Problems and Promises - Part Two

With the year of 2022 coming to a close, a thought occurred to me. The world has changed… and it will never be the same again.

For most of my adult life I lived what you would consider a normal life. I fell in love, got married, raised children, and worked five days a week. I attended my children’s school events, took my family to church on Sundays, played on a men’s baseball team and occasionally golfed on weekends. My wife and I went to concerts with friends and had friends over to visit. And I really enjoyed going out to dinner with my wife, where we would hold hands and smile, look deep into the eyes of one another, and talk about our wild and crazy, adventure filled life, with its multitude of problems and promises.  

However, the past few years have obviously been very different, and we now have a new normal. A new normal that does not include any of those fun filled activities listed above, except for maybe the last one, that is if we can find a restaurant with an outdoor patio. We may have lost the pleasure of eating together inside a nice restaurant, but for over two years now, my wife and I have gotten to enjoy almost every single breakfast, lunch, and dinner together. That has been the bright spot in an otherwise very dark period of time.

The pandemic may have forced us to stay home, but it has also allowed us to spend more time together than ever before. I think that’s probably true for a lot of husbands and wives and families. In our case, spending so much time together has caused our love to grow deeper and stronger than I ever thought possible. The bond that we now share is a blessing beyond blessings, and it has taught me a valuable lesson that is especially poignant at Christmas time. The greatest gift ever given to mankind was when God showed us his love by sending his son to spend time with us here on earth. Which means that no matter what problems we may have - spending time with the ones we love - will help us overcome them. That’s a promise!

 “And that’s the real meaning of Christmas – Charlie Brown!”

And there were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks

by night, and lo the angel of the lord came upon them, and the glory of the 

lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid, and the angel said 

unto them, fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, 

which shall be to all people. 

For unto you is born this day  in the city of David, a savior who is 

Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angels a multitude 

of the heavenly hosts, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, 

and on earth - peace, good will toward men."

Part With It Now

Christmas is coming, which means most of us are busy shopping for gifts for family and friends. It’s definitely a hectic and stressful time of year. There is so much to do on top of our regular jobs and all the other end of the year things that need to get done. Fortunately, we can use credit cards to buy whatever we need now, and worry about paying for it all later. How great is that!

Dave Ramsey, the famous financial guru, says it’s not so great. In fact, Dave says nobody should ever use a credit card… ever! We should use a debit card. His reasoning is two-fold. First, credit cards make it possible to spend money we don’t have, which is never a good thing. And second, if we use a debit card, we know the money is going to instantly disappear from our bank account, which forces us to stop and think about how much money we have in the bank, and whether or not we really want to part with it.

And that got me thinking… When I put Dave Ramsey’s philosophy together with the Christmas spirit, at first they seem at odds. I want to do something nice for my family and friends versus I shouldn’t spend money I don’t have.

But maybe they do make sense together! The most valuable things I have are the love in my heart (my internal bank account) and the time in my life (my real currency). That’s what I should give to my family and friends! And it shouldn’t be like a credit card where I pay it down the road. It should be like a debit card, where I part with it right now!

A hug is a great gift, one size fits all and it’s easy to exchange.

~ Anonymous

Sometimes

Sometimes I wake up and see the awesome beauty that God majestically creates every single day… and I am deeply humbled and eternally grateful!

It shouldn’t be sometimes.

I know the painter of rainbows,

who plies his bright trade in the skies,

With fleecy white cloudlets for brushes,

and the souls of flowers for dyes.

~ George M.P. Baird

Rise Higher

I was doing a Light Pole Inspection at a property in Irvine when I felt something strange. I had this weird feeling that somebody was watching me. I looked around at the empty parking lot and between the buildings, but didn’t see anyone. But when I looked up to check out the light fixtures on the pole, I saw him. And he was beautiful, fierce looking, and majestic!

There are a lot of Red Tail Hawks in our area, but they usually get spooked by humans. Not this guy. He stared straight down at me without flinching. So I offered up a greeting, “Good morning Hawkeye” and went about my inspection procedures at the base of the pole.

When I finished and started to leave, so did he. His long, beautiful red tail floating behind him as he soared skyward. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only bird in the sky. Immediately, a flock of crows descended on him and started attacking him. They flew straight at him, cawing loudly, and creating chaos all around his air space. Those crows made me mad because well, first off they’re ugly crows, and second, they were attacking my newfound friend!

Hawkeye took it all in stride though. He never seemed to get flustered or irritated. He simply began to fly higher, and higher, and higher until he was far beyond the reach of the crows. Red Tail Hawks and other birds of prey, like Eagles, can fly as high as 10,000 to 15,000 feet in the air. If something, or some other bird, is bothering them, they simply fly higher.

And that got me thinking… How many times in my life have I felt attacked or insulted by someone and then gotten upset and angry about it… and then regretted it later on. Anger never solves any problem and usually makes things worse. So from now on, I think I will take my cue from Hawkeye… and simply rise higher!

“Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar like eagles.”   

~ Isaiah 40:31

A Fresh Perspective on Pain

My back hurts. It hurts all the time, every single day, and it has for many years now.

Sometimes the pain isn’t so bad. On those days I’m able to do my job, which I enjoy and I’m able to play the game of golf, which I love. On other days, I can barely move at all because of the pain. And it’s my own fault. Too many years of hard work and heavy lifting, mixed in with a couple of fairly spectacular motorcycle accidents when I was younger. “Go hard and go fast” was my motto back then. My motto now is “take it easy dumbass”!

Last week I spent some time with a friend of mine who is an outstanding golfer. He’s a single digit handicapper, a former winner of his club championship, and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He graciously agreed to give me some tips on my short game and chipping, which I sorely need. I haven’t seen him in a long time because he has been undergoing chemo-therapy treatments, for the second time. His weight is down 40 pounds, and he feels sick most of the time, and yet he is willing to show up for me… to help me out. All I could think of was… I wish there was something I could do to help him out.

We talked about golf most of the time, while chipping and pitching at the practice green at Coto Golf Course. He smiled a lot and we laughed and joked at lot because hey… we’re golf bros and golf isn’t easy. But then again, neither is life sometimes.

When we finished and went back to the parking lot, I hugged him. As I drove away and headed back home, I cried. Here is a good man, a loving husband and father, and good friend to so many people, who is in real pain, life altering pain, and yet he is not afraid. But I am afraid… for him, and I can’t do a damn thing about it. So I have been praying, every day, and I give it to God.

Two important things occurred to me this morning about the time I spent with my friend. First, I never once thought about my back pain the whole time we were together. It just didn’t seem important anymore. Second, was what he said to me in the parking lot before leaving. “When you know who stands beside you on the path that you walk, fear is impossible.” 

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.

~ Genesis 28:15

 

It Can Be Trying

 As much as I try to honor God, I fail. It upsets me and makes me feel stupid, but it’s a fact.

      I think I’m strong. But the truth is I’m weak.

      I think I’m smart. But the truth is I lack wisdom despite my 67+ years.

      I think I have all the answers. But the truth is I am constantly full of questions.

Like I said, it upsets me to fail at anything, let alone the most important goal in my life. But as I laid there in bed this morning, thinking about failure, I had a bit of an epiphany. And I think the idea came from watching football Sunday afternoon. The Raiders lost badly 24-0 to the Saints, and I remember how great the Raiders were back when Al Davis was the owner. He was a polarizing figure for sure, and not very popular, but he knew how to win. His motto… “Just Win, Baby!”.

And that got me thinking…

       If I didn’t try, I wouldn’t fail, but then again I wouldn’t win either.

       So it’s the trying and the effort that creates failure?

       Yes. But if I learn from trying, then I don’t really fail!

So my epiphany…

If winning is the goal and winning is good, can any good come from failure? Yes it can… But only if we choose to “Just Win or Learn, Baby!”

The best angle from which to approach any problem is the try-angle.

~ Anonymous

The Fire in your Heart

Halloween is here and everywhere you look stores are selling costumes. It’s fun because for one day each year we get to put on a costume and be somebody or some “thing” that we are not.

It’s amazing how hiding behind a mask can sometimes help us break out of our shell. It gives us the courage to act differently than normal, perhaps with a bit more personality and flair. And although it’s fun to be different, the truth is each and every one of us is already different because each and every one of us is unique. We are not unique because we are flesh and blood with hair and hearts… animals have those features. What makes us unique is the stamp that God puts on our lives when he plants us in this world to grow. We are formed one at a time, each person a separate and very special work of art.

In fact, I believe that part of what makes us unique is that we each receive gifts when we are born. Spiritual gifts that enable us to make the world a better place. Some can sing, some can dance, some can cook. There are people with a passion for paperwork (accountants), those who make us laugh (comedians) and those who ignite our imaginations (writers). Being different makes life interesting because imagine how boring the world would be if everyone looked, acted, and thought the same.

However, sometimes it takes a while to discover our spiritual gifts. I remember when I was young I didn’t think I had a talent for anything special, so I just took the first job that came along. I was really grateful that somebody took a chance on me and after working in the business for a while, I began to dream of starting my own business someday. Forty-seven years later I still love running a business and consider it just one of the many wonderful gifts that I have received from God.

Yesterday, my two daughters (who both happen to be very unique and highly gifted) attended a Halloween Party with their husbands. The four of them dressed up as characters from the movie “Clue”, including carrying the appropriate props. They looked terrific and had a great time being in character.

And that got me thinking… A costume on the outside is fun for an evening, but figuring out who you really are on the inside and developing your own unique gifts is fun for a lifetime!

Once you find what ignites your heart, the fire in your heart will light your path.

~ Anonymous