PEA RIDGE — Everyone has value, the problem arises when we fail to see each person’s unique value and measure them - or ourselves - by a faulty measuring line.
This week, hundreds of people mourned the loss of a lady who obviously touched many, many lives.
Patsy McAllister worked at the Pea Ridge schools.
If someone measured her life by what today’s culture says is valuable, by wealth or prestige, power or fame, she would not have value.
But, she was valuable and touched many lives; that is revealed by the comments of people about her and by the overwhelming number of people who attended both her visitation and funeral.
When I was a teen-ager, posters were popular. I hadbeen told not to use tape to place the posters on my bedroom wall, so I used straight pins. And, instead of wisely seeking a tack hammer, I just picked up whatever was close by in my room, maybe a shoe. But, once, and only once, I picked up my little silver hairbrush.
The brush was engraved with my name and was a gift from my grandparents. My grandfather was a manufacturing jeweler and I was the first-born of their first-born - the first grandchild and blessed with an abundance of silver items - silver teething ring, silver cup, silver hair brush and comb set.
The trouble was, I was not truly aware of their value.
Because of that, I damaged the brush.
Silver is soft. So, the back of the hairbrush that had been shiny and beautifully engraved with my name, was now dented and ugly.
Too often, we don’t value someone or something until it’s damaged.
We ridicule others because they’re not like us or because we don’t understand them.
I’ve heard adults deride small children for childish mistakes instead of encouraging and consoling them and helping them learn not to make the same mistake.
Sometimes, we devalue ourselves. That may be because we’ve been devaluedby others (as in the case of abuse) or because we compare ourselves to others and compare our weaknesses to their strengths.
Sadly, many people fail to live up to their value and end up so hurt that they must devalue others in order to make themselves feel better.
Editor’s note: Annette Beard is the managing editor of The Times of Northeast Benton County, the best small weekly newspaper in Arkansas. A native of Louisiana, she moved to northwest Arkansas in 1980 to work for the Benton County Daily Record. She has nine children, four sons-in-law, three grand sons, a granddaughter and another grandson due in Sep tember. She can be reached at [email protected].
Opinion, Pages 4 on 07/25/2012