It's Sunday, May 29th, and I am watching the Memorial Day musical special on PBS and I am crying.
Is it the power of the hymns for the various branches of the Armed Forces of the US?
Is it the stories written by our military about their battles, their injuries, their future?
Is it the stories by the families of deceased veterans about fear and loneliness and emptiness?
Is it because I don't always appreciate the sacrifice others make?
That same sacrifice guarantees that I can write this type of drivel without limitation or being ridiculed or hunted or silenced.
To all the members of our armed forces, active, retired, deceased...and their families...I remember.
...........................................................................................................................................thank you!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
bad start
Going to work this morning, two lane road, driving rain...some guy coming towards me crossed the center line and ripped the mirror off the driver's side of my car. And he never stopped...the big poophead. Luckily Chris was my passenger and while I surveyed the damage, he went back and picked up all the pieces of debris from the road to prevent other drivers from hitting them and causing damage.
Of course, while we were both out of the vehicle, with my umbrella securely on the back seat, we got soaked.
I am trying to figure out what happened. I have a few theories. One - The other driver may have been distracted by the rain and not realized he was coming right at me. Two - he may have been late, or drunk, or uninsured and knew any or all would get him in major trouble if he did stop. Three - he may have not even realized he was that close to me so when he heard the "thunk" thought he had just thrown up a rock or something.
On the bright side, no severe damage to my vehicle and no personal injury. I like to think he may have been jolted to awareness and that the "thunk" will prevent him from doing it again and maybe killing someone.
AND, when I look at the pieces of debris my son picked up - the shattered plastic and broken mirror, I see the golden brown shell casing that housed a driver's side mirror and I am at peace.
You see, my car is blue.
Of course, while we were both out of the vehicle, with my umbrella securely on the back seat, we got soaked.
I am trying to figure out what happened. I have a few theories. One - The other driver may have been distracted by the rain and not realized he was coming right at me. Two - he may have been late, or drunk, or uninsured and knew any or all would get him in major trouble if he did stop. Three - he may have not even realized he was that close to me so when he heard the "thunk" thought he had just thrown up a rock or something.
On the bright side, no severe damage to my vehicle and no personal injury. I like to think he may have been jolted to awareness and that the "thunk" will prevent him from doing it again and maybe killing someone.
AND, when I look at the pieces of debris my son picked up - the shattered plastic and broken mirror, I see the golden brown shell casing that housed a driver's side mirror and I am at peace.
You see, my car is blue.
Monday, May 23, 2011
These questions need to be answered...
Why did I want to be older when I was younger and wish I was younger now that I am old?
Why is salt bad for you when it makes things taste so good?
Why do we eat fat-free everything when the "natural" items have fat? (think about milk)
If muscle weighs more than fat, why do we keep trying to turn our fat into muscle? (Healthy people, don't overthink this one. It's just a question.)
Why do we blame music and tv for corrupting our youth, but never credit Christian radio and clean shows for their purity?
Why is he MY son when he does something good and HIS FATHER'S son when he is screwing up?
Why do we say "how are you?" when we have no time to hear the answer? And what does "fine" mean, anyway?
Why do we expect to have fun when they call it work?
That's all for now.
Why is salt bad for you when it makes things taste so good?
Why do we eat fat-free everything when the "natural" items have fat? (think about milk)
If muscle weighs more than fat, why do we keep trying to turn our fat into muscle? (Healthy people, don't overthink this one. It's just a question.)
Why do we blame music and tv for corrupting our youth, but never credit Christian radio and clean shows for their purity?
Why is he MY son when he does something good and HIS FATHER'S son when he is screwing up?
Why do we say "how are you?" when we have no time to hear the answer? And what does "fine" mean, anyway?
Why do we expect to have fun when they call it work?
That's all for now.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
WIN WIN SITUATION
Ever been to a professional sporting event? Before the game, it’s full of tension and promise. We sit – waiting – sometimes the lights dim. The spotlight comes on, shining in a corner and suddenly you hear…
Welcome your Milwaukee Bucks – or Green Bay Packers – or Milwaukee Brewers.
The crowd jumps to their feet, cheering…they have no idea if there will be a win or loss…they are anticipating the best as they welcome THEIR TEAM to the floor.
What about worship?
It’s 7:55am – the worship team is making final preparations and as they walk up to the altar, we scarcely notice. They call us to stand – we do. They start to sing – we sing too. We listen – we sit – we go home – we are blessed.
What if the two situations were reversed?
What if we arrived in church filled with nervous anticipation? We come in. We do general admission, though some of us seem to think we have season seats.
We sit on the edge of our seats, exchanging pleasantries with those around us, but with one eye glued to the altar. Waiting, waiting…the worship team starts up the steps and we are on our feet cheering!!! GO BEN!! ALRIGHT LINDA!! YAY CHRIS!! This isn’t a sports team running in. It is something better…much better.
First - a song. Not the National Anthem, but more important – a call to everyone to worship. Clap your hands – raise them – a little swaying or gentle dancing? Perfectly acceptable. We finish and sit down smiling and nodding to each other – oh yes, it has begun.
Jump to your feet again. Here comes the pastor. This is our coach; the man who will show us how to play. He is the front of our team; the leader who encourages us to be the best. He pulls out his playbook (Bible) and you know something good is going to happen. It may not be a new play, but it is a play we all need to learn and do over and over again.
We are more than fans – we are the team. We are gearing up for an event bigger than opening day – more important than the Superbowl – more exciting than a 90 point tie with 2 seconds left. No one is on the bench. We are all starters. There is no end whistle for this game. There are no time outs. This is something we have to include in every conversation and with every breath. We are not looking for a win because we won when we showed up. We are not looking for more teams because in this there is only one team. We are not looking for rivals, because our God may have enemies, but He is the commissioner of life and has no rivals.
And when you leave the church, take the game to the streets. Grab your playbook and run to anyone who hasn’t signed with the team yet. We help everyone make the team. No unusual talent - just a little faith and support. You may bring the next Christ-man Award winner to the team. So gear up and play like your life depends on it; because it does.
Now that would be a sporting event!
Welcome your Milwaukee Bucks – or Green Bay Packers – or Milwaukee Brewers.
The crowd jumps to their feet, cheering…they have no idea if there will be a win or loss…they are anticipating the best as they welcome THEIR TEAM to the floor.
What about worship?
It’s 7:55am – the worship team is making final preparations and as they walk up to the altar, we scarcely notice. They call us to stand – we do. They start to sing – we sing too. We listen – we sit – we go home – we are blessed.
What if the two situations were reversed?
What if we arrived in church filled with nervous anticipation? We come in. We do general admission, though some of us seem to think we have season seats.
We sit on the edge of our seats, exchanging pleasantries with those around us, but with one eye glued to the altar. Waiting, waiting…the worship team starts up the steps and we are on our feet cheering!!! GO BEN!! ALRIGHT LINDA!! YAY CHRIS!! This isn’t a sports team running in. It is something better…much better.
First - a song. Not the National Anthem, but more important – a call to everyone to worship. Clap your hands – raise them – a little swaying or gentle dancing? Perfectly acceptable. We finish and sit down smiling and nodding to each other – oh yes, it has begun.
Jump to your feet again. Here comes the pastor. This is our coach; the man who will show us how to play. He is the front of our team; the leader who encourages us to be the best. He pulls out his playbook (Bible) and you know something good is going to happen. It may not be a new play, but it is a play we all need to learn and do over and over again.
We are more than fans – we are the team. We are gearing up for an event bigger than opening day – more important than the Superbowl – more exciting than a 90 point tie with 2 seconds left. No one is on the bench. We are all starters. There is no end whistle for this game. There are no time outs. This is something we have to include in every conversation and with every breath. We are not looking for a win because we won when we showed up. We are not looking for more teams because in this there is only one team. We are not looking for rivals, because our God may have enemies, but He is the commissioner of life and has no rivals.
And when you leave the church, take the game to the streets. Grab your playbook and run to anyone who hasn’t signed with the team yet. We help everyone make the team. No unusual talent - just a little faith and support. You may bring the next Christ-man Award winner to the team. So gear up and play like your life depends on it; because it does.
Now that would be a sporting event!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Those that can - DO!
Those that can, DO! Those that can't, teach. Remember that old saying?
War is raging all over the world and I can't do anything to stop it.
There is genocide in countries I cannot even spell, much less find on a map.
There is violence in places I have never been, killing people I have never met.
There is heartache for those who are lost and I will never find them to talk to them.
There are floods and tornadoes like we have never seen before and I am not rushing down to help anyone.
There are earthquakes and tidal waves destroying towns and cities and even with television, I can't imagine the devastation.
Yet, the weight of the world is NOT on my shoulders.
What is my responsibility? To pray and put that weight on the shoulders of One far better equiped than any man. In Jesus name, I need to entreat the Father and then let God handle it.
So I say "those that can, DO, and those that can't, PRAY."
Imagine how much more the doers could do, if the idle prayed.
Never underestimate the power of a single prayer. (JN14:13-14)
War is raging all over the world and I can't do anything to stop it.
There is genocide in countries I cannot even spell, much less find on a map.
There is violence in places I have never been, killing people I have never met.
There is heartache for those who are lost and I will never find them to talk to them.
There are floods and tornadoes like we have never seen before and I am not rushing down to help anyone.
There are earthquakes and tidal waves destroying towns and cities and even with television, I can't imagine the devastation.
Yet, the weight of the world is NOT on my shoulders.
What is my responsibility? To pray and put that weight on the shoulders of One far better equiped than any man. In Jesus name, I need to entreat the Father and then let God handle it.
So I say "those that can, DO, and those that can't, PRAY."
Imagine how much more the doers could do, if the idle prayed.
Never underestimate the power of a single prayer. (JN14:13-14)
Friday, May 6, 2011
Mothers' Day
It's two days away and I really didn't address my mom in any blogs. That's because there is no blog that is enough to hold her.
I am from a time where moms could spank their children. I don't mean beat or slap, but a well aimed hand at a round bottom did make a difference in behavior.
I am from the time when moms expected to be kissed at night, usually before we were being tucked in and after we said our prayers.
I am from a time where moms stayed home, and if they had to work, it was 2nd or 3rd shift so they were there when the kids got up, got out, and came home.
I am from the time when moms had husbands - not significant others, or special friends.
I am from the time when you knew what homemade meant.
I am from the time where you weren't embarassed when mom stood on the porch and called your name because there were no cell phones, you didn't wear a watch, and you rarely went out to play beyond the sound of her voice.
I am from the time when Mothers' Day was for corsages and hand made cards - we went to church so she could show us off - she still made dinner but we did the dishes without complaining.
I am from the time when "mother" wasn't half a word - it was a whole word that meant everything to those lucky enough to have one.
I am from the time where when my mother died, it left a hole that I am yet to fill.
I am from a time when we understood that one day is not enough - Happy Mothers Day to all!
I am from a time where moms could spank their children. I don't mean beat or slap, but a well aimed hand at a round bottom did make a difference in behavior.
I am from the time when moms expected to be kissed at night, usually before we were being tucked in and after we said our prayers.
I am from a time where moms stayed home, and if they had to work, it was 2nd or 3rd shift so they were there when the kids got up, got out, and came home.
I am from the time when moms had husbands - not significant others, or special friends.
I am from the time when you knew what homemade meant.
I am from the time where you weren't embarassed when mom stood on the porch and called your name because there were no cell phones, you didn't wear a watch, and you rarely went out to play beyond the sound of her voice.
I am from the time when Mothers' Day was for corsages and hand made cards - we went to church so she could show us off - she still made dinner but we did the dishes without complaining.
I am from the time when "mother" wasn't half a word - it was a whole word that meant everything to those lucky enough to have one.
I am from the time where when my mother died, it left a hole that I am yet to fill.
I am from a time when we understood that one day is not enough - Happy Mothers Day to all!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
JOHN DOYLE
John was cool because he was 1) my first nephew and 2) born on my dad's birthday, which meant my dad hasn't aged in almost 25 years. I am still looking for the person who will take my birthday so I don't have to age. Volunteers?
Back to John...
John was born the year after my mother died and therefore Mary was able to ask Duke and I to be his godparents. I don't really know what that means but I do know that I see him with a different eye than most of his other aunts and uncles.
John was active and indestructible. He didn't shy away from dangerous situations, in part because he knew if he would get in too deep, there was always Emily to drag him back. He was a little cutie and tried to be a good son to both parents, but that was difficult. Doyle, his dad, had a definitely non-urban view of what a son should be. It appears that when you are born and raised with trucks, guns and good-ol'-boys, you don't have a lot of respect for foreign cars, sensitivity or fair weather friends. Doyle died when John was young and it's no surprise that John grew somewhat confused about his identity. On one side, we were all northerners - houses, yards, hunting in assigned areas with guns you stored most of the year. On the other was the southern element - farms and fields, hunting out the back door with guns out of the safe in the dining room. I'm not siding with either group because it is that very diversity that makes us what we are and keeps things interesting.
John loved gaming and his abilities to navigate on line are nothing short of remarkable. He understands the difference between trolls and ogres, warlocks and wizards. Because he has a sharp and eager mind, he is able to relate to many different groups. He memorizes movie lines and song lyrics like the rest of us do each others' phone numbers and addresses.
John has good friends, and not so good friends. Then there are the ones who sometimes masked their true nature and caused him not only emotional but physical pain. John moved to Milwaukee with his mom and they stayed here for a few years. Once he had nieces in Nashville, he and Mary moved back down but due to his friends being far from friendly, he came back to Milwaukee in 2011.
John had worked for me for about a year the first time they lived here. We took a chance on someone with basic computer skills and brought him aboard to learn how to work in an office. Our relationship took a break as I am a demanding boss, but he learned many things about working. First and foremost, he learned that he really was comfortable in a business atmosphere. Now the business I am in (tire sales and service) is not ideal but he saw abilities in himself he never knew he had - organization, manners, patience. When he left to go down south again, he had much to think about. John has decided to go back to school some day and pick up some business credits. When he came back a few months ago, he stopped in to let me know he was going to use me as a job reference and I just happened to be between assistants so he agreed to work here a few hours a day to help me out. Would I have asked him if he wasn't my nephew and godson? Who knows? It is a decision I didn't regret the first time and don't regret now.
John has a spiritual side - something that I never knew till we shared an office. We talk God and faith and life in general. He knows my opinions and I know his (like what he really thinks about the guys we work with and how some "graphic novel" based movies are really not true to their source.)
John is one of those guys who has to have a woman in his life. He is a romantic, looking for the woman who will be his forever. That same quality opens him up to women who take advantage of him, using his generosity as a reason to be with him and then using it to tell him he is controlling and immature. Somewhere there is a woman who will be generous back - with her things, her emotions and her future. For now, he is still looking.
I ache for him as he looks for a true love and encourage him as best I can. How does someone my age with "one true love" reassure someone his age? Can I get it through that sometimes trying too hard results in pain and just relaxing and letting it happen has much better results? Maybe I just did.
Well, this is a retrospective on me and John and very little about anything, but like I said, my blog - my rules.
Love you John!
Back to John...
John was born the year after my mother died and therefore Mary was able to ask Duke and I to be his godparents. I don't really know what that means but I do know that I see him with a different eye than most of his other aunts and uncles.
John was active and indestructible. He didn't shy away from dangerous situations, in part because he knew if he would get in too deep, there was always Emily to drag him back. He was a little cutie and tried to be a good son to both parents, but that was difficult. Doyle, his dad, had a definitely non-urban view of what a son should be. It appears that when you are born and raised with trucks, guns and good-ol'-boys, you don't have a lot of respect for foreign cars, sensitivity or fair weather friends. Doyle died when John was young and it's no surprise that John grew somewhat confused about his identity. On one side, we were all northerners - houses, yards, hunting in assigned areas with guns you stored most of the year. On the other was the southern element - farms and fields, hunting out the back door with guns out of the safe in the dining room. I'm not siding with either group because it is that very diversity that makes us what we are and keeps things interesting.
John loved gaming and his abilities to navigate on line are nothing short of remarkable. He understands the difference between trolls and ogres, warlocks and wizards. Because he has a sharp and eager mind, he is able to relate to many different groups. He memorizes movie lines and song lyrics like the rest of us do each others' phone numbers and addresses.
John has good friends, and not so good friends. Then there are the ones who sometimes masked their true nature and caused him not only emotional but physical pain. John moved to Milwaukee with his mom and they stayed here for a few years. Once he had nieces in Nashville, he and Mary moved back down but due to his friends being far from friendly, he came back to Milwaukee in 2011.
John had worked for me for about a year the first time they lived here. We took a chance on someone with basic computer skills and brought him aboard to learn how to work in an office. Our relationship took a break as I am a demanding boss, but he learned many things about working. First and foremost, he learned that he really was comfortable in a business atmosphere. Now the business I am in (tire sales and service) is not ideal but he saw abilities in himself he never knew he had - organization, manners, patience. When he left to go down south again, he had much to think about. John has decided to go back to school some day and pick up some business credits. When he came back a few months ago, he stopped in to let me know he was going to use me as a job reference and I just happened to be between assistants so he agreed to work here a few hours a day to help me out. Would I have asked him if he wasn't my nephew and godson? Who knows? It is a decision I didn't regret the first time and don't regret now.
John has a spiritual side - something that I never knew till we shared an office. We talk God and faith and life in general. He knows my opinions and I know his (like what he really thinks about the guys we work with and how some "graphic novel" based movies are really not true to their source.)
John is one of those guys who has to have a woman in his life. He is a romantic, looking for the woman who will be his forever. That same quality opens him up to women who take advantage of him, using his generosity as a reason to be with him and then using it to tell him he is controlling and immature. Somewhere there is a woman who will be generous back - with her things, her emotions and her future. For now, he is still looking.
I ache for him as he looks for a true love and encourage him as best I can. How does someone my age with "one true love" reassure someone his age? Can I get it through that sometimes trying too hard results in pain and just relaxing and letting it happen has much better results? Maybe I just did.
Well, this is a retrospective on me and John and very little about anything, but like I said, my blog - my rules.
Love you John!
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