I recall a recent encounter with a man wearing muddy boots who reminded me of the true greatness of our country.

A couple of weeks ago, while responding to emails at my desk, that man (a friend) knocked on the door and asked to speak with me. I invited him in to sit down. For about the next 15 minutes, our discussion focused on a few issues of the day. My friend is a job creator who works outdoors from daylight to dark. As he left following our talk, he was unaware mud from his boots was left behind on the office carpet.

While retrieving a vacuum cleaner to remove the dried mud, I recalled what an attorney once told me, “That mud on our floors, pays the bills!”

What a true statement.

That mud represents working people. Mud on our floors represents hard work. Mud on our floors represents men and women who get up every day to make our communities a better place to live, work, worship and play. What that mud represents is all the taxpayers who fund government. Mud on the floors represents all those unsung heroes who fuel our economy.

If it wasn’t for the people who have mud on their boots our communities and our country would not function.

For far too long, too many elected officials and unelected bureaucrats on the local, state and federal levels have forgotten what mud represents, or they simply don’t understand it at all. Too many of those same officials and bureaucrats believe government was created to be served by the taxpayers.

In our probate office, we see mud frequently and count it a blessing to have mud on our floors. It is great to enter the courthouse every day and serve people from all walks of life. I am especially proud to be able to serve those who track mud into the courthouse. I will never forget what that mud represents.

As we embark into 2017, it is my hope that those of us in all levels of government will never forget who we truly serve, the people.

Wes Allen is currently serving as Probate Judge in Pike County. You can follow him on Twitter @judgewesallen