Posted on 10/19/2009 4:35:34 AM PDT by Lloyd Marcus
A knock came to my front door. It was a small built, average height white guy in his late thirties, early forties dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt. "Excuse me sir, I need work. I have seven kids and a wife to feed." Kenny proceeded to tell me in his thick southern accent about his many skills; construction, lawn care, tile, mechanics and more. Due to downturns in the economy, Kenny was having great difficulty keeping steady employment.
As I am admittedly technically and mechanically challenged, I put Kenny to work. Upon discovering that I was a black man married to a white woman, Kenny looked surprised; not judgmental or disapproving, just surprised. Kenny did a meticulous job tiling a floor at our Arts Center. He tuned up my car and fixed my lawnmower. He poured the concrete for our patio; very professional, meticulously done. Kenny likes to listen to country music on his radio while he works. When Kenny was working on my patio, he asked if the music bothered me and offered to turn it off. I said, no problem, enjoy yourself.
When Kenny was working on our air conditioner, we chatted a bit. Through my typical probing questions, I learned that Kenny had a difficult childhood. His dad was an alcoholic. Kenny himself has also had problems with alcohol in the past. Kenny's wife is ill, suspected cancer. They have a combined family of seven kids from previous marriages. So, Kenny has a lot on his plate.
I am struck by this simple man's positive attitude, character and pride in everything he does. Kenny told me he has forgiven his dad and moved on. When hit with bad news about his wife's medical condition, Kenny's response blew me away. He said, "Sometimes "laufe" (life) challenges you and you just gotta deal with it." I thought, Wow!
Sadly, many in America today are infected with an entitlement mindset thinking they should reap the benefits of hard work by others. It was refreshing to meet Kenny, a man who does not believe anyone owes him anything and simply wants to work.
I've grown to have the utmost respect for Kenny. Rather than whining, he literally knocked on doors seeking work. He is a man of his word, does a great job and always goes the extra mile. He loves his kids and his wife. They are a happy family. My wife Mary and I are growing close to them. Though I do not require it, Kenny insists on addressing me as sir. Some would call Kenny a redneck, country music, southern drawl and many times shirtless. I call Kenny, a friend.
Lloyd Marcus, (black) Unhyphenated American.
LloydMarcus.com
Great Story
Inspiring.
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RESISTOR
Swear allegiance to the flag, whatever flag they offer;
Never hint at what you really feel.
Teach the children quietly for, someday, sons and daughters
Will rise up and fight while we stood still.
Der Elite Møøsënspåånkængrüppen ØberKømmändø (EMØØK)
Looks like two men able to look past the race of the other one.
Lloyd Marcus, I like you!
Thanks for posting. I really enjoy reading his articles. He is a true American!!
Last Saturday I arrived to find the line rather long to get to the bins and dump the trash. There was a seven or eight year old Chevy truck there, sporting a small confederate flag on the back window. It's twenty-something, tattooed driver noticed that a black man and what could have been his son had just emptied their twenty year-old heap of a truck, and were having trouble starting it. I was still inline so I had time to observe.
The young white guy walked over and asked the older black gentleman if he could help. He then retrieved some jumper cables and hooked them up to both vehicles, and eventually got the older truck going. The conversation was peppered with courtesy, including the young white guy referring to the elder black man as "sir".
How much longer will the race-baiters be able to maintain the lie that white America is congenitally racist?
I know there are at least two black residents of my town that have reason to believe otherwise now, and I bet they've experienced other actions that also put the lie to the prevailing meme. We all see these things every day.
Well by golly, I say let’s let them ILLEGAL ALIENS stay here...I’m so “touched”.
Ummm, it says that the guy in this story, “Kenny” was white, not hispanic.
A positive story.Thank you for posying it.
Gotta get kids ready for school, I'll come back later and try to make sense out of your reply.
Love you, Lloyd!
What Kenny has is called CHARACTER. He is his own man, lives from the heart and doesn’t try to be somebody else.
“A positive story.Thank you for posying it.”
It’s comforting to read that I’m not the only one making typos this morning. Error likes company.
Somebody should have checked your 6 before posting. I didn’t see a word about illegal aliens; unless you consider good ole southern boys illegal aliens, which I thought was a dimocrat trait. Of course illegals do go door to door looking for work, but this article was about a red-blooded American trying to improve his lot in life.
Since your sign-up date is very recent, you may not know that you can ask a Moderator to remove a post, when you see you have made a mistake in posting. Just hit the ‘abuse’ button and ask for the removal.
On the other hand, if you did mean what you wrote, could you explain why you posted it on this thread?
Dang Right!!! Theres NO WAY Oswald could have made that shot!!!!
On a weekly basis I’ll answer the door to at least, 2 illegal aliens looking for work.
How did you know it was a red-blooded American looking for work? Because he was white? Hmmm.
“”On a weekly basis Ill answer the door to at least, 2 illegal aliens looking for work””
I’m really trying but I can’t make the connection.
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