I had to pause and say a prayer for a family that was killed in car accident here in Atlanta. The victims consisted of 2 adults and 3 children. The children were killed, and as of now the Mother of one of the children is still in the hospital.

I am from Chicago and if you have ever been there you know we have a reputation for driving like crazy folks. I can remember as a teenager when I first got on the express way, my father who was in the passenger side said, “Rick don’t slow down just punch it and folks will get out of your way.” I have been driving like a nut every since. I am getting older now and I am driving a lot more responsible. This has come after of course receiving several speeding tickets in my lifetime. If you drive on highway 285 or 75/85 in Atlanta where I live you have seen road rage on a daily basis. I think sometimes, because this city was once a small town that thrived on agriculture and farming, that “big city” driving wasn’t considered when the Highways were constructed.

The city of Atlanta has emerged into a big city almost over night. It doesn’t matter where you are from, you will be able to meet someone from your hometown, in Atlanta. This place truly is the melting pot of America. It has a population of a big city but still the ideas of a small town. That’s good when you need southern hospitality and you want to be around genuinely good people, people originally from Georgia possess all that. When I say people originally from Georgia, I mean folks born at Grady (Grady babies) or if your parents had insurance then Crawford long is where you were probably born. These individuals are easy going, good spirited people who have opened up there homes and city to all us prodigal sons and daughters coming back to the south and I personally thank you.

The problem is people who move here from Chicago, New York and Los Angeles we are accustom to rush hour being at certain times. These times are usually between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. In the evening it starts at around 3:00p.m. and ends around 6:30 p.m. these times are not the same in Atlanta. You can get on 285 any time of the day 3:00a.m in the morning and the traffic is crazy it can be 2:00 am in the morning and there is a traffic jam on 75/85 and no one is moving. A lot of people from Georgia are ok with the traffic and the slow pace as it fits the life style of the people here. On the other hand, people from other cities try to get around cars and drive like nuts to get where they are going. This causes some people in the south to drive a little more aggressive because of the disrespect they feel from impatient people who just can not seem to wait for traffic to move.

The people from other cities get frustrated because they can not believe with all these people living here the highways don’t have more lanes and that people seem to be okay with just waiting. In cities like Chicago, people will blow there horns like crazy until somebody starts to move. I have not heard the horns here but I have seen people get out of there cars and start fist fighting. I am from the Chi, and at times my little bitty self thinks I am tuff but, I am not getting out my car. I will, however, run you over if you come up to my car talking crazy. Anyway, the point I am making is when in Rome do as the Romans do. We all have heard that but in this case I think it fits the situation.

The citizens of Georgia are beautiful and have excepted and opened their arms to all of us, so lets leave the impatience, the boot leg gangs, and all the other foolishness we bring as baggage from where we came from, there and lets become more patient especially on the roads where men, women and children families are also traveling and could possible loose there life to someone who is in a rush to basically no where. I watched the news on Easter Sunday and I wanted to just stop and say a prayer for this family who had lost so much because of a person driving like me and acting like a nut. When I am running late for now on I will think of what my beautiful Christian mother taught me. She would say Richard slow down what God has for you no one can take. If it is meant for you then no time or place can stop you from having it. At the time of this writing the driver of the vehicle that killed this family still has not come forward. I am praying also for the driver and asking him/her to come forward and give closure to this family and community. This article is dedicated to Robert and Delisia Carter, the couples newborn son, Ethan Blake and Delisia Carter 9 year old daughter, Kayla who were all killed when a BMW crashed into their Mercedes Benz on Camp Creek Parkway. The Carters car slammed into another vehicle and killed Morgan Johnson, 6 years old and injured her mother who at the time of this writing is still in the hospital. May The Creator of the Heavens and the Earth be with them. Until truth prevails my eyes will be watching.

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