You Say Goodbye. And I Say Hello.

by Guest Blogger and Friend of Project Interfaith, Donella Liddell Frazier.

Before I left for church on Sunday I was reading the Daily Bread. The particular lesson was in reference to 1 Corinthians 12:14 which read “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.” It reminded me of one of the African’s proverb my parents used to quote when my siblings & I were growing up, “It takes a village to raise a child.” As an adult I understand that this is a holistic view on raising a child as a communal effort.  This view places emphasis on family relationships, parental care & overall concern for other human beings.  This thought made me ponder how often we as a society tend to not take our place in this communal effort.  I began to reason with myself, I don’t want to interject because I don’t want to impose my beliefs & values on someone. I don’t interject because we may not share the same beliefs or values. 

The reality is that we all contribute to the success of everyone else. This is done in our daily walks. You never know the impact your words or actions may have on someone who may be in need of good cheer or encouragement. This morning I actually tested this theory on a couple of people at the gas station by using the simple gesture of smiling & saying good morning. The responses I received were quite interesting. People who appeared to be younger or the same age as I would just respond, “Good morning,” without any other acknowledgement. But people who appeared to be older would stop, recognize my gesture with a smile and say, “Good morning young lady and thank you for that beautiful smile.”  My parents are part of the Baby boomer generation.  As for me, I was born into the Generation-X era.  And then there is Generation Y.  Different genrations, yes.  But each of us is a separate part of one body which means we all work together for the greater good regardless of ethnicity, faith, gender, social economic status, smile, no smile or which generation you were born into.” 

So why such different responses between the generations?  What are your thoughts?

Donella Liddell Frazier is the Program Evaluator at the Omaha Home for Boys.  In addition she serves as an adjunct faculty member at Nebraska Wesleyan, as well as the Omaha School of Massage and Healthcare of Herzing University. She received her B.S. degree in Speech Communication from University of Nebraska at Omaha and her M.S. in Human Services with an emphasis in Counseling from Capella University. She has been active in the area of youth and social services for over seven years. Her experience includes program evaluation, writing children’s books, grant writing, interior design and event planning.