Conscience noun
1.the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one's conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action: to follow the dictates of conscience.
2.the complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual.
3.an inhibiting sense of what is prudent: I'd eat another piece of pie but my conscience would bother me.
Hopefully we all still have our conscience alive and intact within us, but sometimes I allow my rationalization to speak louder than my conscience. I'm sure you never have that problem.
I just wondered......how would you act differently is this lady (pictured above) followed you around?
As I said, her name was Vanda Viola Geddie Pryor and she was my great, great aunt and I thought she was amazing. On Saturday mornings, when my dad was at work, our household slept a little later. My brother, Scott and I didn't really fall in line with this plan, so it was in our best interest to get out of the house. We were only 5 and 6 so our options were limited. Aunt Vanda lived in a white house at the end of our driveway, so we were allowed to 'adventure' there unchaperoned. She was always awake and ready for us. My memories of those mornings are that it always seemed like she was just waiting for us to arrive because
it was the most important part of her day.
She was a school teacher in Jones County and was the first teacher to retire and receive a pension in here, cool, huh? She was ALWAYS at church when church was going on. She kept her square, flat cushion at HER seat on her pew. (And you know how we Baptist are about having 'our spot') I doubt that anybody ever challenged her place at Tucker's Crossing Baptist Church....you just wouldn't.
Her father came home from the civil war, having been injured, and thus was addicted to morphine. Well, she wasn't having any of that...She locked both he and her in the house for a month with no outside visits or visitors until he was "cured". A strong woman was she.
Other people may remember her differently, but to me she was just what I wanted to be like at 90; making the best cinnamon toast, serving hot chocolate on the porch swing and letting my great, great niece brush out my long grey hair. I'm sure she was a mixture of many traits, I guess that happens when you get close to the century mark, but she always seemed to know the right thing to do.
So if Vanda Viola followed you around tomorrow..would you act differently? Or maybe you have your own Vanda....your grandmother....your mother....your next door neighbor?
How would you act if
she lived with you
or
down at the end of your driveway.
How would you act if twice a week you gave her a report on your activities.....could you be completely honest?