REFLECTIONS ON 74 YEARS..........

Men of The Storms Family, Circa 1937

This Picture Was Taken Around The Year of My Birth. I doubt that it will interest many other than me. My Dad was the man on the left. Followed by my Uncle Norman, who died when only 37. The short guy on the next right was my Uncle Ray, and the last was my Grandfather, Hardiman Franklin Storms. My grandmother, Dora was already dead of smallpox and buried for several years when this picture was taken.

How Could This Possibly Interest You? There is a good chance it may not. I remember when I was a teenager, I used to find visiting with my grandfather a chore since he only talked about things that happened long ago. What a opportunity I missed. I would give anything for an hour's conversation with him today.

I Was Considered The Brightest Member of The Family. I remember them saying, "That boy's smart, he's going to get himself an education so he won't have to work for wages like the rest of us." Grandpa dug graves, Dad and Uncle Ray grew carnations, and Uncle Norman was a sharecropper, growing crops on the land of others and paying them 25% for the privilege.

I Did Get An Education. I spent many years in universities taking courses in chemistry, psychology, math, and communications. In a way, I proved them right but actually one of the main reasons I spent so much time in higher education was to live up to their expectations. During that time, I found out that I was no smarter than the rest. Later, I found out that it's all "workin for wages." In my professional employment, I have earned money as a chemist, plastics engineer, real estate broker, mortgage broker, and financial consultant. It's been an interesting and varied career.

So What am I Proudest Of? I started at the age of 10, pulling weeds, picking strawberries, sacking corn, and cutting asparagus. I also washed dishes in a restaurant after school. This is blue collar work in its most primitive form. The four guys in the picture above spent their lives doing this kind of work. They got up at 5:30AM six days a week and worked until late afternoon. When they got home, they didn't take naps or watch TV (there was none). They built or added on to their houses, fixed anything that was broken, grew huge gardens, and grandpa even made quilts. My blue collar background taught me more than I possibly could have learned in 7+ years of university education. There can never be dishonor in honest work and I was never too well educated or too smart for any of it.

Why Do I Write This Stuff? I could tell you things that you might find more valuable about things like how to invest, how to borrow, and how to manage cash flow. I will do more of this in the future. I write stuff like this, not because I want to, but because I have to. If no one reads it but me, it will have been more than worth the effort.