J. Davy Crockett III

“Rights! We demand our rights!” is a cry often heard in these tumultuous times. Citizens do have rights in the United States of America not found in many nations around the world.

The importance of growing food and fiber for a burgeoning population is often lost on city- and suburb-dwellers. Yet, as troubled times bring rising food costs and commodity shortages, people may focus more attention on the details of production, processing, and distribution of basic agricultural necessities, including vegetable produce, poultry, meat, and dairy products. It all starts with the soil, which must be tilled and cultivated to bring a successful harvest.

Smell the smoke? Hear the pop-pop-pop of gunshots? Is that the wailing, grieving parents surveying a bloody scene? Is that the sound of breaking glass? Do you hear sirens of first responders and law enforcement? That must be the chants of protestors you hear along with the smell of tear gas. The summer sounds of tree frogs, crickets, and night creatures have been drowned out by the elements of an incredible crime wave in many cities in America. Or is it Paris, the streets of Britain, or some other urban area in the world where violent civil unrest has become commonplace?

There were five kids in my blended family, growing up during the 1950s, and my stepfather was a genius at keeping all of us busy. As kids, we were allowed to play, but first, there was a myriad of chores and maintenance projects that kept us busy doing productive things. The usual chores, like regularly mowing the lawn, trimming hedges, and raking leaves, over time grew into adding an extra room to our house, painting the house, stripping hardwood floors for waxing, and painting and hanging wallpaper in an upstairs apartment. All this industry did not go unnoticed.

At a time when we are inundated daily with a tsunami of negativity and dark, foreboding developments around the nation and the world, a real-life story of courage and overcoming adversity is a welcome break in the weather. Such is the story of a man and his afflicted son who refused to be stymied by disability—and set a wonderful example of determination and perseverance to people everywhere.