Out of the Basement

What will they say when you're gone? Will there been anything left of you to carry on? In their sad little circles what will they recall? Will they remember you at all? (C) dsc 2012

I spent the weekend at a little campsite just west of our home. We set up our camper along with the other camping Callahans and turned the campground into a gathering place for a couple  days with friends and family! Great time had by all! It's always intriguing to me to watch all these different groups come together and interact. I am amazed how strangers become friends who then become family. It's a simple recipe of time, space, desire and commitment.  Wonderful things happen when you want them to and are willing to work in earnest to make it so. Within the construct of this group I spent the weekend with are friends I made over 30 years ago... people who I have been blessed to mentor through their lives... others who I have worked with for nearly 20 years... and of course some of my family! We even had a little new baby member of the 1302 Club join us this trip! I am humbled by the blessing of love and friendship... family and fellowship that I find celebrating with thes...

I woke this morning thinking about something my mother in law said to me many years ago. We were working in her garden just talking about life and she made a statement that has traveled with me as well as anything I've heard. She said, "the problem with young people is that they want now for themselves what I've worked my whole life to have!" Having thought about that many times over the years, I still find it to be true, but in a more general sense. We have to work for it... what ever It is! If it's a career or a relationship or a lifestyle or just a life; we have to work at it! In our smart phone, Internet, and information driven culture, we can become instant experts on virtually everything. But, all that we learn can't replace practical application and committed engagement to our cause and desire. You can build a house on paper, but somebody has to nail the boards together. You can create a spreadsheet of prospects, but you still have to sell something....

We had a moment last night. Well, Angie did and I got to be a watcher from the sideline of one of those situations where we see God move... and awestruck... we just watch! But don't let me get ahead of myself. My dad received his CT scan results Tuesday. The doctor told him he didn't see any cancer! So last night we were going out to dinner to celebrate. As the time approached, family members were falling off our list due to circumstance, so we postponed to another night. Still needing to eat, Angie and I took my dad to one of his favorite places, Waffle House! The staff there was incredible. Helpful, friendly, fun, and very accomodating.  My dad looked at his hash browns and decided he couldn't eat them and asked could he have some more instead. Amanda, our server, was so awesome, she said "of course, we want you to be happy!" She separated the food so he could keep eating and had more hash browns made. A couple minutes later Josh, the cook, brought the new one...

I was reading this morning about how we are to work on our body and our soul to achieve growth. It's pretty evident when someone is pushing themselves physically,  but how can we tell when someone is exerting on a spiritual level? If our goal is to meet people at the point of their need, we have to know what to look for. Not everyone emotes the same way. People are the most unique and individual creatures God made. Along with that comes the need to read and discern each one's needs and motivations differently. How is that to be done? The answer is one line back... read (observe) and discern (open your heart's eyes and ears  to see and hear  beyond the visual and audible) and then act on your motivations as you  are lead. We live in a world that is more fearful,  frightening, and pain ridden than most can recall. It's our responsibility to see and respond. The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourself. That's a lot! Keep your eyes open and...

It seems to me that my brightest and most creative moments occur when I am least prepared to chronicle them! As a writer/songwriter you are taught to keep the tools close as you wait on inspiration. But how many lines or ponderings have been lost to heavy eyelids or clamouring distraction? A lot! Along with inspiration,  it's sometimes necessary to follow your heart... be a little impulsive. You have to go for it. As they say, "nothing ventured nothing gained!" Being impulsive is not always a bad thing. Some of our best moments have been preceded by uncertainty and doubt left abandoned by our sense of curiosity and our need for the experiential. However, wandering inspiration and unbridled impulse is likened to a  crazed captain steering a rudderless ship. It either goes nowhere or everywhere with no regard for direction. Which brings me to my point... disciplined determination.  How many thoughts or deeds are left unrealized or never acted upon because we just don...

The funny thing about a journey is that it's never insular nor singular. People inhabit every footfall along the way and one turn leads to a myriad of choices and opportunities. Depending on the motive, we are afforded the chance to see and meet many and share experiences otherwise unknown. The longer and farther you go, the more you come to see and know. But, it's always best to be heading towards somewhere because just heading anywhere often leads us nowhere. To use a couple old  anachronisms, It's okay to "stop and smell the roses" but, "Don't miss the forest for the trees." It's always paramount to know where we are going. Put another way, "where there is no vision, the people perish. " So, with a definite and desired destination,  we can rejoin our journey with anticipation for the people we meet, the places we see and the changes they bring in us as we go and grow.