Think On This

If you are traveling today over the rivers and through the wood to perhaps Grandmother’s house as you go, you will appreciate this little tail, or tale I should say of sorts.

In my family, we come from different states to gather in Texas for the holidays. I come from Tennessee and my cousins come in from Kansas. The Kansan Clan has mom, dad, two girls under the age of 5 and then there is Daisy the Basset Hound. The pets in our family are just that, family members. And are treated as such.

The trek to grandma’s, for this particular crew, used to be accomplished in a 12 hour day. Yet due to circumstances and such, it has evolved into quite a process. It now requires preparing and packing for days, and a reservation at the Hilton Inn if you can find it cheap enough on Hotwire.com. (Thank the Lord for the internet!)

With only five hours left for the journey, the exhausted brood tumbled out of said family van, eyes heavy with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads as they longed for the soft mattresses awaiting them.

With one child in the arms of each parent, various and sundry paraphernalia strapped from stem to stern, the remaining question of the overloaded pair was simply, “What to do with Daisy?” Ever the resourceful father, my cousin proceeded to stuff Daisy into a sports bag, zipped it up, and slung it over his shoulder. (Yes, I said a Basset Hound.)

To the amazement of our family when he relayed the tale to us at dinner, Daisy fussed but only for a few seconds. It was when the master slapped the bag lightly in assurance to let the pure bred know all was well, that the dog literally went into a coma of sorts. And never moved! They could have taken that dog to the opera, and probably wouldn’t have seen movement or heard a peep until the soprano’s aria.

It wasn’t until they reached their room, unloaded the bags, and the children, that Daisy was finally released from her dark cocoon. But only to emerge as calm and cool as a cucumber ready for her evening snack.

Now, this divulgence of sorts is not to encourage you to sneak the family dog into the next luxury hotel, however, holidays can be a time of survivial. And for this troupe, it was just a necessity. Daisy is a dream, and as my cousin said, “…a better guest than most adults at these places!” Sad, but true.

So, for all of you traveling with your beloved pet this holiday, remember that there are many kindred spirits out there joining you in empathy on the journey. And please don’t ask me how I managed to get my 110 pound Labrador Retriever into the Hampton Inn. During the holidays, there are just some things that are best left to the mind, and not the tongue.

:0

As I looked out across the yard after stuffing myself like the Thanksgiving turkey back in the house, I began to count, 1,2,3, no wait 1,2,3,4,5…8 dogs?  It had been quite a houseful. But I had no idea that many canines were wandering the property as well.  We had managed to juggle 5 kids, 2 teens, 3 senior citizens and 22 adults into the kitchen while jockeying for position to load up our plates, but this latest revelation exposed just how full our Thanksgiving truly was. 

Seven car loads had made their way to the feasting destination. When we all had finally arrived we gathered around a plethora of selections. There was ham, and turkey with dressing. Mashed potatoes with two kinds of gravy. Cranberry sauce, salad and rolls. Broccoli, sweet potato, and corn casseroles. Two kinds of dips with chips and crackers.  Asparagus and Green Bean casseroles. 4 kinds of pies of pies and coffee along with a huge tray of cookies and fudge. And every morsel was homemade. (S’mores by the campfire topped off the evening). As we held hands to pray my uncle did not disappoint as he choked back the tears of gratitude while we all bowed our heads. 

Of course the centerpiece of the house was the omni-present TV screen which faithfully flashed the latest football game. The welcome airwaves took us late into the evening culminating with the big game for a certain set of alumns. Conversations ranged from memories of family times together, to catching up on the latest news, to the usual banterings about politics. 

All in all, I would guess the above was a pretty typical Thanksgiving in America.  At least in the heartland it seems.  And it really doesn’t get much better than that. As we made our way home in the beautiful fall air, the Starbucks stop at the half-way point seemed the perfect ending to a very perfect day. 

Yes, we felt very blessed.  And I hope you found yourself at the end of your day feeling much the same. I am most grateful for this country that I live in and for the people who left their native lands and trekked the stormy waters to make it their home. Here’s to many more Happy Thanksgivings to come. And May God Bless America, yet, again. 

Best, S. 

In January of 2009 the 44th President of the United States of America will be sworn into office. Interestingly, though he is a Democrat, his latest book of choice is titled Team of Rivals. It focuses on how Abe Lincoln (a Republican) put together his cabinet. And it is quite a read I hear. For those of us that don’t remember who, and how, and why Lincoln did what he did, it was apparently a bit revolutionary if not controversial at the time.

All that to say, I was reading about a guy that was heading into a restaurant in Philadelphia. Before he entered, he saw a homeless man holding a sign that read: Please vote for Obama. I need the money. As the customer was seated at his table, he was then greeted by a server that had on an Obama tie. When the check came, the man stated that he was going to practice Obama’s “spread the wealth” idea. Instead of leaving the server the tip, he was going to give it to the homeless Obama supporter outside. Needless to say, the waiter was furious. But the man left and did just that dropping a $10 bill into the hand of the man outside in need.

Shortly after hearing about this incident, I was digging through some old files and ironically came across this quote from dear old Abe. Our 16th President. It goes like this:

“You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot build character and courage by taking away men’s initiative and independnece. You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.” - Abraham Lincoln

And with that, just my, or better yet, a past President’s thoughts for your day.

S.

As the radio host chattered away, I noticed that my distraction began morphing into focus as I worked to discover just exactly what the ranting and raving was all about.  Apparently, this person of influence had received a bit of info and he was off and running. Interestingly, the very location toward which I was driving, and would arrive at shortly, would have the true inside scoop on the very situation at hand. 

As I walked through that particular door, I soon found myself in conversation with the key folks that knew what was actually going down from the inside out.  And, not surprisingly, the radio host was wrong.  But the deed was done. He had riled his troops into a frenzy and the listening audience was starting to panic.Sadly, this person signed off the air without seeking to confirm or correct his blather. If the show host had been solely interested in creating a buzz, he succeeded.  If his intent was to rile and upset.  He managed that, too, as well. What saddened me is that he left a lot of clean up and fall out for a lot of hard-working,  innocent by-standers. 

These supposed people-in-the-know types love to be seen and heard.  And if they find themselves with a bit of key information, whether vetted or not, they set out to find the first listening ear they can track down. Basically, they are in essence looking for anything to get into, or keep them in, the spotlight.  There is no concern for the innocent parties involved. They have an inside tid-bit, and they are going to use it for what they are sure will be to their advantage. 

With that, the next time someone runs to you with news, do your best to ask for the source.  You will usually find that people either are hesitant to name it, or at times, they honestly don’t even know the origination. Nor do they care. They heard what they wanted to hear.  But a simple, “Where did you get that?” stops of alot of these ner’e-do-wells in their tracks. 

Much unnecessary angst and consternation occurs due to this very type of relayed communication.  Let’s strive together to be the type of people that don’t perpetuate the mess but rather work to get the story straight. And with that, just my thoughts on this lovely fall day. S. 

Some of you are too young to remember that little jingle. It was a TV ad for a car called the “Arrow” and the tune set to the words above were actually quite catchy. Thus, the lingering melody in my head. But the arrows I was feeling this morning were of another nature. And the high road my conscience was nagging me to take was struggling to fade into memory as well.  I will explain.  I had been warned before I clicked the play arrow on the video clip I was about to watch.  Apparently a documentary film team from Finland had come to the U.S. to get a glimpse of America during this historic Presidential campaign.  The e-newsletter sent to me highlighted the part where an African American elementary teacher questions her class as to who they will vote for and why. (Now remember, you can’t vote in the states until you’re 18, but that’s another discussion.) When the teacher got around to Katherine, the young girl who’s father is serving in Iraq, the instructor decided to shake her head in dismay. This student was supporting John McCain. But the teacher was about to set her straight on the error of her ways.  In reality, she ended up humiliating the girl.   So the arrows in my heart started to fly.  How could any teacher do this a child? What message did she just send to her class? And the world! What life lesson did she just role model? Does she know what a Republic and a Democracy are?  And, what if this had been a white teacher berating a black student in her class? I found anger rising in my spirit.  I grabbed a pen and paper and began to write a note to the Superintendent of that particular teacher’s school system.  As the white hot steam poured from my ears I could hear a voice in my head repeating, “Take the high road. Take the high road.” “Take the high road?” I scoffed back at the persistent wisdom.  “Doing just that is what has gotten us here!  So much for being politically correct.  Look where it has brought us.”I fussed and fumed some more.  “Why is it OK for Black Panthers to stand with night sticks at a voting center in Pennsylvania?  Imagine if there had been KKK members standing at one!  And why is it Ok for black preachers to say hateful things from their pulpits, but white pastors must never cross that line?” The rant continued.  The more I listened to myself, the more I didn’t like it. No. The world as we now know it does not make sense.  And life is not fair. America was built on freedom and diversity of thought. But spewing hate back at hate is probably not the answer.   Jesus was hated, misunderstood, and killed. His own people wanted Him dead. And his death was the result of their anger. Ironically, it backfired on them and turned out to be the best thing that could have happened. Three days later He made some major history. And it was good!  As I looked at the proverbial arrows in my hands, I had to stop and do some heavy thinking. I could choose to role model correct behavior or I could shoot back and start a bloody mess.  Not that fighting is all bad.  Does the American Revolution ring a bell? But that’s for another day. So for today, me and my arrows will take the high road. This highway of life will have plenty more ruts and bumps to maneuver. If I am going to last, I will have to pace myself. S.

It’s election time. And try as I might, without fail, I can be in mid conversation with someone that I assume believes and thinks the same way that I do and suddenly learn I was dreadfully wrong. Just as soon as I relax and begin to let down my guard a bit and share my thoughts, the one person in the room that I thought would shake their head in agreement comes out of left field and knocks my socks off.

You know what I am talking about. You have been there too. You’d think we’d learn. But no. We just seem to think that those around us think like we do. But that is not always the case.

Although America was built on the premise that diverse thought creates greater good, some folks just aren’t willing to accept that philosophy anymore. There seems to be a new norm of “if you do not think like I do, you are my enemy.” Hmmmmm. Not good. What happened to statesmanship? And how about just plain old respect for each other’s differences. But alas, nowadays, election season is more like gladiator season. (If there even was such a thing in the Roman Empire. But I digress.)

So, an actress, of all people, said something the other night that I really liked. She said, “America is like an eagle. It has a left wing and a right wing. And that is what makes it fly.” Or, at least, she said something to that affect. And I liked it.

As hard as it might be this week, let’s try to remember that it takes both wings to fly. Like the old song says, “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” But then, if you are a liberal, I guess that wouldn’t be your favorite selection. Oh, well, I think you get the point. FIrst: Never assume that the person you are speaking with agrees with you. And last but not least, if your conversation partner is from the other side of the aisle, just let it go. Don’t be someone that wants to cut off the other wing. The last thing we need is to cripple our nation as we enter a new presidential era. Let’s soar.

Just my thoughts.

S. 

Keep Your Powder Dry

If you have not used this statement before, chances are pretty good that you have at least “heard tell of it”, as we say down here in the south. I always thought it meant to simply stay calm and remain cool when under pressure. Never let them see you sweat, kind of thing. So you can imagine I was a bit surprised when I learned that the saying originated during the Revolutionary War period.

The phrase actually goes like this, “Trust in God, but Keep your Powder Dry.” (Not too surprising that over the years we’ve dropped the “Trust in God” part, but let’s get back to the topic at hand.)

I am a huge American History buff. And George Washington crossing the Delaware (then taking out the German mercenaries on Christmas Day) is one of my absolute favorite stories. A remarkable event.

Legend has it that General George Washington said to his soldiers before they began to cross the river in boats with their rifles in hand, “Trust in God, but keep your powder dry!” In other words, if we have come this far, and if all we have are our guns to do the job on the other side, do not, I repeat, do not let that gun or the gunpowder get wet! Protect your gear and your ammunition. It will be what leads us to victory or it will lead to our demise.

What in your life needs to be ultimately protected? Is there something that you need to focus on completely that could either mean life or death to a particular moment or situation? Maybe it’s mental, emotional, physical or spiritual. Only you know. It could mean a marriage, your job, a relationship, an event. It can be many things. And it might not be easy, but you know deep down, you’re going to need it down the road.

My thought today is, when you get to the really scary part of whatever it is that you have to do, Trust God. Trust Him to help you cross that river, in the dead of night, no matter how tired you are or how dangerous the task. Just keep going. Do what you have to do, and above all else, protect and keep your powder dry. Whatever that precious commodity is in your life. It’s all you will have with you when you land. And it is what you will desperately need with you when you come to the other side.

A little deep today, but I think you can navigate the literary waters.

S.