The Golden Age

I was watching some old TV this afternoon. The Andy Griffith Show has been in re-run status virtually continuously since it ceased production. Most of the actors are long since gone, except for Mr. Griffith, Ron Howard and perhaps one or two others. Many of us know the plot, the lines and the outcome of each episode, yet we stay with the channel the show is on and watch it yet again.
I’ve wondered why it is that shows such as the Andy Griffith Show, M.A.S.H., and others are such icons and are watched virtually continuously for decades at a time. Lawrence Welk is in re-runs on PBS and you can certainly think of other shows that are on cable much of the time. I’ve further wondered why we continue to watch such shows, even knowing the lines, plot, and outcome.
I confess I don’t know the answer. I suspect that, at least in part, there is nothing of substance on any of the other dozens of channels that are available and we go to these old shows in part because of that. I think also that part of the reason may indeed be their familiarity, and a connection we may have with those older shows.
I don’t often see a snipped of a Gunsmoke episode but what I don’t think of Saturday night at the home place. Dad in his recliner, Mom ironing or working with some kind of knitting, and the siblings either watching with us or doing something somewhere in the house. The television is black and white, no more than 21 inches diagonal measurement, and there is no remote control. Yes, I know color television and remote control existed then, but we didn’t have them.
One of the kids generally served as the remote control. There were but four channels available, and we kids knew what shows the adults wanted to watch and what times they came on. We did have to know how to occasionally adjust the fine-tuning and less frequently the vertical or horizontal hold. Such controls were usually behind a little door that was on the front of the set and included brightness, contrast, and sometimes focus and one or two other picture controls.
Sometimes we had to jiggle the channel knob in order to get a good picture. That usually meant that the tuner was dirty and the repair man would have to come and clean it. Of course, we didn’t call him until it got so bad we couldn’t stand it.
Sometimes, no matter what we did, we couldn’t get the vertical or horizontal to stay in “hold”. Or perhaps the picture gradually got shorter or narrower. Such problems could be adjusted at times with knobs on the back of the set, but more often they were harbingers of the repair man coming again, taking off the set back, and replacing one or more tubes that had gotten weak. Less often, but always a possibility, the repair man sometimes had to take the set “into the shop” for major repairs. In that case, it would be gone for several days while he ordered parts or fixed the sets that came in before ours.
The repair man would bring the set back just in time, it seemed, for a favorite show. Rejuvenated, the television would once again be the magic box that pulled pictures out of the ether and entertained us for awhile. Matt, Andy, Lawrence, Little Joe, and others would take us to another place and another time, enabling us to forget, for a time, that we had our own problems to deal with.
And maybe that’s it. Maybe these old shows continue to take us to that other time and place even though we know them by heart. Maybe they do that job in a way that the modern comedies, the reality shows, and the cooking or golf channel just can’t do. Maybe, just maybe, television was in its golden age.

An Assignment

Earlier this week I received a post card in the mail. Our church office sent it, asking me to participate in the services tomorrow by saying some words before we take up our “Gifts of Gratitude” (AKA the collection or offering). Also on the card is the theme for the day and a scripture reference. The theme happens to be “Gratitude That Costs Something”. The reference is Colossians 3 where Paul says that whatever we do, we are to do it in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
I never quite know how to approach things like this. Although a sermon isn’t in order here, they do expect me to take a moment or two and give some thoughts about what is happening. As I think about my assignment, I find myself looking inward at my own views regarding giving, gratitude, and thanksgiving.
The card also says that, “An expression of gratitude should bring about a difference in the way we live and the things we value.” I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time thinking back to a time when gratitude made a difference in the way I live. Maybe I don’t know what I’m looking for, or maybe, just maybe I am not as grateful as I sometimes seem to be. Oh I know that one expression of gratitude probably will not cause any kind of an “Aha” moment, but one would think that there would be something in the past which, if I was as grateful as I thought I was, would kind of stand out. Or maybe my life has been more a continual expression of gratitude than I think it has, and it’s sort-of ingrained and “normal” now.
By the way, just what is an “expression of gratitude”? Is it giving into the collection plate at church? Is it helping the homeless in some way? Is it volunteering at the school? Or is it possibly sending money to a missionary or mission? Could it be as simple as saying, “I am grateful?” Or is there more to it than these things? Is expressing gratitude something we do in a compartmentalized day, or is it something we are continually as we go about the day’s activities and routines?
And as for the things that I value, I really haven’t given a lot of thought to that lately. What is it that I truly value? I can tell you now that as I think about that, nothing much of a material nature comes to mind. Our house? We’ve lived in 14 different houses in our married life. It doesn’t mean that much to me. Our transportation? Give me a break. Other things? Nothing much there that really comes out and bites me. It’s all old, utilitarian, or not worth much.
So what do I value? (In no particular order) The ability to see and enjoy God’s creation. My family. My life partner. The peace and satisfaction that come from being a child of God. My church family. Employment. My role as the hands and feet of Jesus.
As I look on the above paragraphs, I realize that this topic can be much more complicated than it might first appear. But I also see a simplicity in that it seems that God is calling us to a life that if lived as He would desire, would be one where the normal and routine of life and living would continually reflect our gratitude and thanksgiving. That routine of life and living would also encompass the list, so to speak, of those things we value most, with perhaps the most revealing aspect of that list being what is NOT on it.
So, are you grateful? Do you express that gratitude in some tangible way? Is gratitude a part of who you are, or is it something you set aside time in the day to do? What is it that you value? How does what you value differ from what you think Mary or Paul or Timothy would value? I’m looking forward to the day tomorrow.

Thanksgiving

Today is the day before Thanksgiving. It’s a time to remember the blessings that have come our way and in a greater sense, be a conduit of blessing to others.
Even during holidays, life happens. Today, Jack, a resident at our nursing home, breathed his last. Jack was someone that I would sit with and have coffee and conversation sometimes in the mornings. I don’t know his family. I didn’t know him until he came into the home. This Thanksgiving, Jack’s family is having to deal with everything that comes with the death of a loved one.
I’ve seen death many, many times in my health care career. Witnessing those deaths lessens not the impact of what I see and quenches not the thoughts, questions, and introspection as yet another of God’s creation begins the final part of the final journey.
So this evening is kind of melancholy for me. I seem to take these things with a little more emotion than some and greatly appreciate my having a role in Jack’s care during his last months of life. We aren’t perfect at the home and we don’t provide perfect care. But I think we do care and care greatly.
The holiday will come tomorrow. We will gather with family tomorrow. We will also gather again over the weekend with other family. It will be a time of bonding, thanksgiving, and relaxation. This year, there will also be some introspection.
Have a good holiday.

A Wonderful Journey

Our church is taking a wonderful journey that all too often is not part of the life of other congregations of whatever denominational stripe. We have, for the past several years, been led in a concerted effort to enable us to see beyond the walls of our building and understand and fill the need that is “out there” for the hands and feet of Jesus.
I don’t know what church staff thinks (one of two of them read this blog), but I am seeing a quickening, a coming-alive, a revitalization of the organism of which I am a part. I am, somewhat reluctantly at times, also becoming more revitalized and am thoroughly enjoying witnessing the awakening in others and in the congregation as a whole (which is, I believe, greater than the sum of its parts).
It’s a little scary at times and unsettling at other times. We don’t know exactly where we are going and can only see ahead dimly. Yet we are taking the plunge and many of us, perhaps for the first time in our lives, are trusting God for guidance as we have never done before.
Our trip is multi-faceted. We have re-examined our participation in various missions efforts and outreaches and have made some modifications. We are working toward a church plant in a nearby neighborhood. We are receiving teaching and instruction that is pertinent, clear, and appropriate. We are working with several different efforts, both individually and collectively, in our neighborhood to make our part of Wichita a better place. And we are working toward a financial goal over the next three years that will enable us to carry out many of those things we see need for.
I’ve never been part of anything like this before. I may never be again. I am savoring the moment.

A Kitty or a Truck

Lately, I’ve found myself with a kind of unusual problem. There’s been really nothing in the last week or more that has piqued my interest to the point that I thought I might like to write about it. Oh, there have been a lot of things happen, and I’ve seen a lot, but nothing that sort of jumps out there and says, “Write about me.”
That changed this evening on the way back from the “Y”. I was thinking about my sister’s birthday coming up tomorrow (the big 5-5) and was thinking about something she said when she was very small.
It seems that at a very young age (I don’t know, 3 maybe, or 4) Sis was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. She replied, “A kitty or a truck.” And I think now that both of those fit her personality very well.
Now, you may not understand how those two ideas could possibly be in the same personality, but trust me, they can be and they are. She can be at once a very boisterous and noisy person, letting everyone know that she is in the area, and at the same time demonstrate a love and tenderness toward others that would bring many people to tears. The room's dynamics and liveliness pick up by a factor of 10 or so when she enters and doesn't quiet down until she leaves. Yet I don't know anyone who has a more tender and soft heart for life and living.
She ready to relate her opinion on things and in her “rut” in many ways, yet is willing to change her life if it will benefit some other living creature (Lydia readily comes to mind). Her days are planned, yet seldom are those plans intact shortly after her day begins. She’s a great cook and would, I believe, cook for the whole neighborhood if there was a need there that she thought she could fill. And she’d do it regardless of what else she had planned for that day, preferring to serve others and juggle her schedule for the umpteenth time to make room for that service.
Yep. I think she’s fulfilled her childhood desires. She can be a truck at times, but is at her best as a kitty. I just hope Lydia doesn’t figure that out (grin).

The Holidays

The holidays are approaching with all of the noise and clatter of a freight train. If advertisements on TV and in the Sunday newspapers are any indication, this year promises to be one in which commercial interests spare no expense and hold back no tactic to separate us from our money.
That’s the part of the season that I don’t like.
If one looks beneath the surface, however, there is a part of the season that I and many others do like. This is the part where families come together and renew ties, carry on traditions, and welcome new members. This is the part of the season that holds interest for me and is by far, I think, the more important.
Yes, I know that some families can’t get along when they come together. And I also know that for some families, seeing other family members only brings out memories that are less than pleasant. It is also true that many families cannot be together due to separation, either forced or voluntary, and the holidays just aren’t the same because of it.
Sometimes family gatherings are an exercise in high-level diplomacy as hosts have to determine whether to invite this ex spouse or that estranged child or some other relative who has or causes issues and problems for others.
The intact family, free of divorce, abuse, drug use (including alcoholism), or feuding is increasingly rare and is no longer the norm. The holidays, while for many are a time of joy, are for many more a time of trial and tribulation, of tempest and tumult, of turmoil and turbulence.
It takes work to keep family gatherings peaceful and fun. It takes work to make family gatherings something to long for instead of dread. All who gather play a part and all who gather are responsible for their actions and attitudes.
Leave the political and religious discussions at home. Leave the booze at home. And leave your hyped-up ego, your bluster, your anger, your payback schemes, and your gossip at home. Just enjoy yourself and work diligently to make it so others have the opportunity to do the same.
Above all, remember why these two holidays exist. Even if you aren’t religious, you can be thankful for what you have and you can enjoy the spirit of giving. You can get out of yourself for just a few minutes and think about others. And you can enjoy this time as it was meant to be enjoyed.

Attutudes

I was driving north on Maize Road a few days ago during the day. Traffic was moderate, but wasn’t really heavy. Most folks were going the speed limit or a little over (which is normal). I try to go just about the speed limit, although there may be times when I need to go a little faster or slower depending on traffic.
I pulled onto Maize Road in the 600 block south. I was going north to Central, then right. That meant I had about a mile and a half to drive on Maize Road. Almost as soon as I pulled out, I noticed in my mirror that someone was changing lanes to go around me on the right (I pulled into the left lane, having made a left turn onto Maize Road, as the law says). I normally try to go into the right lane rather quickly, but did not because of this person who was, it seems driving rather fast.
The traffic was heavy enough so he had a hard time going as fast as he wanted to go. As I drove that mile and a half, I counted him changing lanes at least nine times (I may have lost count briefly) as he tried to speed around others going about the speed limit. Of course, anyone knows that a lane change (or any action such as a turn or entering an intersection) makes one more vulnerable to an accident. This man made himself more vulnerable at least nine times in about three minutes.
The light was green at Maple, but had turned red at the Central and Maize intersection. As I pulled to a stop behind several vehicles, I saw this man sitting at the same light as I was, about one hundred feet ahead of me. I thought, “Gee, it really must have been worth all the frustration, lane changes, and increased danger in order to gain a hundred feet.”
Isn’t life like that? We hurry, worry, fret, fume, and fuss over things that, had we just calmed down and worked with them in an “adult” manner, the outcome would have been either the same or better. We lose sleep, we’re apprehensive and nervous, and we suffer gastro-intestinal ailments because we can’t control ourselves. We also make ourselves and others more vulnerable to bad things happening by some of the things we do and say in such times.
There’s something to be said for calm, peace, and a relaxed demeanor. Try it.

Farmers Oil Co.

It happens often enough on trips we take in our car that we talk about it some when it happens. I’m sure it doesn’t happen every trip, but it comes about often enough that we kind of look out for it now.
What is it? This may sound a little strange, but we seem to invariably come across a Farmers Oil Co. truck on the road at some point in our trip somewhere. Now, you may not think much of this, or think that this is kind of crazy, but it’s true. You see, we are from the area where Farmers Oil Co. is located (Anthony, Kansas) and their trucks are somewhat unique-looking.
We’ve seen those trucks on trips to Michigan, Kansas City, Hays, Branson, and many other places. We see them in places we wouldn’t think we’d see them. We usually don’t see them more than once a trip. And we usually see them within 400 or so miles from Anthony (although not always).
Its become a kind of a game with me, not that I expend every ounce of energy to find one. Sometimes I see them on short trips to Central Kansas, but most often our destination is a hundred or more miles from Wichita in order for us to be on the road long enough to see one.
I see by a web page (not theirs) that they have twenty-some trucks and about twice as many trailers. They haul primarily petroleum products, as their name implies.
Why this has become a kind of a thing with us, I don’t know. I do know that I’ve been seeing them for many years on the road, and have been kind of looking for them as a kind of a game for several years. It helps break the tedium of Interstate highway travel and brings us back to earth, so to speak. I know that all is well if I see a Farmers Oil truck as I drive down the road.

The State of Our Country

Today I made a comment on Facebook about the vote on health insurance reform. The initial Facebook writer was against the reform bill now being considered. I believe she said that today was “doomsday”, I assume in part because the bill is expected to pass the House of Representatives.
My comment was that people said the same things (doomsday) when the Voting Rights Act was voted on, when Social Security was voted on, the Civil Rights Act was voted on, etc. Her reply was to look at the state of our country today.
OK, let’s look at the state of the country. What would we be like if there was no Voting Rights Act, no Civil Rights Act, no Medicare, no Medicaid, no Food Stamp program, and no Social Security?
Can you imagine a nation where whole peoples would en masse be denied the right to vote based on the color of their skin, their nationality, or their religion? Can you further imagine lynchings, beatings, colored only restaurants, drinking fountains and seating at certain events, with other venues being off limits entirely? Can you imagine whole populations being tortured and killed because of their religious beliefs? Can you imagine people still dying shortly after age 65 because there is no health insurance for them (and private companies won’t insure them)? Can you imagine people who need kidney dialysis dying instead living productive lives because there is no one who will pay for the procedure?
Children who desperately need health and dental procedures would suffer and die instead because there is no Medicaid, no SCHIP program, and no safety net. These same children, and others like them would starve or be severely malnourished because there is no school lunch and breakfast program and no food stamps. Most of all, seniors would live for awhile in poverty and squalor only to die even at an earlier age because there is no Social Security safety net floor for them. And those who are disabled at whatever age would not have disability income protection because there would be no Social Security system to support them. Nor would they have health and rehabilitation care because there is no money for them.
Yes, I can imagine all of this. I’ve seen parts of it because I vividly remember times before the Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, and Medicare and Medicaid. I remember times before the school lunch program, before SCHIP, and before Medicare covered kidney dialysis for those who couldn’t pay for it. We suffered much, died much too early, and horrendously treated those who were different than we.
The programs aren’t perfect. People take advantage of them when they aren’t qualified. They are many times politically driven. And there have been some bad decisions made by those who should have known better.
They also have extended life expectancy, created awareness that we’re all God’s children, saved lives and health, provided safety nets that no private or charitable organizations could have provided, and have helped to fulfill the constitutional obligation of government to “promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.”
It is easy, when we are a part of the white protestant Anglo culture, healthy and relatively happy, not in need or want of basic necessities, to look upon those who are not such as we and who need help in some way with an attitude that is less than accommodating and helpful. We feign an air of superiority and a thankfulness that we are not “like them”. We take pride in the fact that we’ve never been on food stamps or in the free school lunch program. And we say that we’ll never use Social Security because by the time we get to retirement, it won’t be there anyway.
I’ve been on the other side. I’ve been homeless. I’ve been without a job or health insurance. I’ve been on food stamps. I’m thrilled they were there for me and my family, and that I can help others now through not only government programs, but programs through our church and other organizations.
Because I am white Anglo, I have not been on the receiving end of a beating or lynching because of the color of my skin. Nor has any of my family. I can never say fully that I understand because I’ve not been there. I have read the book “Black Like Me” by John Howard Griffin. It is, I think, a must-read for anyone who didn’t live in that time or experience racial discrimination.
Yes, I can look at where we are as a nation and a people since the passage of many of these laws, which was fought tooth and nail by those who would maintain the status quo and continue in the illusion that all was right with the world (at least their Anglo world). Thank God there were some who were brave and bold enough to jolt the rest of us out of our holes and into the real world.
I don’t know if the health care reform bill is good for our nation or not. I do know that what we have just isn’t working for many people, and that alternatives to the current reform bill are nothing more than patches and more status quo. I guess we’ll just have to see what the state of our country is after the vote.

Memories of the Dark

When our older son was small, he had a kind of fascination with the process of sundown and the evening sky. He divided the sundown process into three pieces and named each piece.
The first was the “blue dark”. This was the time after sundown, but while the western sky was still basically blue in color. The second phase he named the “purple dark”. As you can imagine, this was the darker phase where the sky generally turns a reddish purple and it becomes somewhat difficult to see clearly. The last stage was “black dark”. This was the time when night fell.
As we drove to Sterling this evening, I was able to witness all three phases of the sundown process and recalled with some fondness the times past and gone when we would talk about the blue dark, purple dark, and black dark. The sky was especially pretty tonight with a few rather wispy clouds in the western sky and a change in colors from minute to minute.
There are many things that happen now which remind me of some time or some event past and gone. This is but one. Thankfully, we tend to recall the good things more than the bad. Happy memories.

A Little Different

This blog is a little different. But I think you need to know this. You may have heard the story; how a deputy jailer in Florida was attacked by an inmate. If so, you also heard that there were other inmates that came to his aid...not the attacking inmate, but the jailer.
Good for them. Good for them.
Even when it seems that there is no redeeming value in an individual, and even when we have judged someone by virtue of what they have done or where they are living, we find that we are many times so incorrect. Just as the Good Book says, we dare not judge others, lest we be judged with the same judgment.
If you like, you can see the newspaper account of this incident at http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/nov/05/na-inmates-aid-deputy-under-attack/

He Can Handle It

As I answer the door tonight and hand out Halloween candy to who I presume are mostly neighbor kids (although there may be some ringers in the assorted bunches of kids that come here), I was having a great time until one boy about 7 years old asked me if he could take one of each of the three kinds of candy I had on the tray. Of course, I said he could. He smiled broadly and waved and said “Thank you,” as he left the porch.
I don’t know why, but I thought as I went down the steps to the lower level of our house that this kid could well see the twenty-second century in 91 years. I then wondered, as I have at times before, just what kind of a world we are giving to him and those others like him who came to our door tonight. More important than that, I wondered what kind of a church and faith will we leave as we bow out of the picture in a comparatively few years.
I then realized that we have a whale of a lot of work to do if we are going to leave these kids with anything even resembling what we want for them. In both the secular and religious worlds, there is a lot wrong and a lot to be done. But there is a lot right with these worlds as well; it’s not all as doom and gloom as some would have us think.
I’ll not go into detail tonight regarding why I think there is hope. In any event, I’m not certain I can articulate that as I’d like. I could say something like “God is in control,” but that smacks to me like something one would say when he doesn’t know what else to say and only half believes it anyway.
Yes, of course God is in control. He always has been and evermore will be. Regardless of what it may look like from our perspective; regardless how much real pain and suffering is going on in our world sphere; regardless how we may try and fail, God has a different viewpoint and a different agenda. That’s why the Good Book says that God’s ways are not our ways. That’s why our job is to reflect the image if Jesus Christ. That’s why we are told to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord.
We’re not to solve all the world’s problems and we’re not to worry about those things about which we have no business worrying. We are to be salt, light, and leaven. If we just do what we’re asked to do, God indeed is in control and can handle all of the rest.

Conversational Wichitalk

I suppose I should say something about the recent effort by the Wichita Police Department to enforce some of the more routine and mundane traffic laws. There is quite a bit of comment in the public comment area of the local newspaper about it, both pro and con. It is the topic of conversation in some circles at times.
Police are observing high accident intersections and streets and are writing tickets for things such as improper turns, running through a light that is turning red, speeding, etc. Drivers many times don’t even realize they’ve done something wrong until they are pulled over and ticketed.
Of course, many think the police are ticketing people in order to generate funding for the city. Others think the police have better things to do than to worry about whether one turns into the correct lane when making a left or right turn. And some believe the police are doing exactly the right thing.
I understand that it is difficult in this age to observe every single traffic regulation and law to perfection. Sometimes the streets are constructed such that it is very unwieldy or just downright impossible to change lanes the way the law says in order to get to where one is going. However, some people just don’t have a clue.
The law has always been to make a right turn from the right hand lane into the right hand lane unless traffic signs allow something different. And left turns are to be made into the lane closest to the center line unless traffic signs allow something different. If one needs to be in another lane down the road, he is to signal and change lanes one at a time, always checking each time before changing lanes to see if traffic will allow it.
I am no fan of the Wichita Police Department. They will not generally work the smaller crimes and infractions, instead using their time to investigate and prosecute the larger crimes. I happen to think that those who are victims of the more minor crimes deserve protection and satisfaction the same as someone who is the victim of a robbery or other major crime. I also think that there is a trickle-down effect in prosecuting the smaller infractions in that if those laws are enforced, it will have the beneficial effect of lowering crimes of all kinds. If, however, the smaller infractions are allowed to slide, society pays for it in more crime and more major crime as well as paying for the effects of the minor crimes that are never solved and prosecuted.
I realize that I may be tagged for a traffic infraction in one of the enforcement efforts some day. If so, that’s OK. It’s up to me to be vigilant and watch what I’m doing when driving down the road. The stakes are very high for one who doesn’t pay attention.

Some Things I've Noticed

I’ve noticed a few things over the last few days. One of them is the glorious fall foliage we’ve had (and are still having) here in the central plains states. We’ve traveled to Branson and to the Kansas City area recently, and the grasses, trees, and bushes are resplendent in colors I’ve not seen in several years. I wonder if the cooler weather we’ve had the past month or so has anything to do with that.
I’ve also noticed that people seem to be ready for Daylight Saving Time to come to an end. Even city folks seem to want to go to work when the light of day is at least beginning to break. Thankfully, the time will change this coming weekend, which is about 4 weeks too late.
I’ve noticed that families are a great invention of the Almighty. I’m not sure He could have invented anything much better than people who accept you for who and what you are…just because. I am sad for those folks who either do not have families, or have them but they don’t work like the family is supposed to work.
And I’ve noticed how much I am NOT longing for winter weather this year. Used to be in times past and gone that I actually enjoyed winter. Not so much recently, and this year it seems not at all. Does that happen as we age, or is there something about THIS year and THIS winter that is a little different?
There are tons of things that I’ve not noticed, however. Of course, I can’t say what those things are because if I haven’t noticed them, I don’t know about them. I don’t even know if that makes much sense or not, but I’m not sure I’ve made much sense all day. Oh well. Another day is tomorrow, and it will arrive all too soon.

Amazing Performance

I just finished listening to the inaugural performance of the new conductor of the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra. It was presented on PBS tonight and I tuned in, unfortunately, late into the program. The new conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, comes from South America, a 28 year old genius in his craft.
I tuned in to the concert about midway through their last piece, Mahler’s Symphony #1. For those who may not know, this piece is very long, 45 to 55 minutes. I tuned in with about 25 minutes left in the number. Mr. Dudamel conducted this piece with no musical score in front of him. He never, it seemed, missed a cue, never missed an entrance, never missed a change in dynamics, never missed anything.
I was transfixed by the performance and wished that I had tuned in to the beginning of it. I am impressed to no end by people who have the capacity to perform in such a manner as this orchestra and its conductor did during this performance.
God gives his creation amazing ability and talent. How we use that ability and talent is up to us. We aren’t all musicians or conductors. We do all have a unique ability, however, that the Creator expects us to use to make the world a better place.

More Things to Ponder

Some things that I have become aware of that seems to be a function of maturity:

Obeying the speed limit and other traffic laws saves more money than the Geico Gecko ever dreamed of.
There are really very few things that are worth getting truly worked up over. Just about everything that happens at work is NOT worth that effort.
There is a reason why, if we married, that God asked us to marry one person of the opposite gender in a life-long commitment.
There is immense value in fostering good relationships with relatives and friends.
Living life isn’t rocket science. It is, however, hard work, common sense, and a good knowledge of one’s limitations.
There isn’t much point in trying out this new restaurant and that new eatery in a search for gastric nirvana. A truly “unique” or “great” restaurant will be a one-in-a-hundred shot. Besides, as we age, our sense of taste isn’t what it used to be.
One’s credit card and bank accounts are a lot less secure than the banks and card companies would have one believe.
There are truly decent people in the world. You’ll probably interact with several of them tomorrow and won’t know or realize just how decent they are.
Money is a tool, nothing more and nothing less.
There is a certain pride, of sorts, in being the one who younger family members come to when they want to know something about the “old days”.
There is great value in never making a purchase over the phone and never making a large purchase of any kind without thinking about it for 24 hours.
My time here is truly growing short.

Thoughts for Today

I suppose I should be eloquent on this my 60th birth anniversary day. I could talk about how blessed I am to be part of a great family, living in the United States, with a good and decent job and lots of friends and acquaintances. I could describe what it feels like to have a memory of radio serial programs, the development of the polio vaccine, and wire recorders and also be able to instantly communicate with someone on the other side of the globe via Internet. I might discuss my first awareness of the Cold War and the rise of the Eastern Bloc of nations, and how we never, ever thought that in our lifetimes we would see the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Union…yet it has been about 20 years since that has happened. Or I could talk about the extraordinary ride I’ve had with the same incredible woman for the past 35 years and some months…a ride that probably no one who truly knew how we met would have given fifteen cents as a bet that it would last.
I won’t do any of that. Instead, I want to recommend a book to you. Yes, you heard correctly. I want to recommend a book to you. It’s an easy read, but is packed with wisdom and good sense. I read this book during our stay here at Branson, and think it can easily change how you think about your job, your relationship with others, and your outlook on life. Other than the Bible, this book has provoked more thought and introspection in me than any other. I think you’ll agree that this book is well worth the money you spend on it.
Oh, the book? The title is Lunchmeat & Life Lessons. The author is Mary B. Lucas, B.D. By the way, B.D. stands for Butcher’s Daughter. You’ll get the connection rather quickly upon reading the first few words of the book.
Mary is a Kansan, and writes with a flair for putting the obvious, yet difficult, into a form that we not only can understand, but also put into practice. And although the book at times is a little “mushy” and predictable, the lessons in it are timeless.
Why, you ask, would I recommend a book on my 60th birthday? Because when I find myself at this age, I also find myself knowing that I not only don’t know it all, but know very little; that I want to make the most of the days I have left and the wisdom in this book will help me do just that. And it might just help you a little, too, in your life and your work.
So, from one who has witnessed the delivery of five-gallon cream cans full of unpasteurized, natural cream off of the farm to the train depot for eventual delivery via a literal “milk run” train to a dairy, to who-knows who, who may read these words, I commend not only God’s words, the Bible, to you as the first and prime teacher in life-living, I also commend Lunchmeat & Life Lessons to you as one of perhaps many good supplements to that Book of books.
The woman is waiting for me to end this so we can go for a walk during the halftime of the Texas Oklahoma game. I’m off.

How Good Can It Get?

I don't often blog twice in one day. I'm not sure what is prompting me to do this now, today, as I relax in a motel room miles from home. We'll see where this goes.
We are staying in a place in the Branson area where we've stayed several times before, usually with other family. It's not an elegant place by any means, and in many respects is much like a place one might have found in times past along Route 66. Green is the color scheme for all rooms, accented by brown paneling. Some walls are paneling that is painted an off white. There is a need for shaving the bottom of our entrance door so it doesn't rub on the green carpet, as well as making repairs to the window lock (it doesn't), tightening the toilet seat, cleaning up everything in general, and making the bathroom bigger than four by five feet (literally). Feminine charm is notably absent, but the rooms and the neighborhood make for a very good “nothin' box” experience for men.
There's some pretense here. The little diner down the road talks of “elegance” in dining on the front of the menu, while on the same page stating that they open at 7:30 (ish) in the morning and close at 9 (ish) in the evening. The diner really no more than a house, it seems, converted into a restaurant of sorts where they not only sell food, but also various knick knacks, glass ware, preserves and jellies, and whatever else they can put on a wall or stuff in a corner.
A sign at our motel talks of a “convention center” that consists of a metal building out back with a bare-bones open room area of about 30 by 30, a couple of restrooms and a game room that has older games in it at a quarter a whack. My guess is that some of them don't work very well. Parking is non-existent and the path back to the building is overgrown with grass and weeds...
To each his own, I guess. We see what we'd like to see. But that's part of the charm of this place. The pretense is obvious and the expectations are minimal. So is the price. A hundred bucks and change for a four day stay isn't bad at all. And we are warm, comfortable, and have the Internet. What can go wrong? Besides, Kilarney's is just down the road a piece. How much better can life be?

Permanent Respite

It's been a week since we've seen the sun in any way other than just for a few minutes. This stretch of clouds, drizzle, and cold reminds me of times in the winter when gloom seems to descend upon the creation and there is absolutely no way out. People get edgy, the day seems shorter, and it seems the whole environment longs for the light of the sun.
There are a few things, though, to remember during times like this. The first is that just a few thousand feet above you, the sun is shining in all its splendor and the sky is as blue and clear as can be. The second is that some day the clouds will part, the sky will be blue, and the sun again will become a fixture in the daytime sky.
The third is that once that happens, we will quickly forget the gloomy days in the past and will again take for granted the provision of the “great light” that rules the day. There may even be days in the future when we will long for clouds again because the earth has become dry and needs the benefits of rain or snow.
You see, we are a very fickle part of the creation. We humans seem to never be satisfied with the way things are and long for something different. Whether it's a new experience in food, city of residence, entertainment, relationships, transportation, or religion, we seem to always be looking for that next new thing; quickly forgetting the lessons of life learned in the past regarding the new and the old.
The wise man said that there is nothing new under the sun. He's right, of course. (The actual verbiage of the wise man is, “All things are wearisome; man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. That which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:8-9) There is always the next curve in the road to navigate, the next hill to climb, the next city to conquer, the next battle to fight. But it becomes wearisome. We begin to long for a time when we no longer will have to worry ourselves about such things.
Good vacations provide us with a temporary respite from that kind of life and living. God's peace can provide us with a permanent respite, even in the here and now.

Amazing

Wow. What an amazing experience this thing called life is. Now, I know that this statement can mean everything from brutally awful to wonderfully grand to everything in between. Let me explain myself just a little, however.
First, I must say that we both have been wondrously blessed with loving family, gainful employment, a mind that works, a body that works, and experiences in the time dimension past that have helped make us who we are today. But, I must say that even if one or more of these would not be present in our lives, the experience of life would be (or at least could be), although different, still an amazing thing.
As I stop and look at things just now, I marvel at all of the people, places, and things that have been influenced in some way by us. Our influence is still felt in a big way in some of the places where we’ve lived we did our jobs or worked with the church family there, or raised our own kids. One example of that is the assisted living that I built while working for a hospital in southern Kansas. It’s still there…still in use…and still providing services to those who need such.
Another example is the nursing home that we opened in Western Kansas when we lived out there and worked for the local hospital. It too is still open…still in use…and still providing much-needed services to the community. The fact that the hospital is even there may well be due in part to my leadership as I struggled with finances and possible financial default on the part of the hospital when I first moved there to assume the CEO position. The hospital was, to put it mildly, broke when we moved there. When we left, it had a substantial cash reserve.
And people. We’ve some life-long friendships in each community where we’ve lived. These folks have put up with me and my family and have chosen to love us and befriend us regardless of our quirks and faults. And I believe that we have influenced at least some people we’ve met to live better lives and to seek God and His will for them. I think some people were permanently changed for the better by our example and our love and concern for them. That is comforting to me.
I’m not bragging about these things. On the contrary, I am humbled that despite our failings, bad decisions, poor example, and incompetence, somehow the Creator of all managed to use our efforts to His glory and to make things, people, and places better because of our presence.
And that, dear ones, is what is so amazing about this experience.