His column related, in part, his visit to South Dakota and the rural people he met there. It reminded him that once you get away from the problems in the news and the troubles that are forever being reported in urban areas, America is still, indeed, blessed beyond measure.
I was so impressed by his reminder about this nation's beauty and the wonderful people who dwell in its heartland that I wrote him an email, to wit:
What a wonderful and uplifting column today on WND. It's nice to see something positive to counter the plethora of negative news we all hear.
I noted with interest your statement "People have a tendency to judge all by their immediate surroundings." That is so very true.
My husband and I live on a remote 20-acre homestead in north Idaho. We raise beef and dairy cattle, chickens (eggs and meat), small fruits, wheat (sometimes), and have a large garden. We are not unusual in this part of the country -- many around us are very self-sufficient. While our terrain is nowhere near as flat as South Dakota, we're just as capable (depending on what direction we drive) to go for hours without seeing a city.
There is relatively little crime in this area since everyone -- and I mean everyone -- is armed and, therefore, polite. The existing crime tends to be drug-related. (Sadly rural areas are not immune to the poison of drugs.) But on the whole, America's heartland is a place of deep faith, active church attendance, and fine people. Many children leave the area when they grow up and migrate into cities for jobs, but they bring with them a heritage of hard work, thrift, and conservative values.
Because we're surrounded by patriotic and independent citizens, I forget not everyone is like-minded. It's always shocking to travel to a big city (I take a business trip once a year) and see blatantly progressive opinions and attitudes from people who have no flipping clue how dependent they are on government, either directly or indirectly. When you cultivate your own food, a loaf of bread or a block of cheese (both made from raw ingredients) becomes a small God-be-thanked miracle rather than something taken for granted. The same applies to our Constitutional rights and liberties.
Keep up the excellent writing, and thank you for your accolades to rural America. If you ever find yourself in the area, please drop me a line. We'd love to give you a farm tour and treat you to a meal of home-grown organic grass-fed beef.
Mr. Kinchlow promptly replied as follows:
Thank you for a beautiful email that captured even more eloquently and succinctly all that I desired to convey vis-a-vis my trip. You "nailed it", and with your permission, I should like to quote much of your email in a follow up column. This IS the greatest country on the face of the earth, and I do not apologize for my love of it, and the people (like you and yours) who make it so. Thank you again, and may God continue to bless America and Americans. -- Ben Kinchlow
His piece appeared today, and I'm honored beyond belief that he chose to use my email. His newest column is entitled God's Blessings and my Bucket List.
We're on his bucket list, whoo-hoo!
