“THERE’S MONEY TO BE MADE IN AMERICA”

Those are Ms. Agnes Heath’s words. Just after she shed her last tear at the news that just lost your good steel mill job, government job, hospital job, Nabisco Cookie job, factory job with benefits, etc. she would stand to her full 4’10” height, stretching upwards to gather her thoughts. Then she would take a deep sigh and say these magic words,

“There’s money to be made in America.”

As a depression-era survivor, one-generation removed from slavery, Mrs. Heath knew about hard times, no money - no honey, bills piled up. And she never forgot the flood of ’27 when the levee broke and 18 babies died down in The Bottoms. But she did not have much time nor patience for self-pity. Too much work to do. Too many mouths to feed.

And still, she insisted, “There’s money to be made in America.”

Mrs. Heath laughed a lot, loved a lot and didn’t sway from her mantra as she pulled out the newspaper Want Ads for you or made a personal phone call to Cousin Snooky whose boss was hiring for day work.

So how would Mrs. Heath view the current economic downturn? How would she be able to give comfort to those of us who are clinging by our nail-tips trying to stay afloat in this sea of financial ill-will? What advice could she give from her old memories of soup lines and hand-outs that her generation endured for their survival?

She would first say, “There’s money to be made in America.”

If you did not get her drift, Mrs. Heath would talk about following the goodness in your heart while giving good service to fellow man. For instance, if you had a big house and no money – why not share your house with someone who needed a place to stay? She did. She took in two roomers as she entered her 80’s and as she liked to say with a wink,
“We never ate catfood.” (Can you say Lackawanna Blues?)

Often, Mrs. Heath would ask you if you loved kids? Plenty of em in Foster Care that need a loving home. And plenty of handicap and/or lonely seniors in need of home and family.

“There’s money to be made in America.”

Yard sales, consignment shops, etc. – Your junk could be somebody else’s treasure.

If you get a nickel, save 2 cents.

Go to school – get a government loan.

Deliver pizzas, groceries.

Walk dogs.

Babysit babies, children, elderly people.

“There’s money to be made in America.”

Remember your childhood? What did you love to do? Can you do it today?

Bake a cake – have a bake sale.
Bar-B-Que on Big Daddy’s Pit – Sell Bar-B-Que! Ummm…Reminds me of summers in St. Louis, the Bessie Smith Strut in Chattanooga, and North Carolina pulled meat sandwiches with cole slaw on top!

Did you play in Autumn leaves? Do yardwork.

“There’s money to be made in America.”

Volunteer. Volunteer. Volunteer. A lot of people in influential positions do charity work. Those are the names you need to get to know. Hanging around BB and ‘nem is not going to broaden your horizons or introduce you to movers and shakers.

Now, Mrs. Heath died at 102. She didn’t live to see the internet, or even computers. But if she were here today – you’d best bet she would be a webmaster millionaire. I can see her blockbuster workbook, autobiography, Instructional CD’s and DVD’s now:

“THERE’S MONEY TO BE MADE IN AMERICA.”