Part of my plan was to get lost on purpose, so at each intersection I chose the road less traveled.  So I was at least partially successful on this day because I had no clue where I was.  I knew I was in Cleburne County but not sure where this road was going to take me; but of course that was the plan, so I felt pretty good about not knowing where I was.  What I did know was that on this road I would find something to photograph, even if it was just a bug or a sunset.  You would be surprised at the strange, beautiful and wonderful things you can find if you just search for them.

        As I drive through a small community named Borden Springs I pass by a hand painted sign that read, Cherry Grove Cemetery.  So I make a u-turn and take a long stroll through this little graveyard.  The grass would never be described as manicured nor would the markers ever be called elaborate or expensive but this place held a special charm.  The birds sang exceptionally well and the gentle breeze seemed to hum along in perfect harmony as I walked through the unmarked avenues of this silent city.

        In the middle of the graveyard I came upon this rugged old fence.  It surrounded a few old stones that served as memorials to a long ago departed family.  Its bars were rusted and uneven from years spent alone and exposed to the sometimes harsh Alabama weather.  As I stood looking at this fence I began to see similarities between it and my own life.   Here was a fence whose sole purpose was to claim a spot of ground for itself and prevent others from using it.  This fence was not built to keep people in, but to keep people out.  It was a selfish fence.

        Selfishness always brings rust and decay.  The philosophy of “me first” has the power to blow our world to pieces, whether applied to marriage, business, or international politics.  Selfishness turns life into a burden. Unselfishness turns burdens into life!  I wonder how much misery have I brought upon myself from the selfish fences I have built.  We build our fences and hoard our stuff into its rusted bars only to find that our fences have become our prisons.  Selfishly we build our fences and too late we realize that we have fenced more out than we have fenced in.  He who lives only for himself is truly dead to others; because selfishness is a deadly fence.  Happiness is a choice; choose to share and tear the fences down.

Something to think about:

• What we have done solely for ourselves dies with us; what we have done for others remains and is eternal.

• If you wish to be miserable, think much about yourself; about what you want, what you like, what respect people ought to pay you, and what people think of you.

• No one is so empty as when he is filled with thoughts of himself.

• Half of our trouble comes from wanting our way—the other half comes from having it.

• How empty is a life that is filled with nothing but things.

• When you are wrapped up in yourself, you are overdressed.

• At the end of life we’ll find that the only things we’ve lost were those we tried to keep.

• It is better to give than to lend, and the cost is about the same.

• Can a man love his Father while ignoring the need of his brother?

• He is a slave of the greatest slave who serves nothing but himself.

• He suffers most who is most selfish.

Be thankful for your unselfish friends