsters in that town. At an early age in his life ,and only with an  8th grade education,  he was doing the jobs of men who were bigger and stronger than him, but he held up his end of any job he was put on. But as time went by, he wanted to branch out on his own, and so he took off for the big city of Kokomo.

 At a time when work was not too easy to find, he would take any work possible to keep him going, until the big secure job came open. While hunting for work, he met a young lady named Lucille, who he fell in love with right away. He was seventeen and she was sixteen. They courted each other for one year and then they decided to get hitched, and live the rest of their lives together. In the time that they were married, there were fourteen angels born to them, seven boys and seven girls. This father from the first day gave his whole life to his family and the places where he worked were The Hoosier Iron Works, The Globe American, and Continental Steel Corp..

His children didn't get to see him much, because he was always out working somewhere, trying to make enough money to feed and house his family. He would work all hours of the day, and as many days in the week that they would let him. As the kids grew up, it was their mother who was close by to tend to them and to protect them from harm.

When this man was home, he was usually resting, or he was out doing the chores that were needed to be done. As the children grew up, they were expected to take over doing those chores and to help their mother in any way that they could. Of course as kids grow up, they start getting independent and they rebell when they are told to do something. Where this man was concerned, he only told you once, and he expected that chore to be done ,when he got home. There were times when the kids would think that this man, who was their father, was about the meanest man around. But as time went by, there was more time to spend with their father, and he would sometimes have time to go play some games with them. But his main goal in life was to do for his family and if it meant being away from his children, so be it.

I started working with this man after I got out of high school, and went to work at the steel mill. That was when I saw a different person than the one that I had known for eighteen years. I saw the kind of work that he did and how much danger there was in the job that he did. I saw why this man was tired all the time. I saw what this man was really made of. I saw how dedicated he was to his job, and I saw why he was liked so much by his friends and co-workers.

Many times, I saw this man climb way up on the towers to just change a big flood light. I saw him walk across icy runways to fix the overhead cranes, so that the department could keep working. He did this because it was his job, and he needed it to maintain the family that was depending on him . In all the time that he and I worked together, I never heard him complain about his duties. Up until the last few years, I never knew him to take a vacation or to take time off sick. Eventually over the years, this finally took him down and in the last few years, his legs slowly gave way and he had to retire and rest his weary body, until it was time for the Great Father to call him home. He always said that when it came that time, he hoped that it would be at home and in his sleep. As it was in the beginning of their life together, it was just the two of them together when that time came.

Here was a man who gave of himself and asked for nothing in return. Here was a father who wanted for his family and not for himself. Here was a man who never attended church, yet he believed  in GOD, and he tried to do what he knew GOD wanted of him. I write this story about this man because I knew him. He was my best friend, and he was my father. His name was Roscoe Raymond Day, but most people knew him as "Dink". They celebrate "Father's Day" once a year, but in my heart, everyday is my Father's day.<

Ray Day

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

I could start this column out with the opening phrase of "Once upon a time", but then it would look like I was writing a fairy tale, and so it would not be true. But I remember a time when things, that are taken for granted now, were part of the growing families' and the towns' everyday facts of life. There was a time when you worked from early morning to late at night to get the crops ready and the livestock  fed so that you might have food on the table at a later date in time.  For most of the farmers that still is true. There was no electric refridgeration to keep the food fresh and so the people used thier underground cellars or the smoke houses to preserve the vegetables and the meats. Most of this food was saved by use of canning , or drying. For some, the icebox was a life saver if you had a place to get ice from.  Today we have all the benefits of freezers in our homes and food stored in the stores until you needed to go out and buy it. You didn't see much money changing hands back  then because of  the bartering by one family with another one to get the foods wanted . Today we have weekly paychecks coming in for most people and they spend it as fast as they get it. Think about it; how many of us could of lived back then?
The way to get around was by walking or riding a horse, if you wanted to go very far. Today, we have the cars, bikes, trains, airplanes, and boats to take us to the far parts of the world. Could any of us be able to live back then, where you never left the confines of your own property, unless you were going to church or to a neighboring town? The only ones to be able to see another country were the soldiers who went to preserve peace for us.
The intertainment was maybe sitting at the kitchen table and just talking about the things that went on that day or maybe playing checkers, or reading a book. In reality, there really wasn't much time to be intertained as you had to get to bed and get some rest so that you could start all over the next day. Today we have the television, radio, cd players, as well as all the sports going on in the fieldhouses. Could any of us be able to live without all the goodies of today?
The respect of the children toward thier elders in those days was part of their growing up and maturing , so that they one day would  be able to be the heads of thier own families. The word set down by the head of the family was law, and it was carried out to the letter. The respect today of the child toward the parents has taken a terrible blow and I have to admit that maybe a lot of the blame needs to back to the parent. I say that because of the fact that in today's society, there have been laws set down by groups who want to bring the family life to it's knees. And those parents just set back and let it happen. Instead of the child having fear of discipline if they did wrong, the parent now has fear of discipline if they try to discipline the child. Where is the logic in that?

The coming of the radio was a big boom to the family as it got all of them together to hear the great shows that to this day are collector items. We used to sit on the floor beside Mom and Dad and we would listen to what was being said on the radio and we would let our minds create the picture of what was going on. There were not any shows over the radio that used bad language, so the pictures we got were clean ones. Bad language back then wasn't a nice thing to use and you were punished if you used it. In todays television shows it is a constant shouting out of the worst profanity around and the stars get good money for doing it. You can't turn very many shows on without hearing and seeing terrible acts performed right in front of your eyes. Many people are offended by it but they still sit there and watch. Maybe nobody ever told them that the remote is for changing a channel as well as turning the television on or off. Sometimes I wonder just what it would of been like if television had never been invented.
And so I say to all of you that once upon a time, there was a time when there was more good than bad, and there was more respect toward the family, and there were a lot of goodies to be had without selling yourself to the highest bidder. Today we live for today without much thought to how the past got us here. We think that tomorrow will bring us more goodies without us needing them nor having to pay for them. Do we live in a cinderella situation where the prince always gets his princess? Do we expect others to speak up so that we might have some purity in our lives? Do we rely on the the use of the plastic card to get us out of holes that we have dug for ourselves, thus placing ourselves into furthur financial turmoil ? Those are questions that each of us have to answer for ourselves, because it is each of us that are living our lives the way we want to.
Would you believe that back in my early days, we could sit on the back porch enjoying being with each other, with the front door open and unlocked without any fear of someone coming in to rob you? Neighbors watched out for each other, and the brotherly love was a part of life. It sometimes makes me wonder if the people have changed or has the attitude changed? Would you believe that the terrible crimes by the young people were petty shoplifting and smoking as well as a little drinking, where as today it is the widespread use of brain-killing drugs and murder  that is taking us down. Now I know most of the people who read my column and they are of the old school of thought that you reap what you sow, but there are young people out there that are reading this and they are saying to themselves that this old man is getting to me in a good way.
The only thing that this old man has to offer to each of you is this column that seems to help open some eyes to what is happening around us. I try to think and speak straight from the heart and I hope that by you reading these words, it makes a difference in your everyday life. You don't have to agree with me nor do you have to do what I say. We are each our own keeper, and we will live by what we do, and some will benefit, while others will not. I leave you with this thought; Life is a road made up of a lot of detours, that could cause you to leave the straight road, and take you on trips to places that you wouldn't want to go. Sometimes you have to take another path  so that you can continue. But the thing to remember is how to get back to the straight road as soon as possible. Think before you take that detour. As always, it has been my pleasure to visit with you each week, and I am a better person because of it.
Ray "Uncle Ray" Day-

Before I get on with my article for today, I want to remember a fine man who not only was a protector of the people, and a good employee of the City Of Kokomo, but he also was a great friend. Harold Braden went home to be with GOD, and I, as will his many friends and co-workers will miss his great smile and friendship. We are blessed here in our city with many great people and Harold was right up there at the top of my list. I sure will miss him coming into the store to just say hello.
 

As I sit here thinking about what to write about, I am reading a letter from  Orangeburg, South Carolina from  a Ginny Shaffer, who's Grandfather, Robert Grant worked at the Continental Steel Corporation.. He died while on his job in 1938, and had been an employee there since 1905. She stated that she read in the paper that I had proposed that some sort of a memorial should be erected on the site where the steel mill stood for all those years. She said that those who lived in the city of Kokomo and employed by Continental  were one of a kind. She said that at the time of Grandpa's death, there was no retirement, no pension, and Social Security had not taken effect yet.She said that it is a shame that a man who literally worked a lifetime  for the mill, never owned a house, nor a car, and who walked to work every night and never missed a shift, should not be remembered, along with the hundreds of others like him, who gave their  life's blood for Continental Steel. She stated that although she lives so far away, she is still a daughter of Kokomo. Evidently that is so true because she still reads the newspaper from her home town.

There have been many people who are children of old steel workers who feel the same way that Ginny does. This writer has always said that something should be done to remember all those men and women who made their living at the steel mill. I hope that when it is time to do something with the old steel mill site that a little patch of it about where the main gate was is set aside for some little garden of plants and flowers  with a sign saying that our folks worked there. I hope that if the Mayor is reading this, he will try to implement it into his plans for the site.

Going through some old newspaper clippings in the May 14 , 1960 edition of the Kokomo Tribune, I found some old memories of a day gone by. Remember "Talk Of The Town" written by Frank Gregory. I always looked forward to his little column, because he said what he wanted to say and he gave praise where deserved. And on the sports page there was "Diamonds In The Rough" by Bob Ford. Here was a man who knew his sports and he wrote in a way that made you think you were right there. At that time, Kokomo was in the Midwest League and they had just split a doubleheader with Quincy.  In the classifieds there was a picture of a young Archie Cooksey who said he would sell you a new 19 inch Admiral TV, for only $!.99 a week with no down payment. He was with Cooksey and Miller at 511 North Washington. Sears was on 118 East Walnut and they had an advertisement of Chain Link Fence, where they would give you a free estimate, no money down and up to 36 months to pay for it. Well I know where they bought their fence because it was from Continental Steel and that fence was the best made and you can still see many homes still with that chain link fence around it.

Looking at the movie section of that paper, I saw where "Operation Mad Ball" and "The Seventh Voyage Of  Sinbad" was showing at The Colonial Movie House. At The Sipe Theatre, "Please Don't Eat The Daiseys " as showing with Doris Day. At The Indiana Theatre there was a doubleheader showing "Prime Time" and "Carnival Story". At The ISiS, they were showing " Gunmen From Laredo" and "Battle Of The Coral Sea" At The South Drive In Theatre, it was "The Gene Krupa Story" along with "The Giant Behemoth". At The North Drive In Theatre, It was "The Angry Red Plant", along with "Bowery To Bagdad" with Leo Gorsey and The Bowery Boys. You can't say that there wasn't anything to do back in those days, because if you didn,t want to go to a movie, you could take in a night at "The Capri Room" or at "The Casa Grande".

I am asked many times why I dwell in the past instead of letting it go, and I can only answer that question in this way. The past was my beginning as it was with all of you. To just let it be forgotten is to say that it was not important in my growing up. Not to remember all the good times in the old days is to say that they must of been bad ones. To forget all your friends and family members who have since passed away, would be to say that they were not a part of your life at all. I can't and I won't ever do that. My life as a youngster is a very important part of my life now and the friends that I had then and still have will always be my friends until the day that I pass on to be with those who have already been given the gift of eternal life. And the memories of the old days will always have a spot in my heart and brain, because they give me great pleasure recalling them and also telling others about them. That , my friends is my love for all of you that has befriended me in these last sixty-four years. Without your friendship, I might of went the wrong way in life. I think and I know that the road of life as I have walked it will get me to my final destination one day, and I might counter some detours along the way, but because of you and your friendship, I will make it.

The thing that really keeps me going in my writing is that through it, I am doing several things. By reading my articles, you can do your own reaching back into the past, because it brings up things that you remember, and you can add to it.  Another thing that it does is that it can reach out to those who are daily fighting some illness, that needs someone to help with. Many of my readers have expressed to me how by reading my words, they have fought harder and are getting better. A lady in New York, who has cancer is in remission now because someone cared enough to talk with her and to pray for her. An e-mail from her  last week said that she is doing a lot better and that she worked about five blocks from the Twin Towers, and that cancer at that time was the last thing in her mind. A man here in Kokomo said that he looks forward to reading my column each Sunday because it gets him ready for church, and he can sit there and listen to his minister talk about the same things that I write about. It is a circle of events that slowly helps you and I to connect. Most of the time, as I sit here writing, I find that the words just flow out onto the screen and they tell my thoughts that come straight from the heart. The Great Father puts those words there into my heart to give back to you. Thanks for letting me know how you feel about my articles. Because of that I am proud.

Ray"Uncle Ray" Day
 
 

There are times when I have thoughts about certain types of people, and so that will be part of my article today. We have in this world all types of human beings, that were sent here by The Great Father to make this place we call earth a better place to live. But as time goes by, I wonder if some people actually care enough about themselves.
Before we get too far in this article, I want to make it very clear that what I am saying in this column is of my own opinion and not that of any group. Everyone has the right to live as they choose and so they can do what they think is best for them. I would never try to change anyone's thinking on how to believe and how to vote.

We start with those who want to smoke and they do so even though they cough when they inhale. I would think that if it makes you cough, then your body is telling you to stop smoking. But we have those same people continue to smoke and soon they acquire a bad set of lungs and then they want to sue the companies that make that product. Hey, they didn't force you to smoke , did they? If all of those people would of stop smoking a long time ago, there wouldn't of been those tobacco factories making a great deal of money and so they would of stopped making those smoking products. The people brought that on themselves, and they have to pay with a lot of grief and lives.

Take the problem of drinking amoug the teens today. Did this happen overnight or was this a by product of those who have been pouring that alcohol down thier throats all this many years. Wouldn't you think that if something makes you dizzy or sick to your stomach, you would quit drinking or at least cut part of it out. Those kids out there get most of thier desire to drink from the older folks, and they think it makes them cool.

And then we go to the drug problem that is slowly but surely taking our young folk so far out on a limb, that they might never be able to recover. The furthur you go out on a limb, you have a greater chance of it breaking, and sending you to the ground. We in recent years have let the outsiders in to contaminate our youth and we have taken away the authority of the parents and the schools to do anything about it. As long as the present system continues, we will still have the problems. The DARE program is a great program and there are a lot of great kids out there that have joined it, but it needs to come to the point of all the kids needing to be part of it. If we make it rough on the people who are poisoning our youth with drugs, then maybe they will find some other community to contaminate. All you kids out there , just say NO.

Our medical system is a great one here in our country, but most of the time they are held back by the insurance companies that want to dictate what medicine can be used according to how much it is going to cost them. Hey, if they would cut down on some of that big overhead such as outrageous salaries given to those who do nothing to warrant it, then they might be able to lower thier costs and the doctors could get the people well. In my case alone, they would have me change to a generic medicine even though they have never met me and know nothing about my condition. The medicine that they want to change is the only one that works for me after testing with several others. I am not the only one who worries about whether the cost is more important than my life. What would you do if someone told you that your medicine was going to be changed just to lower the cost to the HMOs?

Take the cost of gas these days, where if you wanted to fill up your tank, you just about have to go get a loan. I heard a joke the other day where a lady had to sell her car so that she could buy gas for it. Well folks, this gas situation is no joking matter. I buy just enough gas to get me by and will continue to do so until someone out there has the guts to do something about it. Now I know that these service stations have to make a living and they have to go with what it costs them, but sometimes I wonder how the gas that was thirty cents cheaper yesterday can be thirty cents more the next day and it came out of the same tank in the ground and there has not been any refilling of that tank during that time. In other words you are buying the product at tomorrow's prices today. Does that make any sense to you.? In my way of thinking , I would be looking for a sale instead of a raise in the price. What we as Americans shoud do is to slow down our trips and stop jumping in the car to go somewhere, when we can walk to it. Exercise to good for you and it doesn't cost a penny.

Now getting to exercising, I have to commend my little woman Ramona for what she has accomplished in the last five months. She decided that she needed to lose some weight and she set out to do so. With the help of fellow walkers she has lost over forty pounds and she looks great. She tells me she feels better and she is really proud of herself too. Well I too, am very proud of what she has done and I hope that she continues to be proud. It takes a lot of guts to sit back and watch someone else gorge themselves and still stay on on her diet and walking. Great job Ramona.

And so what this old man is trying to say in this column is that we can change things around so that this is a better place to live. And although I have never smoked or drank of the spirits, I really would like to see our young folk stop with the smokes , the booze and the drugs, and begin to build on thier lives so that when it comes thier time to be the leaders of our great country, they will have a good base to work on. Hey, all you kids out there, just think how many babies have been born that have serious complications, because thier mothers have been subjected to drugs ,smoking, and booze. Think about what you are going to do with your lives , and then work on it to become productive to society and to your families.

And as we end our little visit with each other, I ask for any suggestions on how my thoughts to you can be better, and I ask for your prayers in helping me to continue on in my quest to help the younger generation make it in this world. We all only have a short time here on earth to do what we were sent here to do. Think about this; remember the day that a loved one came into your life, and and how long ago it was , and you, my friend will see that it was only a blink in your eye. We remember the past, we live for today, and we hope for the future. Keep reading my column and use what I say in your life as you see fit.
e-mail me at arermdrd@netusa1.net or uncleray@writeme .com .See all of you later;

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

The other day, one of my readers and also a friend, came into the store and he asked me if I had ever had any real pain in my body. He said that the reason that he was asking this was because as long as he has known me, I never said anything about how my body reacts to growing older. Well folks, this old man can answer that question now just like I did to him. Not a day goes by without my body telling me that it hurts. Just about every joint I have hurts, and as I walk, my feet tell me to get off them because they hurt too. My legs are almost gone, and it feels like I am walking on stilts, and my knees sometimes lock up and I can't bend them. My back is in constant pain, whether I bend, sit, or stand straight. Yes, my friends, this old man hurts pretty bad for being only  three score and four in age.

But you know what? Even though all that pain is there, there is no reason for me to complain about it. How can anyone who wakes up in the morning blessed with another day to live , complain about the aches and pains of life? How can anyone who looks out and sees the beauty of nature, in all it.s glory complain about growing old? To be able to say that The Great Father has given me that day to observe all that He has created and to do everything that I can do to help Him keep it beautiful, is all the reason to say that I feel good. He doesn't promise me a tomorrow, but He gives me today and it is up to me to make the most of it. After all, I can rest in His arms one day.

Now , I have come upon many people who are like me and who can tolerate pain at it's highest. It doesn't matter how much they hurt, because they won't let you know it. I have witnessed some who will work as hard as they can and never complain about hurting, until they have some privacy, and then they will show it, not knowing I was there. They hurt, but they don't want to show it. My Dad was like that, and many times I saw him do some things at work that I knew hurt him, but he didn't show it. He would wait until no one was around and then he would lower his head and sigh some noise of pain. I guess that is where I get my high tolerance of pain.

But there are those out there that have a low tolerance of pain and they just can't go too long without letting someone else know that they are hurting. For these people , pain medicine has to be taken to ease that pain, and many times that person is on that medicine the rest of thier life. Now it is not thier fault that they hurt, and sometimes maybe a little help from the outside will help them endure that pain until they develop a higher tolerance to it.

 And there are those who say that they hurt so bad, and it is all for pity from someone else. They have to have something wrong in order to get attention, and the different kinds on problems keeps coming and coming until the friend stop coming around to see him or her. This is a trait that can be overcomed if the person wants to. You have to try and turn your attention to a hobby or to a program that will take up most of your time, thus not giviny you the time to hurt. this is where the brain comes in. Your body will only hurt when your brain tells it to. Thats right folks, the brain is the one and the best way to turn off that pain, by turning your thoughts to something else. Oh, it is not easy to admit this but that is how I deal with my pain. I don't think about it. Sounds simple doesn't it? Well it isn't that easy for those who won't let it happen. They will continue to ache and they will continue to complain. This is my advice to them. Take a look at those loved ones who are trying to help you, and see what it is doing to them. Not pretty is it?

And so to end this visit without any pain or insult being intended to anyone, I only want to say to all of you , that all you have to do is to look around and you will see someone who is in a lot more pain than you are. I know that there are a lot more people out there that are really hurting, but you wouldn't know it by the way they act. That is what I call brain-power. Until next week, when I visit with you, I bid you good days and great nights with lots of love from Uncle Ray.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

As I start this column this week, I must say that the response from my readers is really making me proud that I have the right to put into words my feelings and my views. There are not too many countries in this world that would allow someone like me to write the things that I write for you. And so sometimes I get e-mail or calls asking me about topics, that I the writer ,would like to stay away from. But then I wouldn't be giving the reader a chance to hear my thoughts on the matter, and so here we go with some answers about topics of your interest.
I guess that in the last two months, the biggest topic from basketball fans is the firing of Bob Knight, and I will give you my thoughts on that and then I will drop the subject, and let the man go do what he is destined to do.

My first thought is the zero-tolerance policy which the IU president and the trustees came up with. That policy is a very stupid concept to put on any man , let alone Mr. Knight. Under a zero-tolerance situation, the person is working under a closed eyes, plugged up ear drums, taped up mouth, and tied up legs. In other words if you breathe, speak, hear ,or move, you are in violation of  that policy. No one can abide by that policy. That is abuse by the institution. In the things that Mr. Knight was said to do or not to do, that was said to violate that zero-tolerance policy, I must bring up this thought. Mr. Knight was under a contract to do certain things and he did them. The things that he is said to have passed up on were in violation of his contract. So in essence, Bob Knight was following his contract to the letter of the law, and so he should not have been fired for that. Now, I am not saying that Mr. Knight was not wrong in the way that he worked with his team, nor am I saying that he should of done it differently. What I am saying, is that he was this way for the last twenty-nine years and as long as he was winning, it was tolerated. Also , what I am trying to say is that they should of put him on notice, that at the end of his contract, he would have to look elsewhere for a coaching job. The situation at IU was handled wrong, and so there are a lot of us that probaly will think twice before we pour any more funds into that institution. . I do hope that IU does ok in thier basketball program, as they do have a very good man as head coach. Enough said about that subject and this writer will put the subject to bed for a very long sleep.

Now a topic that is really bugging this old man, is the talk about placing our social security program in an investment and stock program . The two men running in the national election would have our program up for grabs, as an investment venture. Folks, regardless of what the boys in Washington are telling us, there is no way that the present social security program can go broke. As long as there are those working and paying into the program, just like we have these many years, there is no reason to change it a bit. Think about that before taking the food and homes from the older people who have gotten us this far.

Ray Day

As many of my readers tell me, they like to read about the old days when life was what you made of it. They remember all the things that they had to do , which is not required of the youth of today. They remember all the hardships of trying to stay warm or to stay cool and to be able to have a good meal on the table. Many tell me that the youth of today would not survive back then. And you know what, I agree with them about most of that. Yes it was hard to keep warm in the winter, because most of the homes had the pot-belly stoves in one room of the house which had to be the warmest room so that the rest of the house got some of that heat. We had a coal and wood stove made by Florence, in the middle room of the house and we had a cook stove in the kitchen which was always warm so that mother could cook the meals. And in the summer which sometimes was pretty warm, we only had the small fans propped up in the open window to bring whatever air there was to cool us off. Needless to say, we spent a lot of our time outside in the summer, trying to stay in the shade of a large tree. And of course our meals were made up of bacon and eggs, toast and coffee, milk and fried mush in the mornings. At noon, mom would always have a hot meal ready for her loved ones, which was made up of potatoes, beans, cornbread, and a cold drink, with a touch of meat for those who wanted it. At suppertime, we were given whatever leftovers there were from lunch, mixed in a way that only mom could do. Have you ever had bean cakes, or potatoe cakes, or cornbread that was sliced and fried so that it was looked like toast. If not, then you sure missed out on some great meals. And of course Dad didn't like to eat leftovers so Mom would always take the time to fix him some  fresh food, because he was the person who went to work each day to keep the rest of us warm and stomachs full. And also let me say this that anytime that Mom wasn't looking, he would grab one of those bean cakes or potatoe cakes and put them down just like we did. Mom knew that but this was her man and she gave him the best she had because she loved him that much. I can say a lot about my parents, and talk about them all day, but it goes down to one line and that is that I and my brothers and sisters loved them very much. The youth of today take thier parents for granted thinking that they will always be there for them, but they should realize that they will be gone one day when they are called HOME, and they should learn everything they can from them before that time comes. I can truthfully say that all of us can take care of ourselves because we were trained as youngsters by the greatest couple around called Mom and Dad. And all those who lived back then feel the same way about thier Moms and Dads, because they were raised right. This is the time for the youth of today to do several things. Don't take Mom and Dad for granted, and try to learn from them. Go to them every chance you can and tell them you love them. Treat them with respect because what they say to you is from expierence. And if they are Heaven, then you better watch you p's and q's because they have a front row seat watching.. Many times I think back to what our mother and father tried to teach us and I see that it was for a good reason. They knew that one day they wouldn't be around to hold your head above water, so they tried to teach you how to swim on your own. Well, that just about does it for this week, so we part with one more thought. What would your life be if not for those two loving parents. Scary thought isn't it? Talk with you later. E-mail me with your thoughts at arermdrd@netusa1.net

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

You know, sometimes this old man can get surprised at things that go on all the time, but don't notice until you are part of that happening. Recently we had a member of our family who lives in another city pass away and one of his sons called me to let me know that his father had passed away. Certainly it is quite a blow to anyone to hear this but since we here in Kokomo hadn't met very many of that side of the family, it was in regret that we hadn't gotten together before this passing. Time is so short in all our lives and there are things that each of us should do before we get the call Home. Well, Ramona and I went to the visitation at the funeral home in Tipton to pay our respects to the family of  Clayton Day, and it was wonderful to see how many were in line to hug and give condolances to the family.

As we stood in line to give our respects to each of the children and the wife of Clayton, we observed a great showing of that love and respect that meant this man was a vital part of the city of Tipton Indiana. And as we neared the casket where his body lay, we saw tears, and smiles as those who knew him related some stories about this man that God had called home. We saw that the children of this man and his wonderful wife were brought up with respect and with love as each of them greeted thier friends with hugs and words of praise for thier father. And as we set down and we watched the line of people who were there to show thier love, we saw that it never ended. As we left to travel back home to Kokomo, we looked back and cars were still coming into the lot. That my friends is what life is all about. You come to this world as an angel who will be loved until the day that you are called home and the expression of love is eternal.

I hope that when that day comes for this old man, my family can be given the same respect and love that the people of Tipton gave to Clayton and his family. And I say this to Clayton Day, because I know that he can hear me; Clayton, you did ok while you were here, raising a great bunch of children and having a good wife to be with all these many years. And Clayton, if you see Grandpa Day, tell him I said hello. And I address this to all the children, take good care of your mother and remember all the good times you had with your dad.

And that is what this old man and all those who lived during the hard times, tries to do each day and it is to show respect for Mom and Dad, and to remember that they gave up a lot in order that thier children were kept warm and fed. Remember what Mom and Dad taught you in the ways of showing not only respect for the dead but also for those who are left behind. They left a opportunity for each of you and that was to make your lives and the lives of your children a happy and prosperous one. It is a circle that never ends, with each day one to cherish while that loved one is still with us. It is a square where you have to turn corners to get to another point in life. And it is a triangle with each of you at one end and Mom and Dad at the other two. Life never ends, it just turns a corner.

Many times, I sit at my chair and try to think about what to write, and my thoughts always seem to cross the paths that my mother and father walked while they were with us in body, and my memories inspire me to write about the things that they taught me. Respect all others regardless of race or religion. Show your love for all of God's creatures, human or animal, and seek out the best for those children who have been sent by God to nuture and train for what lies ahead for them. Teach them that in each of them not only is a part of Mom and Dad but also the soul given by God to help quide them in all the things that they might encounter while walking the road of life. God gave each of us a brain to think with and a soul to help guide that brain in all the thoughts needed to make your life one to cherish by those who love you.  It was nice of you to allow me to sit with you and this newspaper and to enjoy talking about love of your fellow man.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

The other night, while watching Sixty Minutes, there was a story about a couple who adopted two children, because they were unable to have any themselves. The love they gave those two children, was just like two parents would of given to children that they would of gave actual birth to. They were two happy people who had thier hopes and wishes fullfield by adoption. But then something happened that would change thier lives  and leave them in pain and agony. It seems that the youngest of the two had somehow fallen and when he hit the floor, he was damaged in the next neck and head area. They rushed the child to the hospital, where the doctors and nurses worked on him to try and save him. The youngster died on the table, and the parents were subjected to a terrible rash of questions from the police, who were called by the doctor on duty. The doctor said that through his experience with this type of death, he knew that the baby had died from what he labled"Shaking Baby Syndrone". He showed , using animated grafics, how this could cause a baby to be injured and the result could be death.. Now remember that this doctor had never seen this baby before, nor the parents, but he was able to say without a doupt that this child was killed by shaking.

And so the parents went through hell on earth, because they were damaged by the accusation of another person, of child abuse. The city, through the courts, arrested the mother on circumstansal evidence, with no actual proof, except that of the doctor on duty. The parents had to stop being alone with the other child, and so had to live down in the basement  and only spent time with the girl, when there was someone else present. The mother ended up spending some time behind bars and the city prosecuter charged her  with killing the child. As the case came to court, the prosecuter found out that his case wasn't as complete as he thought, and that if the case was to go to a jury, it was possible that she could be let go. So a plea bargain was offered and the mother was told that if she pleaded guilty, she would be able to go home and resume her life with her husband and child. And so that is what she did, so that they could put this whole terrible mess behind them. All those neighbors and friends who were with her all the way were sorry that she had to do this to get free, but they still stayed along side her because they knew that she couldn't be guilty of doing what they were accusing her of doing.

And so the mother was set free to go home with her husband and be with her other child, hoping that all this would just go away and life would go on. But does it go away and will thier lives be not affected by going through this hell on earth. My answer to this is no, it won't go away and yes, thier lives have been affected greatly by this whole mess. To be accused of doing wrong without evidence is wrong. To be prosecuted without any strong evidence, is more wrong. To be told that the only way to be able to go home was to plead guilty to a crime where there is doupt in the prosecuter's mind that he could win his case is a miscarriage of justice. To live the rest of your life bearing the scar of pleading guilty to a charge of child abuse and murder, when you are not guilty, is to give you a life sentence of misery, because somewhere out there, there is someone who will remember only the accusations and not the result. Even though a person is found innocent by a jury, the stigma of being accused lives with that person for the rest of his or her lives.

Where do we place the blame of this whole mess? Starting with the doctor , who by law has to notify the police anytime there is a slight doupt of how a child is injured, he was doing his job. But to enter his own personal feelings in the report is wrong. He should of backed off and let the law do thier job. Then the so-called experts that were called on to give thier views was wrong also. By doing this they branded the man and woman as possible child abusers, without no evidence. In other words they were not innocent until proven innocent. And for the prosecuter to change from a charge of guilty because he found flaws in his case, to a plea bargain getting the same result, really makes me sick. Where did the innocent until proven guilty part of our system go? The branded scar of guilty will stay with that family for several generations, and one only hopes that the friends that she had will continue to stand by her side and knock down any memory of that time when our justice system stopped to move thier bowells

As this old man writes this, I am very dissapointed that this could happen in a land of the free, and I hope that something was learned from it. To accuse someone of an act without any strong evidence, is to brand that person with a scar for the rest of his or her lives. To bear false witness is to forever deny that person peace and to attempt to send that person away through our court system without making sure that it is a solid case without any doupt, is to deny all the rest of us a chance to live in peace without fear of it happening to us. There is no doupt in my mind that we have the best system in the world, but there are holes in it that need to be filled. We use plea bargaining to get to the big crooks and so let the little ones back out on the streets where in time they move up to be the big crook. And in this case mentioned above, we use it to keep our innocent victim from spending life in peace as it should be.

A final thought and we will end our little visit today. My dad always told me that if you can;t say something good about someone, don't say anything at all. There were many times when Dad was without words. To brand someone with a false accusation, without any proof, is to be subject to answering to The Great Father on judgement day. I hope that this week, I have presented a good solid case of  "innocent until proven guilty" Thanks for listening, and remember that those guilty in the killing of all those people in New York and D.C. will not go without severe punishment. We will never have closure until those guilty are taken out.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day--

In my lifetime so far, I have come across a lot of people who have made an impression on me. In my early school days at Kokomo High School, I like many others, were able to meet and learn from a teacher, coach, and friend by the name of  Joe Platt.  Mr Platt was the coach of the Kokomo Wildkats and he did the job well. He was a man who did his teaching in the practice gym and then he watched and graded his players while they did thier job on the floor. Mr. Platt was a very sensitive man with compassion for all those around him. I met his wife the other day in the doctor's office, and we were able to talk for a few minutes about her late husband. I told her that Joe was a credit to the game of basketball and a great person all around. Mr. Joe Platt was and still is an inspiration to me.

Another man who made an impression on me, was Don Trobaugh. He had an insurance office across from Central School and he was a fine man who loved his fellow man and he was and still is a fine person to know. Don never knew an enemy that I know of, and at one time he owned just about the whole block where his home still is and where the Post Office stands now. To the left of his home there used to be the Packard dealership, which is gone now but still in my and others memories. Many times we sat on the steps of his home and office while waiting for the school bell to ring. He is up there in the nineties, but still very aware of everything going on around him. I am very proud to call him an inspiration as well as a friend.

A man known all over Kokomo for his dedication to youth baseball was Wesley Byars, known to most of us as "Circus John" Here was a man who had nothing but still had a lot. His love for the youth and for baseball was overwhelming, and a lot of fine men in this county played under the watchfull eye of "Circus John". "Old Circ" knew what it took to wake the youth up and to get them to do something with thier lives. He was a honest man who wasn't afraid to ask for donations to further the education of his players. There were many business men in this city that took the call of "Circus John" and helped the progress of the youth of the day. I really feel that knowing this man helped me as well as many of our leaders of today.

There are many more people that I could name that impressed me in my younger days in Kokomo, but when we moved out to New London in 1953, I was able to meet more people that have left an interlasting impression on me. I started at Western High School and that is where I met a man who to this day has impressed me, and that my friends, is Mr Richard R Rea. He was the principal there and he was a  man of dedication, compassion, authority, and love for his fellow man. There were times while I was there that he sat me down and told me what he expected out of me and out of all the students under him. Here was a man that you learned to love , respect and follow. We still see Mr. Rea at our class dinners and he is an author of a book about his days at Western and in Howard County.

And so as I speak and write about those fine men , who along with my parents, made a lasting impression on me, I think back to the other day when I met and talked to a man who has no home, and no way of getting around because he has no car, only the clothes on his back and in a battered suitcase. He asked for a handout and I gave him a couple of dollars, and he said that was enough to get him by until his next stop . I asked him where he was from and where he was going and his answer to both was that he didn't know. He said that a few years ago he was working and everything was fine with his wife and kids, but suddenly everything started falling apart. He drank himself out of a job and his wife divorced him and left with the kids and he hasn't heard from them since. He said that he was tired of being only a number in the system and he gave up on life and started walking to where-ever his legs and feet will take him.

I asked him if he tried to find help and he said the Missions in the towns that he went through always had thier doors open and they gave him a bed and warm food. He said that he did not want to stay in any one place too long, because he didn't want to burden anyone , and he didn't want anyone to try and change him. He told me that people like myself are willing to help with a few dollars, and not ask too many questions. I told him that I don't usually give to people that don't deserve it but that something told me that this poor man had a reason for being there at that particular spot, and that I was happy that he took the time to talk with me. I gave him my card and I told that someday he will wake up to a bright sunny day and he will be ready to walk a different road. He thanked me and he walked away. He never told me his name and I didn't ask for it. Will I ever see this man again? I probaly won't, but,  something in my heart says that this man will suddenly turn his life around and he will find his family and he will find peace in this land. That , my friends is what I call faith in my fellow man. Also the other day, while working in the store, I was talking to a friend that had cancer and he was saying that he was going to have some radiation done and I told him to keep a positive outlook and he will be fine. I then went to the next customer and said that I was just talking to a man about his cancer. It turned out that the customer also was going through a bout with cancer and that the doctors told him that God was looking out for him. I feel that The Great Father sent both of these men to me not only to help them but to help myself. Both of these men are in my prayers each night to get well and be able to go on with an abundant life.

No river is too deep to swim, no mountain is too high to climb, and no cause is too great to further. You have got to find those people that will make an impression on you so great that it will cause you to go that one more step in life so that you can impress someone else. It is a shame that things happen to people that changes the road they are traveling on, but it is a bigger shame for that person not to try and continue on his original path. To meet a detour only means that you either move it or go around it . To stop because something is holding you back, is to say that it wasn't worthwhile in the first place.

So to end our little visit today, let us start with this as our beginning, and nothing as our ending. In other words there is always a beginning to anything. Whether we want an ending depends on us alone. There are many paths for us to travel on , and there always will be something or someone who will try to change our path, but it is only up to us to decide which path to follow. Walk aside me and we will talk. Walk behind me and I will lead. Walk in front of me and I will follow, but only if it is the path that I want to travel. It was nice to once again visit with all of you. Continue to pray for me to give me strength and wisdom to write these articles of love. Take care my friends and look for my next writing.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day

I like to write about the old days, because it is what I am about. In all of my sixty-fours years on this beautiful land created by The Great Father, I have been a loner. By that I am telling you that I have always treasured my time alone, doing those things that I like to do, instead of being in a group doing the things that they want me to do. Of course, the time that I lived at home and the forty-four years of married and family life does not fall in this catagory. Now you are reading this over again, and you are saying that this old man is crazy and is talking out of both sides of his mouth. You are wondering how I can be a loner yet love his growing up years and his marriage and family at the same time. Well, you might be right on half of that , but let me explain to you what I really mean to say.

Growing up in a family of fourteen kids, I had the same chores to do as did most of the kids my age  in thier family. I did my homework, I listened to the radio, and I watched television when we finally got a tv. And we kids were always playing some game like" Hide and Seek", "Captain May I", "Kick The Can", and baseball and all the other sports. And the topper on all that fun was listening to Mom as she told us stories, and she played the piano. And now you are thinking about when did he get some time alone. Well, there wasn't too much time to be by myself, but there was some. I used that time to draw on the walls of my bedroom. I was a pretty good artist in my young days and no one except Mom had seen these drawings. She never said anything about it, and one day she told me that I was a good drawer, and that it was our little secret, because if Dad ever saw it, he might be mad at me for marking up the walls. Well, I guess that Dad knew about it , and he kept the secret too. That was the way that our mother and father were to us kids. They had secrets with each of us and that was thier little bond with each child. And so you know why I say that I am a loner, because that puts me back in time to be with my Mom and Dad, if only in memory.

And my life with Ramona and our two daughters Deborah and Patricia, has been a blessing given to me by The Great Father, and the time that we spent together and are still spending together is all I need in this life. I don't belong to any organization or any group that would dominate my life following those rules set down by that group. I value my family time and I value my time alone. To be able to work in the garden, or to work in my woodworking , or just to sit down and watch the world go by , is very satisfying to me. To be able to stop the world in my mind for just a few minutes, tends to heal my pains and it gives me that little thought that it is just me left here on this earth, and that I don't have to answer to anyone except The Great Father himself.

Well now your thoughts have gone from this old man being crazy, to thoughts of where is he going with this article. And again you might be  right to some extent. What I am trying to bring forth into your thoughts is that we as indivduals do not have much alone time. We don't get off to ourselves enough and spend time with nature, and with the Creator. I sure would like to have more time to do so, but we live in a world where time does not stand still and our families and our jobs take up just about all the time we have. So where does that leave me in my alone time? Let me tell you where. Driving to work each day all alone in the car, or taking a shower all alone in the bathroom, or that few minutes just before you fall asleep, can be your alone time. It is mine, and while you say that it isn't much, it can be an eternity. There is time in yours and my time to be alone, but each of us will find it in a different way.

I have found through all my times of sickness, lost of my parents, and of my daughter, that only I and no one else can heal the hurt. There are times when the help from those good friends is needed and accepted in order to help heal the pain. But there are times when you and I need to just get off by ourselves and have a good cry and get all that mixed-up feelings out of our bodies. And then we go on with our lives. The Great Father never promised an easy life, but He did pave the road for us to follow. Whether we walk the walk his way or our own depends on how we decide to live. I am not a perfect person, nor is anyone else, but we can be close. I do it my way which I feel will get me to the gates, and then we do it His way. But even though I like to be alone, I cherish the life that has been placed before me. I love my wife Ramona and my daughter Deborah, and I miss my daughter Patricia. I love all my family and my wife's family and I wouldn't want to be without them.

And so as you read and you think what is this guy talking about, it is this. Cherish what The Great Father has given you in the way of a family. Cherish each person you meet and cherish that little time by yourself. Make the most out of a little, and prepare yourself to meet The Creator in your way, and not that of others. You are the one that will be there, and you are the one to answer for your life. May each day of your lives be enriched with one minute of being alone. Thanks for inviting me in to visit with you this week.

Ray "Uncle Ray" Day