Self Improvement Blogs

____ boazpower.com ____(February 24, 2003) Quick – before you have that next peanut butter sandwich – who invented peanut butter? There are clues in the life of this inventor that can help us move through challenging times. His story of great achievements is a testament to persistence and quiet perseverance. He was born to a slave girl, on a plantation in Diamond Grove, Missouri, around 1864. No one seems to know the exact year. Shortly before his birth, his father died in an accident. He and his mother were kidnapped by slave raiders. Although the baby was returned to the plantation, his mother was never to be seen again. He grew up in post-emancipation Missouri under the care of his parents former owners. As a small child, he was prone to illness and was very frail. Thus, he was not strong enough to work in the fields. Relegated to household chores and gardening, he explored the woods around his home and developed an interest in plants. He collected a large variety of wild plants and flowers, which he planted in a garden. That interest grew to such a point, as he helped neighbors and friends with ailing plants, that he became known as the plant doctor. Since there were no schools for African Americans in Diamond Grove, he learned how to read, write and spell at home. He had exceptional observational skills and a keen curiosity. Although his interests in music and art were strong, he excelled in botany and horticulture and was encouraged to go into the graduate program …