The New Year

I suppose it’s fitting to again write something for the end of one year and the beginning of another. On the one hand, there’s nothing magical about January 1. Our year could just as easily start on October 10 or May 22. We have chosen (or rather someone has chosen for us, and we have not changed it) the stroke of midnight between December 31 and January 1 as the beginning of the New Year.
There is something to be said for the length of the year, however. It approximates the time it takes to travel around the sun on planet earth. And the length of our day is also something that probably should remain as it is as it approximates the time it takes the earth to make one rotation on its axis. But the notion that January 1 should be the start of the new year is an entirely man-made idea.
Not that there’s something bad about that. I suppose the year has to begin some time. I’m not sure it deserves all of the attention it gets, however. It seems to me it’s an excuse for us to spend money, stay up late, and over-indulge.
I’m not really a Grinch, although I am wearing my Oscar the Grouch shirt today. And I’ll gladly be part of the Plank gathering here later tonight. There will be food and drink, games and talk. And we’ll celebrate the New Year, clean up, say good-bye, and head for bed, wondering what this next year has in store for us.
If I can be serious for a moment, I’d like to say what you already know. We haven’t a clue what the new year holds for us, or if we’ll even be around for the entire year. We don’t know what funerals will take place, who will get married, who will have a child. We don’t know the state of the economy, nor do we know what various people in power in the world will do militarily or through terrorism.
What we do know is that there will be enough evil and mayhem in the world this coming year, that we would do well to live at peace with all men insofar as it lies within us; to offer a cup of cold water; to visit those who are sick and in prison; to give a coat, a meal, and a safe place to sleep. We would do well to offer a kind word, encourage a child, pick up someone else’s trash, slow down and drive more civilly, and hold a door or an elevator for someone. We would do well to remember the God who made us; to visit the teachings of Jesus and absorb and practice them. We would do very, very well to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We can’t fix everything; neither do we have to contribute to the mayhem. We can do our part to civilize our sphere of influence. And we can work to make the lives of others better even as we ponder our own frailty and mortality. Have a blessed 2012.

End of Year Musing

Today is Tuesday. Two days after Christmas Day. Hopefully, things “out there” will at least begin to become somewhat more normal so I will feel like I can venture out to the store to pick up a few things we need. I don’t participate in the frenzy of buying and shopping this time of the year, and don’t even like to go pick up the ordinary things (milk, fresh fruit, canned goods, etc) that we need from the supermarket this time of the year. However, it appears I’ll have to go shortly as we’re running low.
I did get several books for Christmas that I’ll enjoy. Also a sweater, portable clip-on light, and the unusual gift of a personal geo-cache. Haven’t found it yet, but am planning to do so later this week. I have an idea where it generally is located and am looking forward to finding it.
The weather promises to be mild and sunny for the next several days, so I’m thinking about taking down the outdoor display on Friday or maybe Saturday of this week. It was kind of fun to put up and enjoy from night to night, but even with good things, there comes a time to put it back into the boxes.
The train is up and running in the garage. Hopefully, there will be some who stop by during the mild weather and run it. The garage tends to heat up in the afternoons when the sun shines on the west doors and it’s downright pleasant in there during that time. I have a propane heater that takes the chill off, but often don’t have to run it because of the solar heating.
These days after Christmas and before the New Year seem to be similar, in many ways, to what we used to call the slow days of summer. Of course it’s cool out and not hot, but these days for those of us who don’t work over the holiday break are gifts of time that at once stretch for a couple of weeks, yet all too quickly seem to come to an end.
I hope your remaining days of 2011 are pleasant and 2012 will be kind and gentle to you and yours.

Renewal & Hope

The winter solstice is hard upon us. On December 21 at 11:30pm Central Standard Time, the earth will be tilted at the maximum away from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere. That means that the days will generally become longer after that date.
I always enjoy it when the winter solstice comes because I know that there is an end to winter, cold, ice and snow. I know that spring is coming and things will again turn green and start growing. I also know that it will be a long haul from the winter solstice to the warm days of late April. There will be plenty more ice and snow storms…times of zero degrees or lower, and almost endless cloudy, dreary days and nights. But the solstice brings hope. Hope of renewal, refreshment, and the beauty of the creation as it grows and flourishes.
And isn’t that really what the hope that Peter describes in his first letter, chapter 3 and verse 15…isn’t that really kind of what that hope is? Not some kind of wishful thinking, but rather a longing and looking forward to, with the assurance of things present that what is hoped for will come to pass.
When the solstice comes this year, rejoice in the hope that is within you as you hope for the warmth and renewal of the spring to come.

Ten Reasons

I’m going to share with you something written on Facebook by one of our young women at our church. She is a freshman in high school and has given me permission to use what she wrote.
I’m sharing this because all too often we look at teenagers as lazy, insolent, undisciplined, uncaring, and selfish. We know they don’t have a clue how real life is lived and have had everything handed to them on a platter. We abhor their driving habits, knowing they are out to intentionally kill and maim. We see them sag in some places and show too much everywhere. We think all they do is thumb texts all day and hook up at night. They eat too much, don’t eat vegetables, live in garbage dump rooms, and leave the bathroom such that we have to don gloves and a mask to enter.
We miss the reality…a lot. Listen to what she has to say about her day. (By the way, I know both this young woman as well as her friend Carrie (name changed), who she mentions in her writing.)


Not a very good day (or week)...at all. But here are ten reasons I'm smiling and thanking God for the blessed life I have:

1) Spanish, Literature, Music Appreciation, and Math finals are DONE. Only the first three went well though ;)

2) I got a Steelers Terrible Towel today. This alone gave me hope that maybe my week will end better than it started.

3) Yesterday I got to volunteer at Botanica!

4) After I volunteered, my girl scouts and I got to see Botanica's lights for free then grabbed some ice cream at Braums! Yum

5) I talked to one of my ex best friends earlier this week and we agreed to be friends again and out the past behind us. It feels good not to have so much tension!

6) Music. It has kept me awake when I started falling asleep doing homework

7) Kids. They make me smile in every way possible

8) My bestest friend ever (Carrie Austin) came to Wichita this past weekend!!

9) Carrie gave me "12 days before Christmas presents", so each day I open a thoughtful gift and a handwritten note reminding me why I love her and why we are best friends! ♥ you sister!

10) And my final reason I am smiling is because I know all of these things couldn't have been possible without my ever forgiving God. Thank you, God for my wonderful Terrible Towel.

Wisdom beyond her years, and far beyond anything most people may think in general about teenagers today. I’m tearing up as I write this hoping that some day I will have the maturity to write ten reasons why I should smile and thank God for the blessed life I have, even in the face of a not very good day.

A Greater Appeal

I got to thinking this morning about life several years ago when our boys were still in school. We lived in a small community to the southwest of here then, in the home where I grew up. Life was certainly different from my growing-up years in many ways. We had the Internet, cell phones, and many modern conveniences that we did not have in the 1950’s and 1960’s. But some things didn’t change.
The one thing I was thinking of that hadn’t changed between the 1960’s and the 1990’s was that we never pulled the keys from our vehicles. And we left them parked outside in the drive. We never pulled the keys when we went somewhere, unless it was to Wichita or some other “foreign” place. We never were stung with a stolen vehicle, and to my knowledge, none of our vehicles was ever bothered in any way. Now the keys are pulled religiously.
As a corollary, when we lived in western Kansas a few years ago, we never locked the front door to our house, except at night when we had retired for the night. Even if we left town for a week or more, we wouldn’t lock the front door. And as far as I know, that was never a problem. Now, we keep the doors locked even in the daytime, whether we are home or not. And we live in a “safe” neighborhood in the Wichita area.
So what makes the difference? Is it that as we grow older, we grow more cautious? Is it the environment? Do larger cities mean more danger? Maybe it’s because we have more invested in our vehicles and homes than we used to have. Or maybe it’s because we don’t know our neighbors like we used to. Or is there something else at work here? I don’t really know the answer to that, but suspect it has something to do with all of the above.
Is it better? Well, in many ways it is. There is an element of risk in leaving something unlocked, whether in a small or large town, whether in the 1950’s or the 2000’s. There is an inherent safety factor that’s at play here. But in other ways, it’s a little sad that it has to come to this. It’s sad that I have to mentally note whether I’ve locked a door or not and check it to be sure. It’s unsettling to think that I feel like I have to have a loaded weapon at the ready in my home. It’s unnerving to know that not everyone who comes to the door will be coming for an innocent purpose. And although it was unthinkable some years ago, with the new concealed carry laws on the books, I’ve told more than one person who has visited with me about the subject, “If I had a concealed carry permit and a weapon on me, I wouldn’t tell you.”
I know that this blog may be troubling to some, especially for those who know this Mennonite boy who wants nothing more than to live at peace with everyone. It’s unsettling to know that I have even thought such things, let alone have written them. But that’s the world we seem to live in. And it only makes the new heavens and the new earth even more appealing.

When?

A few days ago, we again celebrated Pearl Harbor Day. The number of veterans who were there, and the number of WWII veterans in general, are declining at a great rate. In a few short years, there will be no WWII veterans around anymore. It won’t be many more years until the Korean War veterans are gone…then Vietnam…and so on. When that happens, we tend to lose some perspective on what happened in those eras, and we also tend to forget any lessons those experiences may have tried to teach our society and the human race.
I know that all wars are messy, miserable, and result in many people being killed, societies disappearing or forever changing, and other consequences that we may or may not always see right away. The Second World War, however, seems to be a kind of watershed event for the United States, the free world, and the way we see and fight war. Hopefully, we will not as a race of people (human race) rush to forget the horrid, horrid atrocities and the extraordinary sacrifices of ordinary men and women who literally made the world safe for humanity again in WWII. And hopefully, we won't rush to forget the rebuilding of Japan, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Air Lift, and everything else too numerous to mention here.
We didn’t deal with everything perfectly. We committed our share of atrocities and had those in our military who were not the paragons of virtue we’d like to think they were. However, we acquitted ourselves well in the 1940’s and were an example to all nations on many, many fronts. We have nothing to be ashamed of in the great scheme of things when it comes to our collective behavior in the War.
We sacrificed. We worked. We got involved. We learned. And we prevailed. We did what we had to do, and many did more than they thought they were capable of doing. We survived and thrived, and we brought the world back from the brink of total despair and destruction through our rebuilding efforts and our leadership in forming the United Nations, NATO, and other efforts.
As I look at this post, I have to wonder if Washington politics would call the nation to great and lofty expectations, we would positively respond as we did then. Instead of a call to serve, it now seems we're being relegated by Washington to the lowest common denominator of malaise and parasitic living. And that relegating has been going on for much longer than the current administration. On July 9, 2004, President Bush said, “I want the American people to live a normal life. It’s my job to worry about it. It’s your job to go about your business.” That was his call from the very beginning of the war on terror. We didn’t sacrifice as a society. We didn’t pay for the war (All major expenditures were “off-budget” and therefore we borrowed the entire amount). We didn’t have to do anything except continue about our business.
Who is bold enough to issue the call and provide the leadership? Who is brave enough to be honest with the American people? When will we be asked to give, support, and encourage? When will we be part of the solution?

Those Who Don't Know Better

Richard C. Hottelet. Marvin Kalb. Robert Trout. Winston Burdett. Eric Sevareid. Charles Collingwood. Howard K. Smith. Douglas Edwards. Robert Pierpoint. Daniel Schorr. Do any of these names sound familiar? No? What about Walter Cronkite? OK, now you have an idea.
These men (yes, they’re all men) are former news correspondents who worked during television’s golden age of news reporting. Most of them worked for CBS News, but not all. Several of them were Murrow’s boys, a phrase that described those who worked for the legendary Edward R. Murrow.
There were more than these, of course. Most of these men were World War II correspondents, and stayed with news reporting into the age of television, and on through the 1960’s and 1970’s. They worked at a time when the news was expected to be a money-loser. They worked when it was thought that the news needed to be independent of the politics of the organization. They worked when news was indeed news and not someone’s opinion masquerading as legitimate news. All have passed on except, as of this writing, Hottelet, who is still active in life.
Sometimes these reporters would give a commentary. When they did, it was clearly labeled as such. Sevareid and Cronkite immediately come to mind as two whose commentary I clearly remember. I’m sure others did the same. We didn’t always agree, but I respected their opinions, and knew they came from a deep and abiding knowledge of the events of the day and a great respect for the journalism profession and the code of ethics that guided them.
It saddens me to think that the likes of some of these men may never be seen again, or that the independence of a news organization from its owner/company may never again be known. It saddens me that it takes great effort to find anything in any kind of news reporting that even comes close to pure news reporting, and not pandering to profit or politics. Those of us who have experienced the golden age of media journalism are understandably turned off by Fox, CNN and the others who have hijacked something that served well the American people and the world and have created a faux world that is nothing at all like it should be.
And what is even sadder is that those who don’t know better think this is the way it should be.

The Right Thing

You’ve probably seen the ad, or seen one like it. State Farm Insurance this evening, during the OU/OSU game had a commercial where the only sound was a musical score where the singers sang “You wanna go where everybody knows your name,” several times during the 30 second spot. Of course, the song is from the TV show “Cheers.” And the theme of the commercial was that people like to do business where they are called by name.
I’ve noticed many commercials in the last couple of years that have this theme. Not the song from “Cheers” necessarily, but the general theme of the commercial is that you will be somebody besides a number if you do business with us.
It’s sad in a way that commercials even have to have this theme. I know that in this modern world, it’s a little arcane to think that the mom and pop grocery store, the local banker, the hardware store guy, the clothing store women, and the meat market butcher would all be friends and neighbors who know you and you know not only them, but also their spouses, kids, and grandkids.
However, there are ways that we can meet the need for recognition without having to patronize a particular insurance company, supermarket, or bank. A couple of ways that I can think of immediately are to volunteer your time to a worthy organization and to become connected with a loving church community.
Think about it before you dismiss these suggestions out of hand. Someone who volunteers is appreciated just for their willingness to serve. These folks fill needs, provide additional support, and generally make life better and easier for those they serve. And that service is noticed and appreciated, making the volunteer a sort of celebrity, if you will.
And to attach oneself to a loving church community is to inherit a “whole ‘nuther family,’ as it were. Folks are generally glad you are a part of the group and enjoy the time they spend with you. You have additional opportunity to volunteer through the church as well.
You don’t have to attach to a church, if that’s not your thing. Civic groups, non-profit organizations and the like many times are formed around a community structure and would welcome you to the fellowship. I would ask, though, that you seriously consider your Creator, His continuing love for you and your response to that. No, not all churches are loving. No, not all people in the church are committed to the cause. Yes, some are hypocrites. You’ll find that, however, wherever you go because people are imperfect by nature, and so are you. Don’t let those lame excuses keep you from doing the right thing.

No Easy Solution

I helped our teens (church youth group) last night as they served an overflow homeless shelter by serving a hot meal to the men that came in for the night. We served sloppy joes, fruit, mac & cheese, cookies, and drinks. The men were grateful and several came to the window to thank us for what we provided for them.
As I looked over the men who were eating during a lull in the serving, I had to wonder about some of them. One of them said he had been a Marine. Another was rather young…looked like age 30 or less. Some looked as if they had been homeless for years; others looked like they came on hard times in just the last few days or weeks. I don’t know if I can rely on looks and brief conversations to draw any particular conclusions, however.
What I did think about was how these men would get out of the situation they were in. How were they going to find jobs, get to and from work, obtain a vocational education, etc?
Think about it. To get a job today requires (usually) a mailing address or permanent address, email, access to a computer, a telephone number, transportation, clean clothing, neat appearance, a way to create a resume, adequate identification, and decent health. Many employers also check one’s credit report, driver records and other such records. Enrolling in and attending school requires much the same resources in addition to a method of paying for the schooling.
So how are these guys going to make the arrangements for these things? How will they get (and pay for) transportation? Where will they wash their clothes? Where are they going to type out a decent resume? What do they do first? Where do they look? Who do they ask?
Now, I’m not turning into a flaming liberal. I know some of these guys have mental and emotional issues that may preclude them from holding down a job. But that begs the question of how they will obtain treatment for their condition, or will they just continue being unbalanced? Other guys have made poor choices in the past that have worked against them to result in their being in the overflow shelter. I get that. We’ve all made poor choices in life. But that also begs the question of how they are going to get out of the hole they’re in, and the truth that “But for the grace of God go I.”
Maybe I also look at this a little differently than some because my wife and I were homeless for a time not that long ago. Except for the generosity of family who took us in and gave us basic support (computer access, an address, washer and dryer, bathroom, warmth & comfort, and would have provided food, transportation, and clothing if needed), and for a church family who helped with continuing medical insurance and provided other support, we too would have had to go to the overflow shelter for an evening meal and place to sleep.
I am not one who thinks government has the solution to all problems of society. Nor do I think that throwing money at a problem necessarily fixes it or makes it better. I do believe, however, that in general we are woefully ignorant of not only these kinds of societal issues, but we are also woefully ignorant of the complexity of many of these issues and the difficulty in finding an adequate solution or solutions.
I don’t pretend to know the answers. I don’t even know what questions to ask. I do know that I’ll be much more cognizant of some of these issues as I go forward in life, and will continue to “do something” even if I can’t “do everything”. I hope you will too.