*Green links are designed by the author for you to see original sources or learn more. Unfortunately some companies have attacked my page and have put links to their advertisements in blue. Do not give them any business. They are stealing advertising from my writing. I do NOT endorse any of them. I have intentionally changed words and misspelled others in order to eliminate their access.
I heard growing up at Brownies, Girl Scouts, and my mom (who wasn’t involved in scouting), “Make new friends and keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.”
The best answer I could find to give proper credit to this poetic phrase is Sue Lynch wrote it and its the first line of longer more beautiful poem that is posted as a Scout Song.
I hear the song in my head as I mother my pre-teen daughter through the social ills of this stage of life just like other songs came to me when she was younger.
Music soothes and poetry has a wonderful way to concisely convey something that we need to hear. Marketng experts call these sound bites. Jay Wolf, Pastor at First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama is known by his congregation for “Jay-isms,” short pithy statements that discourage bad attitudes and stimulate positive God honoring thinking instead.
Popular Culture in 2019 has become very polarized from opposing political spectrum’s. The neck breaking pace of society, bombarding messages of discard and consume, and then emotional trauma that prevents humans from maturing into adulthood has created a culture of “un-friending” people rather than seeing their value and maintaining the relationship. This is nothing new in the big picture of the past.
The apostle Paul wrote in II Timothy 2:14-26 that followers of Christ should be seeking mature living of value and warned that many make poor choices instead. This passage speaks spot on to the whole point of my take on the first verse of this poem. But, I want to extend our thinking beyond friendships with these lines.
Marketing geniuses love to bully you with technology, the latest fashion, etc… in with the new out with the old. And the first to do it wins and he/she who is last is deserving to be mocked. But let’s think for a minute, while some advances in technology are great and worth keeping many have been steeping stones that quickly fade away and then others have been returned to. How about the whole vinyl movement? Who would have ever thought the old way of serving as a DJ would re-emerge?
Not all practices of old that resurface are good though. I’ve enjoyed learning about essential oils and frequently use to stay well, but they were not the answer to restore my hearing in my left ear three weeks ago. The essential oil books were just hocus pocus in this situation. I needed help from Dr. Griffith and his assistant, Heather, from http://www.theentcenter.com/ to dig out wax that just flat out obstructed my ear’s ability to function properly.
It took me many years to trust a medical professional again. I had experienced a disrespectful job departure from the profession, lost good income and therefore insuranc, and found incompetent care in the Affordable Act that I was forced into in South Florida. But it wasn’t just this, when I worked in the medical community in the Northeast, I saw from the inside how flawed it can be. I witnessed how human or full of ignorance, arrogance, politically motivated, religiously biased and greedy it’s leaders can sometimes behave. So, in my pain and immaturity, the temptation to throw it out presented for me. But my essential oils don’t work for everything and I can’t give myself a full physical exam much less accurate diagnosis. So, I had to step out, seek help, and trust again.
What I’m after is, any experience, belief, and training can fall from gold to silver or even lesser status, but it still holds purpose. It’s like my first coaching job. I thought equally about a great coach I had and one not so encouraging. The first I choose to emulate. The other I kept as a warning to me not to show favoritism to the more talented swimmers and to take time to care for the not so fast. Building personal discipline, character, and collaboration had to be more important than winning.
Finally, let’s consider the Apostle Paul’s writing seriously. What kind of friend are you? What kind of experiences are you extending to others? Are you humble enough to see that perhaps you have hurt others too? Or that you might have more learning and maturing to do? Let’s invest in life long learning that exceeds the intellect by including emotional and spiritual growth. Be open to the loving observations of others (not those out to belittle you). The book of Proverbs quotes in several places that the wise heed correcting but fools spurn it. And for those who have contributed to not so shining and valuable metal experiences give them healthy boundaries, prayer, and time. Perhaps the blacksmith is still working on them too.
Then in conclusion the 4th and 5th paragraphs of this poem may hold true:
#Healing #Maturing #Traumarecovery