Probably all of us have heard the oft-quoted slogan that has been attached to the association of postal carriers. “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” It’s not an official creed; there is no such thing for the United States Postal Service.

In reality, the quote is much older than the USPS. It first appeared in the Histories by Herodotus, who lived and wrote historical books about the ancient world almost 500 years before Christ was born. The sentence that I quoted is from his writings and refers to the couriers of the Persian Empire, according to an online site.

I was thinking about the meaning behind the quote as I pondered a subject for today. The deluge we received on Saturday, 4-5 inches of rain, brought the quote to mind. That was more rain than we had received in quite a while and could have been a good reason for all activities on Saturday to be rendered null and void, but life goes on, doesn’t it?

In our little portion of the world, important to us no doubt, but not a very large expanse of geographical territory, the rain and potentially worse weather did not stop the world from spinning. Thank the Lord!

It’s hard to keep perspective. The various kinds of media would have us think that the most important things going on are those things that they feed us on their airways, screens, and pages.

Did you hear what Rush Limbaugh said and what do you think should happen to him? Why won’t the President do something about the rapidly rising price of gasoline? How are we going to live now that the latest diva has died? The GOP frontrunner for the Presidency, whoever it is today, doesn’t stand a chance against the current occupier of the office. Only about one-half of the people in America today pay taxes, which thinking from the opposite point of view means the other half are freeloading.

The national debt has risen to almost $16 trillion dollars and the current budget, which is not really a budget, but simply spending what we want, will add much more. Unemployment diminishes a little and everybody is ready to sing, “Happy Days Are Here Again,” yet nobody really believes that happy days will ever come back.

Fox News says one thing and, if you want to hear the very opposite, turn the channel to CNN. The government does nothing this year because it’s an election year and all problems are “on hold.” Get my drift?

Meanwhile, where the rubber meets the road and wind blows and the rains fall, there is work that must be done. There are real people sick and dying. There are barbecues scheduled for the good of the community. There are heroes to honor and banquets to attend. Will the rain prevent the hard working people from carrying on? The world turns despite all the negative news that comes our way. Once again, thank the Lord.

The sun might not have shone on Friday, but it came up and the Volunteer Fire Department had work to do. Barbecue plates were to be sold Saturday, come rain or shine, and the selling of hot air just wouldn’t do. There were expectations to be met and, by golly, they would be. The good and hard work of many people continued despite the price of gasoline and weather that could not be controlled.

A family lost a beautiful matriarch and plans had to be made that would honor her in the way that was deserved. The good and bad events of her life had not kept her from being the loving mother and grandmother she had been and a do-nothing Congress or the controversies of today would not stand in the way of her family remembering her. Not even 5 inches of rain.

Four deserving people who had been great examples of dedication and perseverance were scheduled to be inducted into the Decatur County Sports Hall of Fame. The invitations had been sent, the room reserved, the food prepared, the game was on. The heroes to be honored had not allowed the vagaries of weather to deter them in their pursuits of excellence; weather would not stop our show of appreciation.

The heartland of our country, the small communities, the suffering families, the real people of America are out and about doing their jobs and, sometimes, are called upon to do those jobs in spite of the hot sun, the rainy days, the breaking of their hearts, the ups and downs of life. Gasoline prices go up and it hurts, but they still punch the clock on Monday morning. They have no choice.

The television news has the time to cover the latest death of the greatest singer of all time, whoever they might tell us that is this week. Every day there is the latest breaking news and the report that follows would have us think that the world is about to end, but most hard-working Americans won’t see it because they are busy doing something to make their part of the world a little better.

Here is what I wish. I wish that those people I know who take care of their business with pride and responsibility were running the country. I wish those people who work hard to care for their families, who won’t let 5 inches of rain keep them from doing things that are good and honorable, would run for office so I could vote for them.

I wish those people who overcome their latest pain and illness to attend the Sunday services or the community meeting because that is just the way they were taught as they grew up would get to run the world. Then we might get some answers to questions that seem so complicated but might not be if approached with the honesty and integrity with which they live their lives.

But that won’t happen. Because they don’t have the time; they’re too busy doing something!