How we honor those who serve...

I had the privilege of spending a few hours with a veteran of World War 2 yesterday and he said something that stuck with me which I have been thinking about ever since. He lamented that his children had never served in the military, not that he wanted them to go to war, but that they would never really understand what it is like to be a soldier. I too do not fully understand this because I have not had the experience. I have read many accounts of their experiences but that does not bring real understanding.

He then told me of coming home, his first stop upon returning home, to ask the girl he left behind to marry him. He related to me some of his life experiences and what they meant to him. He went to work, raised a good family and served his fellow man. He is an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, a true hero who saved a generation, then went on with the important, but ordinary things in life. I'm sure that many he knew didn't come home with him, he didn't talk about that. It is to him and millions like him that we give our honor this day.

May we honor them by remembering their sacrifice, but also by living the principles that will keep us a free people, thereby respecting their sacrifice and service not trampling these under our feet. God bless these wonderful men and women. From one who can never fully understand...

Winners never quit, are you a winner?

There was once a boy who really wanted to be a winner. So he set his goal and went to work. He worked and trained really hard. When the day of the race came he looked at his competition and thought I just might win. As the race began it became apparent that he had some stiff competition. As the race progressed some fell off pace while he and another took the lead. At the final turn, it was anyone's race and the boy thought that he might just win, but his hopes were dashed as his competitor inched ahead at the last moment and won the race. The boy thought to himself, I may have lost this time, but I am not going to give up. Starting today I will work harder than ever before. I won't let this get me down or make me angry, I am a winner and winners never quit. How about you?

Couch Potato or Guru, Which One Are You?

I was preparing for a class the other day and I came across some old notes that I wrote down from a class that I took. They were interesting to read because they brought me back to some of the things that have motivated me to further my education. We were talking about what level of learning we were at and what our motivations are at these different levels, take a look and see where you fit and perhaps where you ought to be. Level 1- Couch Potato- you hate learning. Level 2- Money Tree- learn for money, trade manuals, pursuit of property. Level 3- Self- Interest- What interests me or makes me happy. Level 4- Believer - Feel a duty and responsibility to learn, you're disciplined. Level 5- Breadth- Love to learn, changing becoming, you pursue your passion. Level 6- Depth- Dedicated, unending quest for knowledge. Level 7- Ultimate Synergy- You learn to be a statesman, a creator, learn and work for a higher cause. We all fit somewhere in these levels and it doesn't matter where we might be at this moment, what matters is, are we looking to move to a higher one? Wherever we might be there is so much more out there that we could learn, we just need to keep working at it. The journey of education is just that, a journey. There is no end to what we can learn and the joy we find in educating ourselves is the reward for our efforts.

Quick thoughts...

I just finished re-reading "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens and it brought to light a few thoughts I want to share. First, a society entranced with money and power has a short lifespan. Second, violence and revolution by an ignorant people only begets more violence and misery. Lastly, the only way to make a real difference is to look inside yourself, make the changes necessary and then focus outward.

Who is the Enemy?

I generally don't get too religious here, but I was re-reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew this week and I ran across a principle that should be a bedrock in our society. Jesus said that we should love our enemies. At first glance that is a very tall order. Love our enemy? Really? I have always had a struggle understanding this counsel. Society today teaches that we should hate and punish our enemies. Daily accounts in the news show how we are punishing our enemies and how much they hate us in return. We not only punish the offender, we also dole out punishment to he who might do us wrong in the future. How long can the rhetoric of hate go on? I talked this over with my wife and she said something which brought this into perspective for me. She said that the only way we can love our enemies is to see them as someone who feels justified in their actions and who has their own hopes and dreams. In other words, we need to see them as we see ourselves. Until we do that we can't love them. A great example of this is shown in a book I have been reading called "Blood Brothers" by Elias Chacour. It is a story of Christian Palestinians who lived through the time when Israel moved into their country after World War 2. Elias as a young boy saw his home taken from him and his family displaced. His people were then treated as pariahs by the world, because some of his fellow Palestinians protested their treatment. Elias learned to love his enemies despite his persecutions and has brought much good into his world. He could only do this because he learned to see his enemies as people who were really the same as he was. The media only shows our enemies as an angry mob, we never see the individual. We see generalizations that may not be a true accounting of what is really going on. Why does the Arab World hate us so much? Why do we hate them back? Because that is what we have been taught to do. If we keep nurturing this hate then we must continue to send our sons and daughters out to fight and die. At some point we need to take the higher ground and try to know these people we are fighting. I think we will find that they are people just like us who are being fed their own brand of propaganda. If you truly desire to love everyone, including your enemy, they must be seen as real people who have their own hopes and dreams. Until we can do that there won't be true peace in the world. Jesus could love everyone because He didn't see them as Jew or Gentile, He saw them as individuals. I think we better follow His lead.

My Dream Candidate

As I have been watching the candidates for the upcoming local and national elections I have had a consistent thought run through my mind. Why don't I feel inspired when I listen to the candidates? I hear ramblings about jobs, the economy, healthcare, bloated government, and which candidate will give me more stuff, none of which inspires me. I need a candidate who can tell me how wonderful it is to live in a free country. Someone who can inspire greatness in a people and move them to better themselves. I need a candidate who can show me why I want to be an American, that can bring pride of citizenship to the forefront. Someone who can help me to deny my selfish motivations and reach out and help others so the government wouldn't have to. Where can I find such a person? Where have they all gone? Dare I say that a candidate of this caliber won't be found until these traits and values are brought back into our homes. We have a drought of leadership in America and I daresay that we deserve it. If a parent can become an inspiration to his children, then the children can be inspired to something greater than they have been. We can only lift if we are on higher ground. Let's take the high road and do what it takes get ourselves into a position to help others, then perhaps there will come a candidate who is inspirational in word and deed.

Don't Put Off 'Til Tomorrow What Should Have Been Done Yesterday

The past few weeks I have been re-staining my log home. This is one of those jobs that I have been putting off for a while until finally I couldn't wait any longer or there would have been lasting damage done to my home. Now, I like to build things and I get real satisfaction from it, but painting never has done much for me, hence the procrastination. This monotonous job has given me a little time to think and I have been able to draw some parallels from this project to my life. The first is that I can put important things off only so long. People seem to think that we can neglect ourselves and no one will notice. When we seek to hide our lack of growth or avoid the work it takes to improve, justifying ourselves in our lack of effort, we tend to magnify our problems. The second is that once I have let something go too long without correction it takes a lot of hard work to put myself back into shape. A great example of this in my life is my tendency to eat wrong and not exercise. It is so easy to do this, requiring no effort. On the other hand, to eat right and get myself into good physical shape is such hard work! Getting myself into good mental and spiritual shape can be even harder. This requires hard work as well. The rewards for doing so are awesome. I love the feeling of being a well honed instrument when I keep myself in good physical, mental and spiritual shape. So, let's stop putting off the inevitable and begin the work it will take to improve ourselves, the reward will be awesome!