THE MARK OF A MAN......
It was yesterday..... Thanksgiving eve..... I was up at the "Just Stuff" antique booth doing a few things that needed doing and in walks my little cousin Kevin and his wife Terri. I call Kevin my little cousin even though he towers over me by a half foot or so, and he is younger, but has just now retired. It was the first time seeing them in a few years and I really enjoyed our visit even though it was just a short one. As I said, the visit was short but our conversation lingered through the night and into the morning in my mind. As we talked, I asked Kevin what he wanted to do now that retirement was here and he said he wasn't really sure but had thought about doing a little blacksmithing. He wanted to make a few things that would last into the future. Something that would be a reminder to someone that he was here. Of course my thoughts immediately went to our Grandfather who was a blacksmith, but later in the night, the second part of his desire for the future hit me. He wanted to do something that would last into the future. In other words he wanted to leave his mark....... He wanted to make some things that would last longer than his life on earth and make someone look at what ever it was he had made and think,,,,, "Someone years ago spent part of their life to make this,,,, Someone gave of their time to create this and now I am holding it and I'm glad they gave of themselves." Kevin wants to be that someone that gave of himself....... WOW !!!!!!!!....... Talk about a goal !!!!! But in reality isn't that what we all want to do? Don't we all want to leave our mark? We don't all say it or state it as just matter-of-factly as Kevin did, but I think we all want to leave our mark. Our conversation turned to my writing and Kevin asked me if I had always written and I told him never until my heart surgery. I told him I had never known I could write until then and that I still wasn't sure I was good at it. He said he saw where some were encouraging me to publish some things and I told him I really had no desire to publish anything I wrote, but I really like sharing my thoughts.
Later as my mind was thinking on these things, I started to remember the goals I had set when I started to write. As I said earlier I still don't know if I can write but the one thing I do know is that I see life more clearly now than I use to and I just write down what I see and feel. I also know that I have the same goals that I had when I started to put these thoughts down four and a half years ago. My goal was then and still is to let my grand kids and children know in later years that their PaPa and daddy loved them. Years after I'm gone, I want them to remember times we spent and laugh at the memories. As they read what I put down I want them to never be ashamed to tell someone they are loved. As for me, I have no desire for fame. I have no need for lots of money. If along the way I happen to touch one of you and inspire you to tell another person you love them and you are thankful that they are in your life...... then I have been paid a fortune..... Yes, I will have become a very rich man. You see, I also want to make my mark. In years to come when someone ask my Grandchildren what their Grandfather did for a living, I want them to look that person in the eye and say "He lived a good life and he loved" That will be my mark. What better goal could a man have.
God Bless and have a great Thanksgiving and tell someone you love them............... I love you one and all and am thankful you are a part of my life...................................................
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
THE PERKS OF GETTING OLD.....................................
Tomorrow will be my 67th Thanksgiving...... It isn't what it use to be...... Sure we'll eat turkey and dressing and ham with all the usual fixings..... We'll tell stories of old times and laugh until tears roll down our cheeks and our bellies hurt..... It will be a great time but it will be different....... HMMMMM you say to yourself........ and then you ask......." You mean to tell me you don't like Thanksgiving anymore?"....... And I answer...... "I love Thanksgiving...... Different isn't a bad thing, it can be better." You see, I use to would tell you I'm thankful for family, but now, "NOW" I've learned to set back......... to slow down and really see and appreciate family. I've learned to look at the things that give me that happy feeling all over.
You see,,,now I'm not just thankful because they are my Grandkids but I'm thankful for what some would call the little things that I now see. I'm thankful when I get a call from a grandchild and the first word out of their mouth is, "I just wanted to call and say hi and see how you are doing." I'm thankful for family vacations when we are all together and I'm still made to think I am wanted on the fishing expedition. I'm thankful when I show up at the little league game and when the little one sees me and his face lights up as he waves and then he points at me and tells one of his teammates ..."That's my PaPa." I'm thankful for the times when the phone rings and one of the Grandkids ask, "Are you going to be home for a while, I want you to meet someone." And when one of them has car problems or needs help with a project or has a question about how to fix something, I'm thankful that they know Peggy and I are there and they can depend on us to try to help.
And I'm not thankful just because they are our Kids, I'm thankful for the people and parents they have grown up to be. I'm thankful for the love I see that they have for each other. I'm thankful when I see them give of themselves to someone less fortunate. I'm thankful for the compassion each of them have. I'm thankful for the priorities they have set up in their lives. I'm thankful for the parents they are. I'm thankful that they still know our house is their house.
I'm thankful that when the boys, and maybe the girls too, go out tomorrow afternoon to throw the football around, they will still ask this old man if he wants to go out with them and I'm thankful that as they make sure all are included, even the little ones, I will see a love that isn't man made but can only come from up above. I'm thankful that as I get in the car in the morning to go pickup a newspaper with all the sales papers, that the car will have plenty of gas and I don't have to stop and fill it up in the cold of morning. I'm thankful for the laughter I will hear as the sales papers pass from hand to hand and the joy and excitement that will be in the air as our Christmas get together is talked of and plans are made.
Yes..... As I think about it, getting old has it's perks. My eyes aren't as good as they once were, but now I see more clearly. My ears aren't what they once were but now it seems I hear more. My old legs don't carry me as far or as fast as they once did, but now I notice more as I travel through this life. And now that my heart has been taken out of my body, bypasses done and a pig valve implanted, it seems I feel things in a different way and I like it...........
When I get down on these old worn out knees and ask for God's blessings, What I am really asking God for is to be happy. Well, today, I am a blessed, for you see, I am Happy ........ My prayers have been answered...... Yes, once again I say......Thanksgiving isn't what it use to be.......It's much much better.
TODAY MY PRAYER IS THAT YOU HAVE A GREAT AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY. MAY GOD BLESS YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tomorrow will be my 67th Thanksgiving...... It isn't what it use to be...... Sure we'll eat turkey and dressing and ham with all the usual fixings..... We'll tell stories of old times and laugh until tears roll down our cheeks and our bellies hurt..... It will be a great time but it will be different....... HMMMMM you say to yourself........ and then you ask......." You mean to tell me you don't like Thanksgiving anymore?"....... And I answer...... "I love Thanksgiving...... Different isn't a bad thing, it can be better." You see, I use to would tell you I'm thankful for family, but now, "NOW" I've learned to set back......... to slow down and really see and appreciate family. I've learned to look at the things that give me that happy feeling all over.
You see,,,now I'm not just thankful because they are my Grandkids but I'm thankful for what some would call the little things that I now see. I'm thankful when I get a call from a grandchild and the first word out of their mouth is, "I just wanted to call and say hi and see how you are doing." I'm thankful for family vacations when we are all together and I'm still made to think I am wanted on the fishing expedition. I'm thankful when I show up at the little league game and when the little one sees me and his face lights up as he waves and then he points at me and tells one of his teammates ..."That's my PaPa." I'm thankful for the times when the phone rings and one of the Grandkids ask, "Are you going to be home for a while, I want you to meet someone." And when one of them has car problems or needs help with a project or has a question about how to fix something, I'm thankful that they know Peggy and I are there and they can depend on us to try to help.
And I'm not thankful just because they are our Kids, I'm thankful for the people and parents they have grown up to be. I'm thankful for the love I see that they have for each other. I'm thankful when I see them give of themselves to someone less fortunate. I'm thankful for the compassion each of them have. I'm thankful for the priorities they have set up in their lives. I'm thankful for the parents they are. I'm thankful that they still know our house is their house.
I'm thankful that when the boys, and maybe the girls too, go out tomorrow afternoon to throw the football around, they will still ask this old man if he wants to go out with them and I'm thankful that as they make sure all are included, even the little ones, I will see a love that isn't man made but can only come from up above. I'm thankful that as I get in the car in the morning to go pickup a newspaper with all the sales papers, that the car will have plenty of gas and I don't have to stop and fill it up in the cold of morning. I'm thankful for the laughter I will hear as the sales papers pass from hand to hand and the joy and excitement that will be in the air as our Christmas get together is talked of and plans are made.
Yes..... As I think about it, getting old has it's perks. My eyes aren't as good as they once were, but now I see more clearly. My ears aren't what they once were but now it seems I hear more. My old legs don't carry me as far or as fast as they once did, but now I notice more as I travel through this life. And now that my heart has been taken out of my body, bypasses done and a pig valve implanted, it seems I feel things in a different way and I like it...........
When I get down on these old worn out knees and ask for God's blessings, What I am really asking God for is to be happy. Well, today, I am a blessed, for you see, I am Happy ........ My prayers have been answered...... Yes, once again I say......Thanksgiving isn't what it use to be.......It's much much better.
TODAY MY PRAYER IS THAT YOU HAVE A GREAT AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY. MAY GOD BLESS YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, March 8, 2015
ORDINARY MIRACLES...............
I remember sitting in the stillness of the morning.... It is so quiet..... It is so still.... I have so many questions that run through my mind.... Questions I believe others have also, but maybe are afraid to voice. Afraid for fear someone will question their faith.... afraid someone may look down on them. I have those fears also...... I want to be stronger. I want my faith to grow and I don't ever want to have any doubts. I sometimes feel so alone in my faith, so alone in my thoughts. I feel as if no one else has ever questioned God and His existence,,,,,,,,, but then I tell myself,,,,, surely I'm not the only one,,,,, surely others have felt this way. I know it can't be "just me." If God loves me so much I ask..... "Why does He let some things happen? Why does He let bad things happen? Why does He allow people to suffer? Why do I sometimes feel so all alone in my mind?" My mind shouts out, hoping for answers...... "WHY ??? WHY GOD????,,,,, WHY?" I then ask, for what I'm sure others have asked for, long before I ever felt this way...... I can't be the first to wonder these things can I?...... I say... "God, just give me "A SIGN". Show me something so I will KNOW WITHOUT DOUBT that You are there.... I need to know that You are God........ I need to know that You are watching over me...... I need to know that You are in control...... I need to know that Your love is everlasting....... Please God.....Please give me a sign..... Please God, show me a "MIRACLE"................
The screaming that was in my mind just a few seconds ago is now all of a sudden gone..... The quietness returns...... The stillness once again surrounds me.... And then..... I feel a quilt..... I feel a guilt because I have "Questioned God." And then, just as quickly as the quietness returned, came the memory of the verse Matthew 8:26 to my mind........ "And he said unto them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm." Maybe....... just maybe, my answers were in this verse I said to myself. Or...or could it be, that this verse, this one little verse that I had read so many times before..... Could this one verse that so quickly came to my mind be the miracle I needed?.... It came out of nowhere. It came to me when I needed it most. It made me see that even the Disciples had these same feelings that I have. Yes even the chosen twelve were at times weak. And what did Jesus do when the doubts and fears and the questions were placed in their minds? He quieted the storm and calmed the seas. Think about this...... "HE QUIETED THE STORM AND CALMED THE SEAS." .....This verse had come so quickly..... This verse had come to my mind in such a subtle way...... It came as what we may call an "ORDINARY MIRACLE."
Yes..... It is a quiet morning... I rise early..... I look out the window and see the sun coming up. It comes up in the east every morning. I take the sunrise for granted most mornings, but this morning I think about it rising. Oh we all enjoy the beauty of a sunrise but do we stop and think about the reliability of the sun coming up. It's there every morning. Even when it's raining and cloudy and we can't see the sun, we know it's there. We can feel it. Man can't stop the sun from rising and man can't slow it down. That sun could be called an "ORDINARY MIRACLE." Of course it's not really "ORDINARY" but it's one of those things we don't think about being a "MIRACLE." These "ORDINARY MIRACLES" are all around us. The birds and how they fly with such ease and grace through the air. The flowers and trees and how they grow and flourish. A baby being born and even the way another person can make you feel just by being around them. We call this love but if you really think about it.....It's a "MIRACLE." Oh, we may take these things for granted. We may say we are thankful for all of nature and our families and all our friends. We can look back on our life and our experiences and good times and what we call bad times and think that it all just happened....... but it didn't just happen. And it's not just "ORDINARY". Not "ORDINARY" at all, but it is a 'MIRACLE." Life is a miracle.
Again I say YES.... It is a quiet and still morning. I look around me with these eyes God has given me and realize that sight is a "MIRACLE." And I look around me with my mental eyes and I see the things I have done and the places I have been. I see so many people that have been in my life and the pleasure they have brought me and the things they have taught me. I see the love I have been given and I see "THE SIGN" ....... yes I see "THE SIGN" that just a few minutes ago, I had asked God to show to me. I see you and I realize, "YOU are a MIRACLE." And I see that there are NO ordinary miracles. All miracles are "EXTRAORDINARY." So I would say to you this morning Thank you for being a miracle in my life.....
Just something to think about...........................................
I remember sitting in the stillness of the morning.... It is so quiet..... It is so still.... I have so many questions that run through my mind.... Questions I believe others have also, but maybe are afraid to voice. Afraid for fear someone will question their faith.... afraid someone may look down on them. I have those fears also...... I want to be stronger. I want my faith to grow and I don't ever want to have any doubts. I sometimes feel so alone in my faith, so alone in my thoughts. I feel as if no one else has ever questioned God and His existence,,,,,,,,, but then I tell myself,,,,, surely I'm not the only one,,,,, surely others have felt this way. I know it can't be "just me." If God loves me so much I ask..... "Why does He let some things happen? Why does He let bad things happen? Why does He allow people to suffer? Why do I sometimes feel so all alone in my mind?" My mind shouts out, hoping for answers...... "WHY ??? WHY GOD????,,,,, WHY?" I then ask, for what I'm sure others have asked for, long before I ever felt this way...... I can't be the first to wonder these things can I?...... I say... "God, just give me "A SIGN". Show me something so I will KNOW WITHOUT DOUBT that You are there.... I need to know that You are God........ I need to know that You are watching over me...... I need to know that You are in control...... I need to know that Your love is everlasting....... Please God.....Please give me a sign..... Please God, show me a "MIRACLE"................
The screaming that was in my mind just a few seconds ago is now all of a sudden gone..... The quietness returns...... The stillness once again surrounds me.... And then..... I feel a quilt..... I feel a guilt because I have "Questioned God." And then, just as quickly as the quietness returned, came the memory of the verse Matthew 8:26 to my mind........ "And he said unto them, Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm." Maybe....... just maybe, my answers were in this verse I said to myself. Or...or could it be, that this verse, this one little verse that I had read so many times before..... Could this one verse that so quickly came to my mind be the miracle I needed?.... It came out of nowhere. It came to me when I needed it most. It made me see that even the Disciples had these same feelings that I have. Yes even the chosen twelve were at times weak. And what did Jesus do when the doubts and fears and the questions were placed in their minds? He quieted the storm and calmed the seas. Think about this...... "HE QUIETED THE STORM AND CALMED THE SEAS." .....This verse had come so quickly..... This verse had come to my mind in such a subtle way...... It came as what we may call an "ORDINARY MIRACLE."
Yes..... It is a quiet morning... I rise early..... I look out the window and see the sun coming up. It comes up in the east every morning. I take the sunrise for granted most mornings, but this morning I think about it rising. Oh we all enjoy the beauty of a sunrise but do we stop and think about the reliability of the sun coming up. It's there every morning. Even when it's raining and cloudy and we can't see the sun, we know it's there. We can feel it. Man can't stop the sun from rising and man can't slow it down. That sun could be called an "ORDINARY MIRACLE." Of course it's not really "ORDINARY" but it's one of those things we don't think about being a "MIRACLE." These "ORDINARY MIRACLES" are all around us. The birds and how they fly with such ease and grace through the air. The flowers and trees and how they grow and flourish. A baby being born and even the way another person can make you feel just by being around them. We call this love but if you really think about it.....It's a "MIRACLE." Oh, we may take these things for granted. We may say we are thankful for all of nature and our families and all our friends. We can look back on our life and our experiences and good times and what we call bad times and think that it all just happened....... but it didn't just happen. And it's not just "ORDINARY". Not "ORDINARY" at all, but it is a 'MIRACLE." Life is a miracle.
Again I say YES.... It is a quiet and still morning. I look around me with these eyes God has given me and realize that sight is a "MIRACLE." And I look around me with my mental eyes and I see the things I have done and the places I have been. I see so many people that have been in my life and the pleasure they have brought me and the things they have taught me. I see the love I have been given and I see "THE SIGN" ....... yes I see "THE SIGN" that just a few minutes ago, I had asked God to show to me. I see you and I realize, "YOU are a MIRACLE." And I see that there are NO ordinary miracles. All miracles are "EXTRAORDINARY." So I would say to you this morning Thank you for being a miracle in my life.....
Just something to think about...........................................
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
LIFE ISN'T A BEAUTY SHOPPE
Yesterday I awoke early as always, but yesterday, I had a reason to get out of bed. You see, I had a Doctors appointment. Well, not really an appointment with the Doctor, but I had to go and get some lab work done. As most of you know, this is when you go to the Doctor's office and let a nice little lady smile at you and say nice things to you and tell you how good you look before she sticks a needle in the front side of your elbow that's so long it reaches all the way to your heart and draws enough blood out of your old body to feed a cave full of bats for a week. The nice little lady then tell you to go pee in a cup that she hands to you while wearing rubber gloves that go up to her elbows. You would think she would give me the rubber gloves to wear because as much trouble as us men have hitting something as big as a toilet, no way can we hit that little cup without peeing all over our hands. Now you may think this post is about going to the Doctor but let me assure you it's not. What goes on in my Doctors office, stays in my Doctors office. If I told you all the questions that I have been asked and all the places I've been touched in that office this post would have to have a warning about you being over 18 to read it. No, This is about something that happened as I was getting ready to go to the Doctors office and it got me to thinking. Seems it doesn't take much to get me thinking these days.
You see, as I was getting ready to go, as I do every morning, I looked in the mirror. I do this to make sure I'm what some people would call..."Presentable", although I have never understood how looking into a mirror can make you look "Presentable.... It's kind of like going to to the Beauty Shoppe to get Beautiful..... I've always said... "If you're ugly when you go in that Beauty Shoppe, your gonna be ugly when you come out. There's only so much you can do with hair." Anyway, as I was looking into the mirror, I saw something different this time..... I saw a face that was aged. Oh, I recognised the face but not as my own. I saw lines I didn't know were there. I saw years that had silently passed by. I knew you...(Fill in this space with your name)... were getting older but I thought I looked the same as I did 40 years ago. Hmmmmm I thought to myself. I am getting "old". I then asked myself...... "How do I feel about getting old?" How do I feel about looking different? How do I feel about not having the strength I once had? How do I feel about seeing friends and family, all loved ones, leaving for the world beyond? Do I have any regrets? Do I have any wisdom to share? Am I grateful for the life I've lived or do I wish I had more time? Do I ever think "If only" or "I wish"..... Have you ever had these feelings? Have you ever looked back and said..."I wish I had taken better care of this body." Or how about you soul...Did you take good care of your soul? Did you dance when the music moved you and sing when the tune popped into you mind? Did you laugh out loud from way down deep in your belly and did you cry when your heart was broken? Did you say "I love you" and mean it with all your might? Do you find yourself always looking back or looking forward or do you just look now? I found me asking myself.... "Do your eyes still see, does your heart still beat, do your hands still feel, do your lips still smile, does your body still move, will you still live on even after you’ve gone?" That some deep thinking there................
I find I have so many thoughts as I get older. In less that a month I will be 67. It's hard to believe it's been that long since I came into this world. How did all this time get past me? I never saw it coming. Do I hate that I'm getting older? Not at all. After all, many have not reached the age that I am. I think back to being 13....to 16...to 21..... I know those are just numbers but they were so important at the time and now, instead of being a long time ago, they were just yesterday. I look at photos of times past and I think to myself...I looked so young then.
I find myself wondering what will I look like in 10 more years if I'm lucky enough to still be around. Or how about 20 years from now.... How will you look then? You know....I guess it doesn't really matter how you or I look going forward. Life isn't a Beauty Shoppe. As we step into tomorrow we can be ugly going in but the good news is we can step out of every day being beautiful. It's all what we make of it.
Just something to think about..................................
Yesterday I awoke early as always, but yesterday, I had a reason to get out of bed. You see, I had a Doctors appointment. Well, not really an appointment with the Doctor, but I had to go and get some lab work done. As most of you know, this is when you go to the Doctor's office and let a nice little lady smile at you and say nice things to you and tell you how good you look before she sticks a needle in the front side of your elbow that's so long it reaches all the way to your heart and draws enough blood out of your old body to feed a cave full of bats for a week. The nice little lady then tell you to go pee in a cup that she hands to you while wearing rubber gloves that go up to her elbows. You would think she would give me the rubber gloves to wear because as much trouble as us men have hitting something as big as a toilet, no way can we hit that little cup without peeing all over our hands. Now you may think this post is about going to the Doctor but let me assure you it's not. What goes on in my Doctors office, stays in my Doctors office. If I told you all the questions that I have been asked and all the places I've been touched in that office this post would have to have a warning about you being over 18 to read it. No, This is about something that happened as I was getting ready to go to the Doctors office and it got me to thinking. Seems it doesn't take much to get me thinking these days.
You see, as I was getting ready to go, as I do every morning, I looked in the mirror. I do this to make sure I'm what some people would call..."Presentable", although I have never understood how looking into a mirror can make you look "Presentable.... It's kind of like going to to the Beauty Shoppe to get Beautiful..... I've always said... "If you're ugly when you go in that Beauty Shoppe, your gonna be ugly when you come out. There's only so much you can do with hair." Anyway, as I was looking into the mirror, I saw something different this time..... I saw a face that was aged. Oh, I recognised the face but not as my own. I saw lines I didn't know were there. I saw years that had silently passed by. I knew you...(Fill in this space with your name)... were getting older but I thought I looked the same as I did 40 years ago. Hmmmmm I thought to myself. I am getting "old". I then asked myself...... "How do I feel about getting old?" How do I feel about looking different? How do I feel about not having the strength I once had? How do I feel about seeing friends and family, all loved ones, leaving for the world beyond? Do I have any regrets? Do I have any wisdom to share? Am I grateful for the life I've lived or do I wish I had more time? Do I ever think "If only" or "I wish"..... Have you ever had these feelings? Have you ever looked back and said..."I wish I had taken better care of this body." Or how about you soul...Did you take good care of your soul? Did you dance when the music moved you and sing when the tune popped into you mind? Did you laugh out loud from way down deep in your belly and did you cry when your heart was broken? Did you say "I love you" and mean it with all your might? Do you find yourself always looking back or looking forward or do you just look now? I found me asking myself.... "Do your eyes still see, does your heart still beat, do your hands still feel, do your lips still smile, does your body still move, will you still live on even after you’ve gone?" That some deep thinking there................
I find I have so many thoughts as I get older. In less that a month I will be 67. It's hard to believe it's been that long since I came into this world. How did all this time get past me? I never saw it coming. Do I hate that I'm getting older? Not at all. After all, many have not reached the age that I am. I think back to being 13....to 16...to 21..... I know those are just numbers but they were so important at the time and now, instead of being a long time ago, they were just yesterday. I look at photos of times past and I think to myself...I looked so young then.
I find myself wondering what will I look like in 10 more years if I'm lucky enough to still be around. Or how about 20 years from now.... How will you look then? You know....I guess it doesn't really matter how you or I look going forward. Life isn't a Beauty Shoppe. As we step into tomorrow we can be ugly going in but the good news is we can step out of every day being beautiful. It's all what we make of it.
Just something to think about..................................
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
IT'S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD !!!!!!!!!!!!
If memory serves me it was 1993 when a movie by the above name hit the big silver screen. I never saw the movie but I know it was a big success. I also know it was a comedy and won an Academy Award and was nominated for several more. I'm not a movie person myself. I have a hard time sitting for that long of a period. Just give me a rerun of a good old 30 to 60 minute TV western show like Gunsmoke or Bonanza and I'm happy. For some reason the title of this movie has been rolling around in my mind for days. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World over and over and over again. I kept wondering if maybe I should watch this movie. I decided no, as I was sure it would accomplish nothing so instead I decided to just concentrate on the title itself.
Of course the operative word in the title is .....ready for this bit of wisdom............ "MAD".......... Well I'm sure I impressed you with that knowledge but have you ever really thought about the word ...."MAD"?..... Mad can be angry. That's how I describe Peggy's attitude every time I screw up which is pretty often. Peggy is "mad" at me......... You can also use the word "Mad" in describing say a dog gone wild which is much different than "Girls gone Wild". It means the dog is abnormally furious or ferocious. Maybe affected by rabies. Or you can use "mad as in being overcome with desire or infatuated, like you know being mad about someone. You have to be very careful because there is a difference in being mad at someone and being mad about someone. And then you have "Mad" as just gone crazy. Out of their minds. No sense of reasoning. As I thought about all of this I suddenly realized why the title had four "MADs" in it. The world is four times..."MAD"......... We are angry, we are fercious, we are full of desires and we have totally lost our minds...
Now don't get mad (angry) at me but you....yes you..... are a mad person. You might be very sweet and calm and nice awww, I could go on telling you how great you are but in reality you are ...."MAD"..... One time mad, Two times mad, Three times or four times mad.......I don't know but you are mad.... We are all mad. If you're a republican you're mad at the democrates and if you're a democrate you're mad at the republicans. If you white you're mad at the blacks and if you're black you're mad at the whites. If you happen to be Hispanic at one time or another you are mad at everyone and at one time or another everyone is mad at you. If you're poor you're mad at the rich man (or woman) and if you're rich you're mad at the poor man (or woman). In fact if you're a woman you're sometimes mad at the man and vice-versa. And now we have a bunch that are mad at the Police because one or two may have made a mistake (I'm not gonna take a side on this because I don't want you mad at me) and another bunch mad at the first bunch for being mad at the Police. The whole world is mad it seems and if you aren't mad.... Just give the media a day or two and I can guarantee you they will make you mad about something. I remember when the newscasters just reported the news and now their job is to make you mad and tell you who to be mad at.
Sometimes all of this being mad just makes me sick and tired. I don't want to be mad anymore. I want to just get along. I want to like everyone and be nice to everyone and I want everyone to be nice to me. I'm tired of all the protesting and burning buildings and profanity laced comments and the such. I've decided to not be mad at anyone anymore. At least I'm not gonna be mad anymore until my Georgia Bulldawgs get beat again and then whatever team beats them better watch out because I have the whole WORLD WIDE WEB at my finger tips and I'm gonna be reaaaaal mad........ Just something to think about......................................
If memory serves me it was 1993 when a movie by the above name hit the big silver screen. I never saw the movie but I know it was a big success. I also know it was a comedy and won an Academy Award and was nominated for several more. I'm not a movie person myself. I have a hard time sitting for that long of a period. Just give me a rerun of a good old 30 to 60 minute TV western show like Gunsmoke or Bonanza and I'm happy. For some reason the title of this movie has been rolling around in my mind for days. It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World over and over and over again. I kept wondering if maybe I should watch this movie. I decided no, as I was sure it would accomplish nothing so instead I decided to just concentrate on the title itself.
Of course the operative word in the title is .....ready for this bit of wisdom............ "MAD".......... Well I'm sure I impressed you with that knowledge but have you ever really thought about the word ...."MAD"?..... Mad can be angry. That's how I describe Peggy's attitude every time I screw up which is pretty often. Peggy is "mad" at me......... You can also use the word "Mad" in describing say a dog gone wild which is much different than "Girls gone Wild". It means the dog is abnormally furious or ferocious. Maybe affected by rabies. Or you can use "mad as in being overcome with desire or infatuated, like you know being mad about someone. You have to be very careful because there is a difference in being mad at someone and being mad about someone. And then you have "Mad" as just gone crazy. Out of their minds. No sense of reasoning. As I thought about all of this I suddenly realized why the title had four "MADs" in it. The world is four times..."MAD"......... We are angry, we are fercious, we are full of desires and we have totally lost our minds...
Now don't get mad (angry) at me but you....yes you..... are a mad person. You might be very sweet and calm and nice awww, I could go on telling you how great you are but in reality you are ...."MAD"..... One time mad, Two times mad, Three times or four times mad.......I don't know but you are mad.... We are all mad. If you're a republican you're mad at the democrates and if you're a democrate you're mad at the republicans. If you white you're mad at the blacks and if you're black you're mad at the whites. If you happen to be Hispanic at one time or another you are mad at everyone and at one time or another everyone is mad at you. If you're poor you're mad at the rich man (or woman) and if you're rich you're mad at the poor man (or woman). In fact if you're a woman you're sometimes mad at the man and vice-versa. And now we have a bunch that are mad at the Police because one or two may have made a mistake (I'm not gonna take a side on this because I don't want you mad at me) and another bunch mad at the first bunch for being mad at the Police. The whole world is mad it seems and if you aren't mad.... Just give the media a day or two and I can guarantee you they will make you mad about something. I remember when the newscasters just reported the news and now their job is to make you mad and tell you who to be mad at.
Sometimes all of this being mad just makes me sick and tired. I don't want to be mad anymore. I want to just get along. I want to like everyone and be nice to everyone and I want everyone to be nice to me. I'm tired of all the protesting and burning buildings and profanity laced comments and the such. I've decided to not be mad at anyone anymore. At least I'm not gonna be mad anymore until my Georgia Bulldawgs get beat again and then whatever team beats them better watch out because I have the whole WORLD WIDE WEB at my finger tips and I'm gonna be reaaaaal mad........ Just something to think about......................................
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU USE ALL YOUR NUMBERS UP ??????????????
It was February 5, 1991. You may think that was a while ago and that it's strange that it's so clear in my mind but I remember it like it was yesterday. I'm very thankful that my rememberer still works sometimes. I'll try to explain why all of this is still so fresh in my mind after all this time. You see, February 5 is my birthday. My son Josh's birthday is February 1st. Josh had just turned 5 years old and as most 5 year olds, he was very inquisitive. We had just had cake and ice cream and were sitting around the den talking and Josh, while sitting on the floor playing with some of his cars, looked up at me and asked.....Dad.... What happens when you use all your numbers up???? At first I didn't understand the question, but then I realized what he was asking about. To Josh birthdays were just numbers and I assume he liked these numbers so well he wanted to make sure we had all the numbers we wanted.
As life goes on we learn that how many numbers we have aren't near as important as what we do with these numbers. We learn to look at our numbers with a new and different perspective than when we were five years old. When we are young children we look out at our future. We set goals for the next 10, 20, or even the next 50 years that we assume will follow. We think our numbers will go on forever. Then as we get a little older, we only look for the next five or so years and then, just next year and finally we think of just today. And as we get older we not only look ahead in a different way, but we find ourselves looking back more often. We start this looking back at a young age also but as the numbers we have left changes, so does our perspective. We start out looking at "things" that make us happy, then turn to "things and times" that make us happy, and then we find the things that make us happy have disappeared. We still remember the times but now what has moved to first place is the "people" that make us happy. I think all of this is a cause to celebrate. A time to join with those people we love. A time to remember and a time to maybe shed a tear or two. A time to really look at those around us and a time to remember the good times with those that have used all their numbers up. YES....May tomorrow is a day to Give Thanks.
When I was a young child, I wanted to be thankful for a new bike. Now that I'm old I'm thankful for the old second hand bike I had.
When I was a teen, I wanted to be thankful for the shiny new Corvette I had. Now that I'm older, I'm thankful for the 53' Mercury I had instead. The Blue bomb we called her.
When I was a teen , I also wanted to be thankful for having the prettiest girl in school on my arm. Now that I'm older, I'm thankful for having the most beautiful woman in the world that I've called my wife for 44 years.
When I was a young man I was so proud when Cindy, My first born came, that I told everyone I wanted a dozen just like her. Now that I'm older I'm still proud of and thankful for Cindy, but I'm also proud and thankful for Vicki and Josh and I'm so very thankful that God saw fit "not" to give me three children just alike but three as different as night and day.
When I was young I wanted a big "house" with big rooms. I'm now thankful for our cozy "home" that love fills with a warmth that man cannot produce.
I'm thankful for the seven Grands that will be at our house tomorrow and the love I will see shared by them, one for another, as we eat and share stories of old times together and dreams of times to come.
I could go on and on about things and times and people I'm thankful for. I could talk about vacations and family times. I could write pages about my sister Dianne, that went to be with the Lord this year, and talk about the love that she shared with us all and the way she shared God's love until her last day here. I could talk about friends that I still have from Kirkwood and from High School. I could talk of new friends I've made on facebook and at our antique booth. I could tell of how thankful I am to still be here after my heart surgery almost four years ago, when the doctors told me my numbers should have been used up then. And I could tell you about how thankful I am to have had my surgery because it made me slow down and really notice all the great things and people I'm surrounded by and it also gave me a chance to write some of my feelings down that hopefully the grands will enjoy as they get older. Yes I'm a Blessed Man. I am Blessed by a loving God, by a loving family and by loving friends. And today and tomorrow and everyday that follows I will have my own special THANKSGIVING DAY. For you see....... I haven't yet used all my numbers up.....
HAPPY THANKSGIVING MY FRIENDS. MAY GOD BLESS YOUR DAY AND GRANT YOU MANY MORE NUMBERS......................
It was February 5, 1991. You may think that was a while ago and that it's strange that it's so clear in my mind but I remember it like it was yesterday. I'm very thankful that my rememberer still works sometimes. I'll try to explain why all of this is still so fresh in my mind after all this time. You see, February 5 is my birthday. My son Josh's birthday is February 1st. Josh had just turned 5 years old and as most 5 year olds, he was very inquisitive. We had just had cake and ice cream and were sitting around the den talking and Josh, while sitting on the floor playing with some of his cars, looked up at me and asked.....Dad.... What happens when you use all your numbers up???? At first I didn't understand the question, but then I realized what he was asking about. To Josh birthdays were just numbers and I assume he liked these numbers so well he wanted to make sure we had all the numbers we wanted.
As life goes on we learn that how many numbers we have aren't near as important as what we do with these numbers. We learn to look at our numbers with a new and different perspective than when we were five years old. When we are young children we look out at our future. We set goals for the next 10, 20, or even the next 50 years that we assume will follow. We think our numbers will go on forever. Then as we get a little older, we only look for the next five or so years and then, just next year and finally we think of just today. And as we get older we not only look ahead in a different way, but we find ourselves looking back more often. We start this looking back at a young age also but as the numbers we have left changes, so does our perspective. We start out looking at "things" that make us happy, then turn to "things and times" that make us happy, and then we find the things that make us happy have disappeared. We still remember the times but now what has moved to first place is the "people" that make us happy. I think all of this is a cause to celebrate. A time to join with those people we love. A time to remember and a time to maybe shed a tear or two. A time to really look at those around us and a time to remember the good times with those that have used all their numbers up. YES....May tomorrow is a day to Give Thanks.
When I was a young child, I wanted to be thankful for a new bike. Now that I'm old I'm thankful for the old second hand bike I had.
When I was a teen, I wanted to be thankful for the shiny new Corvette I had. Now that I'm older, I'm thankful for the 53' Mercury I had instead. The Blue bomb we called her.
When I was a teen , I also wanted to be thankful for having the prettiest girl in school on my arm. Now that I'm older, I'm thankful for having the most beautiful woman in the world that I've called my wife for 44 years.
When I was a young man I was so proud when Cindy, My first born came, that I told everyone I wanted a dozen just like her. Now that I'm older I'm still proud of and thankful for Cindy, but I'm also proud and thankful for Vicki and Josh and I'm so very thankful that God saw fit "not" to give me three children just alike but three as different as night and day.
When I was young I wanted a big "house" with big rooms. I'm now thankful for our cozy "home" that love fills with a warmth that man cannot produce.
I'm thankful for the seven Grands that will be at our house tomorrow and the love I will see shared by them, one for another, as we eat and share stories of old times together and dreams of times to come.
I could go on and on about things and times and people I'm thankful for. I could talk about vacations and family times. I could write pages about my sister Dianne, that went to be with the Lord this year, and talk about the love that she shared with us all and the way she shared God's love until her last day here. I could talk about friends that I still have from Kirkwood and from High School. I could talk of new friends I've made on facebook and at our antique booth. I could tell of how thankful I am to still be here after my heart surgery almost four years ago, when the doctors told me my numbers should have been used up then. And I could tell you about how thankful I am to have had my surgery because it made me slow down and really notice all the great things and people I'm surrounded by and it also gave me a chance to write some of my feelings down that hopefully the grands will enjoy as they get older. Yes I'm a Blessed Man. I am Blessed by a loving God, by a loving family and by loving friends. And today and tomorrow and everyday that follows I will have my own special THANKSGIVING DAY. For you see....... I haven't yet used all my numbers up.....
HAPPY THANKSGIVING MY FRIENDS. MAY GOD BLESS YOUR DAY AND GRANT YOU MANY MORE NUMBERS......................
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
THEY CALL IT PROGRESS, I CALL IT SOMETHING ELSE
I sit here on a cold blustery morning and as is so often the case, my mind wonders back to a simpler time. A time when there were no bills, no ills and no pills to take every day. My biggest concern back then was who was going to join the rest of the neighborhood kids up at "THE FIELD". Oh "THE FIELD"...... It was our (the neighborhood kid's) field of dreams. At the time it was as big as Ponce de Leon ballpark, but in reality it was probably 175 feet by 175 feet. No matter the size, size really didn't matter, it was where legends were made, dreams came true and although I didn't realize it at the time lessons were learned. The field was just part of a city block that for some reason had never been developed. It fronted Winter Avenue on the east, Leland Terrace on the west and Park Place on the south. I knew it had to be an important field because Park Place was right beside the Boardwalk on the Monopoly Board. On one corner of the block was what we called the Little Store. It was just a little neighborhood store where we always went to buy candy and whatever else our moms would send us after. It was also where I learned my first entrepreneurial skills. I learn very early on that I could comb the back alleys for empty Coke bottles and take them to the Little Store and trade them for money and with this money I could buy candy. As you can see, I learned about the pleasures of life at an early age. Yes, life was simple and the bottle business was good.
Right next to the Little Store was a restaurant called the College Inn Restaurant. You see the north side of the block, where our field of dreams was, had been developed. There were these two businesses along with a Pure Gasoline Station and these three business faced College Avenue. It was called College Avenue because about two miles down the road was Agnes Scott College. I ride by this area pretty often nowadays but it's all changed.. Oh sure, most of the houses are still there and the streets are still there but the field and the businesses have been replaced by a Marta Station. Rapid transit they call it... Progress they say.... It's for the betterment of the people they tell me
... I beg to differ..... Part of whats wrong today is Rapid Transit. Seems like we're trying to get everywhere and do everthing to fast. We're trying to get our children grown to fast. I learned more at that field and The Little Store and the Pure Gasoline Station and The College Inn Restaurant than I bet anyone has ever learned on a Marta Train. I learned that it's good to create your own entertainment. I learned about teamwork and competition. I learned about fair play. I discovered that I could learn from the older kids and I learned that when I got older I needed to be patient with the younger kids. At the Pure Gasoline Station I learned it was a good thing to take time with a young child and to not just tell him what you were doing to fix a car but to show him. I learned what "Full Service" meant and that it wasn't a bad or demeaning thing to get dirty while working and earning a living. And ohhh the things I learned at The College Inn Restaurant. The restaurant wasn't just a sit down restaurant but also a drive-in restaurant. You could pull your car in the back, park under the awning, and Ol' Henry would come out, take your order and have your food to you before the first inning was over. You see, the parking lot backed right up to our field. Ol' Henry was what we called the "Curb Boy". The Varsity calls them "Red Caps" but to us Ol' Henry was just a "Curb Boy". At the time, I thought Ol' Henry was an older man but looking back now I would guess O' Henry was 19 or 20 years old. On those hot days when the sun would beat down on us, Ol' Henry would call for us to come on up and get us a drink. He would buy us all a coke and he taught us how to sit and rock on a coke crate. If I close my eyes I can still hear Ol' Henry telling us a story or talking about a catch one of us had made in the field or how far one of us kids had hit the ball, all the time laughing from the depths of his belly. When it was cold weather we would gather in a little shack they had built for Ol' Henry on the back of the restaurant to get out of the cold. Again we would grab us a coke crate, sit down around a little wood stove, rock and listen with smiles on our faces as Ol' Henry told us his stories. I don't think I ever knew a happier soul than Ol' Henry. He was color blind, he enjoyed his work, he shared his wealth, and yes, looking back he was a very wealthy young man, and he loved life. Ol' Henry was one of the first people to teach me that riches aren't to be measured in material things and people shouldn't be judged by the color of their skin.
Yep...They call it progress.... They can dig up the field.... They can tear down the old businesses and the can build something new and shiny, but they can never take away the memories and the lessons learned and they can never take away the laughter that I can still hear coming from the depths of Ol' Henry's belly. Oh the memories we've built. Just something to think about......................................................
I sit here on a cold blustery morning and as is so often the case, my mind wonders back to a simpler time. A time when there were no bills, no ills and no pills to take every day. My biggest concern back then was who was going to join the rest of the neighborhood kids up at "THE FIELD". Oh "THE FIELD"...... It was our (the neighborhood kid's) field of dreams. At the time it was as big as Ponce de Leon ballpark, but in reality it was probably 175 feet by 175 feet. No matter the size, size really didn't matter, it was where legends were made, dreams came true and although I didn't realize it at the time lessons were learned. The field was just part of a city block that for some reason had never been developed. It fronted Winter Avenue on the east, Leland Terrace on the west and Park Place on the south. I knew it had to be an important field because Park Place was right beside the Boardwalk on the Monopoly Board. On one corner of the block was what we called the Little Store. It was just a little neighborhood store where we always went to buy candy and whatever else our moms would send us after. It was also where I learned my first entrepreneurial skills. I learn very early on that I could comb the back alleys for empty Coke bottles and take them to the Little Store and trade them for money and with this money I could buy candy. As you can see, I learned about the pleasures of life at an early age. Yes, life was simple and the bottle business was good.
Right next to the Little Store was a restaurant called the College Inn Restaurant. You see the north side of the block, where our field of dreams was, had been developed. There were these two businesses along with a Pure Gasoline Station and these three business faced College Avenue. It was called College Avenue because about two miles down the road was Agnes Scott College. I ride by this area pretty often nowadays but it's all changed.. Oh sure, most of the houses are still there and the streets are still there but the field and the businesses have been replaced by a Marta Station. Rapid transit they call it... Progress they say.... It's for the betterment of the people they tell me
... I beg to differ..... Part of whats wrong today is Rapid Transit. Seems like we're trying to get everywhere and do everthing to fast. We're trying to get our children grown to fast. I learned more at that field and The Little Store and the Pure Gasoline Station and The College Inn Restaurant than I bet anyone has ever learned on a Marta Train. I learned that it's good to create your own entertainment. I learned about teamwork and competition. I learned about fair play. I discovered that I could learn from the older kids and I learned that when I got older I needed to be patient with the younger kids. At the Pure Gasoline Station I learned it was a good thing to take time with a young child and to not just tell him what you were doing to fix a car but to show him. I learned what "Full Service" meant and that it wasn't a bad or demeaning thing to get dirty while working and earning a living. And ohhh the things I learned at The College Inn Restaurant. The restaurant wasn't just a sit down restaurant but also a drive-in restaurant. You could pull your car in the back, park under the awning, and Ol' Henry would come out, take your order and have your food to you before the first inning was over. You see, the parking lot backed right up to our field. Ol' Henry was what we called the "Curb Boy". The Varsity calls them "Red Caps" but to us Ol' Henry was just a "Curb Boy". At the time, I thought Ol' Henry was an older man but looking back now I would guess O' Henry was 19 or 20 years old. On those hot days when the sun would beat down on us, Ol' Henry would call for us to come on up and get us a drink. He would buy us all a coke and he taught us how to sit and rock on a coke crate. If I close my eyes I can still hear Ol' Henry telling us a story or talking about a catch one of us had made in the field or how far one of us kids had hit the ball, all the time laughing from the depths of his belly. When it was cold weather we would gather in a little shack they had built for Ol' Henry on the back of the restaurant to get out of the cold. Again we would grab us a coke crate, sit down around a little wood stove, rock and listen with smiles on our faces as Ol' Henry told us his stories. I don't think I ever knew a happier soul than Ol' Henry. He was color blind, he enjoyed his work, he shared his wealth, and yes, looking back he was a very wealthy young man, and he loved life. Ol' Henry was one of the first people to teach me that riches aren't to be measured in material things and people shouldn't be judged by the color of their skin.
Yep...They call it progress.... They can dig up the field.... They can tear down the old businesses and the can build something new and shiny, but they can never take away the memories and the lessons learned and they can never take away the laughter that I can still hear coming from the depths of Ol' Henry's belly. Oh the memories we've built. Just something to think about......................................................
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