Front Porch Tales Read online

  Eventually, we’re going to want to pass a law about garage sizes so that everyone will have enough room to store their boats. Nothing trashes a neighborhood quicker than a bunch of boats sitting around in driveways. So I’m looking for a politician who will promise to put a boat in every garage. And if you’re serious about family values, you’ll join my crusade.

  Obviously, I’m kidding, except for what I said about boats costing lots of money. But some of the other solutions I hear seem just as silly. We require schools to teach family values. We demand that politicians legislate family values. We even expect Hollywood to promote family values. Everyone is supposed to instill family values, except for families.

  Let’s take it from the top. Schools are here to educate. Politicians are here to govern. Hollywood is here to make money. But families are here to nurture, to love, to support, and (dare I say it?) instill values.

  So how do we pass on values? We practice them as parents. Simple. But hard. Consistency is the key.

  If you want to teach peace, model forgiveness.

  If you want to teach abstinence from drugs, empty your liquor cabinet.

  If you want to teach integrity, keep your word.

  If you want to teach thrift, practice simplicity.

  If you want to teach sexual purity, don’t cheat on your spouse.

  If you want to teach compassion, rein in your judgment.

  If you want to teach mercy, be merciful.

  And take your children to church—a good, healthy church where love and compassion are not only preached, but practiced.

  Family values. They’re free, but they cost. Even more than boats.

  About the Author

  PHILIP GULLEY is the author of Hometown Tales, Porch Talk, and the acclaimed Harmony series, as well as the host of "Porch Talk with Phil Gulley" on the Indiana PBS affiliate WFYI television's flagship show Across Indiana. He and his wife, Joan, live in Indiana with their sons, Spencer and Sam. Visit the author online at www.philipgulleybooks.com.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  ALSO BY PHILIP GULLEY

  Nonfiction

  Hometown Tales

  For Everything a Season

  If Grace Is True (with James Mulholland)

  If God Is Love (with James Mulholland)

  Porch Talk

  Fiction

  Home to Harmony

  Just Shy of Harmony

  Christmas in Harmony

  Signs and Wonders

  Life Goes On

  A Change of Heart

  Almost Friends

  A Christmas Scrapbook

  Copyright

  Images unavailable for electronic edition.

  FRONT PORCH TALES: Warm-Hearted Stories of Family, Faith, Laughter, and Love. Copyright © 2001 by Philip Gulley. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  ePub edition December 2007 ISBN 9780061744068

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  About the Publisher

  Australia

  HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

  25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)

  Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia

  http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au

  Canada

  HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

  55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900

  Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada

  http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca

  New Zealand

  HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited

  P.O. Box 1

  Auckland, New Zealand

  http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz

  United Kingdom

  HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

  77-85 Fulham Palace Road

  London, W6 8JB, UK

  http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk

  United States

  HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

  10 East 53rd Street

  New York, NY 10022

  http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com