Out of the Basement

At some point we are going to have to return to civility and a higher sense of decorum in regards to our national politic! Children are now... and should always be off limits... "satire" included! These pseudo intellectuals with their witty retorts and insightful smugness need to be draw some generally accepted boundaries. That should be for both sides... those who make such stupid and malicious remarks and those who would exploit the comments! Civil disobedience and debate are bedrock to the personality of our republic, but our nation's persona has spiraled so far beyond that! Civics, back when it was taught, educated every young American about the greatness of America but also about the sober realities of a nation built on a system of checks and balances that serve and protect We The People. Unfortnately, living in this new and hostile  vacuum where those are no longer taught, we have devolved to an environment where rancor, derision and division turned up to the hig...

15 Things I've Learned To Do  In These 51 Years... Dont take everything so seriously... especially yourself. Dont be in such a hurry... life will find you soon enough. Give it all you've got... whatever it is. Leave nothing undone... finish strong. Believe what you believe enough to stand when no one else will stand with you. Cast your vision and blow your trumpet loud! Love completely... without hesitation. Forgive... period. Tell those who matter that they matter and make sure they know why. Be thankful. Be humble. Give everyone a chance. Leave nothing unsaid... finish telling your story. Love that someone who is your someone and cherish them as long as you have breath! Love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, strength and mind.

I am taking my mother in law back to South Carolina this morning. She has been with us since just before Thanksgiving. Its been a great visit, but she is ready to get back home. I understand that; nothing like the land of familiar. I've seen the homesickness falling on her. It comes to us all  in small subtle nuance as we stare out a window at a different landscape causing us to acknowledge the difference from something long remembered... our normal. So she longs for home. But these have been good  days with her. Here at the holidays many are oft to think about home.  Not where they actually dwell,  but that sweetly remembered innocence of some past perfection that we can't quite seem to recapture.  I have my own Sweet Georgia Christmases I recall, but that's for another telling. The problem with the idyllic past perfected is it is unattainable... or at least misremembered. I think it was Voltaire that is credited with saying "perfect is the enemy of good." I...

It never fails. Every year about this time we are bombarded at every sensory level with Christmas cheer! We all decorate, cook, sing, and celebrate as the holidays unfold all around us! It's  like the old black & white movies that end in some town square with crowds of people singing joy, resolution and Silent Night. And that does happen... even now... but not always! Some don't have that picture perfect finale to every Christmas. Some don't even come close. Today, as many of us start unpacking decorations and chasing our favorite recipes, others within arms reach of us are packing up any hope they have as they fight the anguish of a less than celebratory circumstance. Today we see cities in ashes, lives are being taken by others, and hope... yes hope hangs by a thread for many! It would do us all well to look around and see... many who live these challenged lives are much closer than we can imagine! Also, I am certain that the first Christmas happened because so ma...

To just say the words seems somewhat cliche in my opinion.  Saying it with the full weight of a heart forcing out every emotion it can summon is more appropriate! Uttering Happy Thanksgiving alone is like any myriad salutations if not provoke by a deeper sense of gratefulness. To render the result of Thanksgiving, we need first to engage the cause of it. My priorities align my motivation to be thankful... A loving and faithful God and Savior. A caring and devoted extended family. A fruitful and exciting work life. A committed and productive service to others. ...simple rules for a simple person. In some way, these four corner posts of my world have somehow drawn you into my circle. And, in so doing, enriched and blessed my life. Now that is truly something to be thankful for! I am deeply moved, honored and grateful for my days here and to have been so favored to share them with you!  Happy Thanksgiving

Never miss the opportunity to say what needs to be said.  A very dear friend of mine shared with me a thought;  the essence of which is TO LIVE!  I wont quote them as I did not seek permission but it was truly profound and insightful, especially in the times we find ourselves living in... That thought has stayed with me. I saw something horrendous play out in front of me recently and it caused me to take stock; of life, of people, of living.  Probably doesn't make sense to you, but it doesn't require disclosure in order to understand the real message. The simplest way to put it, as my friend did so succintly, is to just live! And, as we do, remember what makes living matter! God, family, frends, purpose, duty, our vocation, our dreams and aspirations! It is the fuel that fires our hearts! Tell someone what they mean to you... listen to someone you have tuned out... share something that will bless someone... be willing to receive from someone a gift that they want t...

There are moments of change... actually even seconds, that take place in and around us constantly. Maybe not so much change but the opportunity to make decisions that create those changes. Some may be pedestrian; others seismic! They come at us with blinding pace and whirling like a top spinning us into, and out of balance... or our comfort zone. They force us to choose in all matters from do I get up and exercise to which candidate will I cast my ballot for in the coming elections. So, the opportunities to be an agent of change in our world... in our time exists. The more critical concern is are we equipped to make the choices? In most cases, we are not. So how do we avoid making bad choices? How do prepare ourselves for our moment? For me, its been a hodge podge of observation and application. Watching others make choices then,  seeing the outcome, choose to act or decide in a way that merits success and honors right. Or, sometimes in making bad choices, do the work to correct...