Excuses

Yesterday, HarleyDad took a Harley ride to the George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Ozarklandia.

George Washington Carver was a man who lived without excuses.

He was born in slavery. He and his mother were kidnapped by slavers. He was later returned as a small child to Ozarklandia and was raised lovingly by the Carver family.

Blacks did not have educational opportunities in those days. He grew up in a rural area, taught himself to read and write and learned about plants. Later he was able to get an education. He lived in the stables while in school.

Carver was a man who loved God and nature. He was an artist and taught Sunday School for twenty years.

He became a great man of science and an educator teaching at Tuskegee Institute.

Among other things, Carver developed over 325 products from the peanut.

This man had everything in the world going against him. He was a slave child, lived in poverty, and had no opportunities for an education. He had only three things going for him. He had a love for God and nature, a hunger to learn and better himself and adoptive parents that loved him.

When I left the monument there was a placque that said something like this: "When people asked George Washington Carver how to find the way, he responded: "Trust in the Lord, lean not in your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.""

Carver knew his Bible. Somehow, Carver had planted the mustard seed of faith-and God gave him the secrets of the peanut in return-325 of them.

The leaves were beautiful on the ride home-the lessons learned, however, more beautiful

Ride Wise-HarleyDad