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Rule 66 never began as a campaign or a slogan. It began with my mother. Her lessons came from an ordinary kitchen that always smelled of percolated coffee that she ground with a bright red hand cranked grinder. That space became my first classroom. I learned more about life at that table than any textbook ever taught me. That’s where she showed me how to treat people, when to hold my tongue, and how to live with grace even when life was messy.
Rule 66: It’s Genesis
She often said, “Think before you speak.” I used to roll my eyes, thinking it was about good manners. Later I learned it was about mercy. She wanted me to take a breath before I answered so my words would heal instead of harm. I still hear her voice whenever I sit down to write a journal or sit in front of a microphone in my home studio. Her voice is the checkpoint before I speak, reminding me to slow down and think it through.
Mom had a gift for humor that carried truth in it. People sometimes ask where I find my wit and that odd, backward humor. It was all her. She could make you laugh while slipping a sermon between your chuckles. She believed you could tell hard truth and still make people feel safe hearing it. A son and a mother’s love has a rhythm all its own. She didn’t just raise me; she shaped how I talk to the world.
Rule 66: Gratitude
When I was young, I complained that I didn’t have “Keds” canvas shoes like my friends. Mom just looked at me, standing there in my black and white Alpha Beta grocery-store hi-tops, the only pair she could afford as a single Mother, and said softly, “I once complained I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” That stopped me cold. Gratitude settled in that day and never left. She was teaching me to see what others carry instead of what I lack. That lesson still drives Rule 66 because it reminds me to look outward before I speak about myself.
I got a dream job at The Copper Penny Restaurant, I really tried hard to get it and once I was there…. it was horrible… Nothing like I thought. When I told her I quit and the reason why she said, “You’ll love eating sausage until you see it being made.” I laughed simply because it was sounded food related, but later I understood.
Rule 66: Grace
She was talking about grace. It looks neat when served, but it’s messy in the making behind the scenes. Kindness works the same way. It takes patience and humility to make it real. Rule 66 sounds simple when I say, “Leave people better than you found them.” It only becomes hard when someone tests your patience or pride. That’s when her words return. Choose decency when it costs you something.
Over time, her sayings turned into my compass… what I now call Rule 66. Before I post, preach, or tell a story, I stop and ask whether it leaves people better than I found them. Three simple questions keep me honest:
- Kindness in Action: Does this show compassion through action, not just words?
- Independent Thinking: Does this encourage thought instead of telling people what to think?
- Lift the Spirit: Will someone walk away a little lighter, wiser, or more hopeful?
Rule 66: Living The Idea
Those questions keep me steady. They make sure the miles I travel, both on the highway and through conversation, are not wasted. They remind me that every word has weight and I decide whether that weight lands like a stone or like a hand reaching out to help.
She never called it a rule. She just lived it. Her kindness didn’t ask for applause, and her humor softened edges that might have cut. Every story I tell on Faith and Good Courage rests on her foundation. She showed me that strength can whisper, that listening is sometimes the loudest form of love, and that silence can say what anger never will.
✨ Roadside Reflection:
These days I pray that others find their own version of Rule 66. It might not wear the same name, but the heart of it is the same. She’s been gone more than forty years now, yet her words still echo. Mom never needed a pulpit; she shared more gospel at that kitchen table than most sermons inside a church. Her words built the road I’m still traveling. My wish is that her wisdom finds you too. Take a breath before you speak. Offer grace before you argue. Never let someone leave you hungry, and lift the spirit before you leave the room. That’s the direction of Rule 66 — and it still points me home.
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