I know that we go on and on about "The South" and the politics of "The South" but I just had a non-political experience that that reminded me that if you take the unfortunate cultural teachings out of the picture their are at the core some real "values" worth noting. Come below for the short story ...
The other day I got a call from one of my aunts - to let me know that a cousin of mine had passed away. Normally I would attend his services (a four+ hr drive away) but this happened to be the weekend I had plans to go north and visit my mom. She is too old to make the trip to the funeral, so I will go north to see her. It was my responsibility to call and order the flowers and that's where my story really starts and ends.
I called and spoke with the florist (in a small, not particularly well to do town in western South Carolina) and placed an order for a rather nice (>$100) floral display for my cousin. After placing the order, she took my name and address and thanked me. At which point I said, "Don't you need my credit card number now?"
Her response was, "Oh no, we don't take cards, we'll take care of your order, and I'll just send you a bill in a few days."
I imagine that the lady recognized my last name - after all it is the rural south and in that part of the county/state folks would probably have heard the last name - but I have NEVER had somebody I was doing business with for the first time, as a matter of business habit, just trust that a bill mailed would be paid.
Of interest, when I commented on her trust, she just laughed and said, "actually, we do better on having our bills paid by folks from out of town than some of the locals," - which probably is more a comment on the economy of the area than anything else.
Anyway - just a short non-political story about a little bit of goodness and trust out there. Made my day. I hope that it brings some "hope" to your day too.