x-sender: governor.haley@sc.lmhostediq.com x-receiver: governor.haley@sc.lmhostediq.com Received: from mail pickup service by sc.lmhostediq.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Thu, 23 Jun 2016 21:19:11 -0400 thread-index: AdHNtmmF2RpaYM6zQMet4YpS5DuLXg== Thread-Topic: I wanted to share an excerpt of my article that was in a three part series in the Horry County Independent From: To: Subject: I wanted to share an excerpt of my article that was in a three part series in the Horry County Independent Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2016 21:19:10 -0400 Message-ID: <1D6EF32BC05546CEA1019FCA1739F4B9@IQ12> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Microsoft CDO for Windows 2000 Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message Importance: normal Priority: normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.1.7601.17609 X-OriginalArrivalTime: 24 Jun 2016 01:19:11.0106 (UTC) FILETIME=[69ABBE20:01D1CDB6] CUSTOM Mr. Pete Lee Baker MSW 217 Loblolly Ln Myrtle Beach SC 29579 bakerpetelee@yahoo.com 843-231-5658 LETT I wanted to share an excerpt of my article that was in a three part series in the Horry County Independent 71.68.210.5 Try and find a homegrown southerner anymore in the south. Northerners have been moving down here in herds since the early 90s. I believe that the reasons are much deeper than lower taxes, nice weather and the laid back life; deeper than the beach and barbeque, even deeper than southern hospitality. I can see why people move south and I believe the reasons are larger than the sunshine and slower more simple life that is why my wife and I have made SC my home. SC had such an imprint on us, the pull was so strong that it was not long before we made our decision to move to SC and make it our home. We did not come here to retire, we moved our whole lives here starting new jobs and buying a home. This is not a place we would have chosen normally, because we like the mountains and lakes and don't much care for flat land. Now I am not a SC expert, I haven't yet been everywhere in the state but I will get there. Preferably on my Harley with my wife on the back. I have been many places, I have traveled around the country but this is home. This is where I belong. SC is a special place. Home is much more about people than it is about a place. Maybe people move here because the people here are so friendly, they are kind and caring, giving people who help each other. Maybe it's the sense of community and family values here. The sunshine is great the southern hospitality is unprecedented, full of grace and manners. All of these things defiantly contribute to making it special here, and all of these things help me feel connected to SC. What I discovered is you can see America here. Traces of our past that we have lost. I see traces here of what America was as we were growing up. Now I grew up very poor and we moved around a lot and my childhood was full of pain and trauma. But there was hope, even for me and families like mine. Almost the whole country, no matter where you lived or grew up, had hope and promise for the future and love and respect for life and our fellow man. It was a common familiarity throughout the United States that bound us all together. The America of small towns of hard working self-sufficient people, of family farms and community picnics and gatherings, where people worked together, prayed together, played and ate together. Praying before and after meetings, meals, and events. The kind of America where we raise money for causes, respected each other even if we didn't agree or didn't like each other. The kind of America that we had pride in, that stood for something we could all be proud of. An America of hope and promise. Where we believed that all things were possible with hard work and doing the right things. I am all for progress but we lost the substance of who we are as a people. I am not one to live in the past but morality has to be a part of our progress. It is harder and harder to find people who will do the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing. Change and growth are a necessary for us to survive and we need technological and scientific advancements but progress cannot come at the expense losing who we are as a people. Remember when you knew who your neighbors were and could leave your doors unlocked. You will find that here in SC, it's a place where you can see compassion, integrity and Godly men doing Godly things and people genuinely care about each other enough to sacrifice and help others. This is a place where God has not been removed from everything or kicked out of daily life. This I believe is the reason SC has God's favor is on. When my wife and I are out enjoying SC, we see people praying. We hear people talking about Jesus. We also feel comfortable expressing ourselves with our faith in pubic. This does still happen in some places, but it is rare. I believe that SC is reaping what it has sown. I think people see love here and they don't realize what it is that draws them here, but they can see God here in daily living. It is inviting, welcoming, and a comfort. You can see Gods hands at work here in people lives. You will see Bibles in public places, In God we trust on License Plates, Open prayer and the pledge of allegiance in schools and the Ten Commandments on the walls of government buildings. In many places in America today the Bible is no longer allowed to be used for any reason. Here in SC it still is a part of daily life. Now I realize SC is not a utopia and SC has it problems but the country has gotten so far away from God that it is now strange to see what is good and healthy in public places. We have been made to feel as if there is something wrong with us displaying our expression of emotion and our faith. It now feels foreign to most of us to be open and comfortable expressing ourselves, like we are doing something wrong, like we should live in shame and fear. Because it is still here when people see it or feel it, they are drawn to it .I truly believe that's why people are drawn here and feel a strong connection to SC. People go where they get their needs met and in today's world we live such unhealthy lives that people are hurting and longing for the substance of life, the simplistic things in life, and the things that truly matter. It gives you feelings of hope and possibility for the future. Coming here allows you to understand and know how much we have lost and how far we have lost our way as a country and a society. Here hope, faith and love are real. The promise of a better tomorrow. Love and compassion are visible in daily life here, and so is Jesus.