I got a text from a friend a few days ago who is now 75. He was telling me about all of things he stays busy with by helping others around him. I know he was not bragging, he just like to chatter and help whenever needed.
After reading the subject matter for this post, boy did I feel like a sluggard. The most I help people out now is to invite them over for coffee and talk. I can’t always use my wheelchair as an excuse though it does come in handy to pull my cripple card at times.
So I had to stop and think “just what is it I do in the community to help and be involved?” I do a few things through my church to help people. Some family and friends will spend a night when passing through. And sadly there is nothing else that is outstanding or even comes to mind.
I take hope that years ago I never sat still and was involved in many things where ever I went. Now I may not do much, but I hope the people I do help know I am very sincere in what I do. And if they ever should need more help, I am real good at making phone calls!
It seems like life and jobs have always selected brands for me. When I was young my mother chose the brand according to their checking account balance. Throwing “brand fits” had no effect. Our brand was the price tag.
My first job when I left home was in the Air Force. Guess what brand that was? Small, medium, or large. Not too difficult.
Since my injury when I was 36, my brand is big, baggy, and comfortable for the top and wind pants for the bottom. No change other than color.
Along the way there have been other things mixed in like suits and clothes for certain occasions. Like I have a shirt and tie I wear to funerals. No change, always the same.
I’m a very boring dresser. If it fits me the way I like, that’s my brand.
Everyone, no matter where they are or what they do, needs direction. We get direction from many sources. The stars in the sky use true north, as do compasses, the path of the sun, where moss grows on trees, the way a river flows, and many others. The North Star is one of our most used methods. But what if we were on the opposite side of the Big Dipper constellation? The North Star would no longer be our well known source of direction. Along with many other changes.
But the only thing that moved would have been us. Yet we would be completely lost because WE moved.
The only value that any direction has is it’s immutability. And the only person, place, or thing (Depending on your value system) is God. He is the only immutable God there is. He will never change. So if we find ourselves lost, it is our fault because we have moved. And if I want to be found again, I need to only look for the one thing that will never change, God our almighty creator of everything.
Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.
My past is cluttered with decisions that I have made. Some were good, some bad, and some just cluttering up my personal space because I never moved forward on them.
Because going back to the past for any of us is rarely a wise choice, it is much better to move forward with new ideas and decisions. There are usually very good reasons why we discard some decisions while we continue moving forward in life. For me, if I examine a decision and see it hurting my life, others around me, or taking me further from God, it is time to stop and reevaluate what I am doing and why.
One of the best decisions I ever made in life was to love my wife with everything I have. I have floundered many times with that because the world pushes love on us as just an emotion or a warm feeling. But loving my wife was a rock solid decision I made 40 years ago. And that is something I can hold onto with all my strength for personal growth and to always move forward with it.
If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?
This series of books, written by C. S. Lewis, is one of my favorites. The four main characters are children that find themselves in a magical, but very real new world.
Of these four children I would choose to be Edmond. He is usually mean to his siblings, picks on his youngest sister, and dislikes the self-imposed role of authority that he feels his older brother took on. He likes them all to think he is very smart and doesn’t need instruction or education. He reminds me of myself.
The reason why I like Edmond is because he finds himself in a very bad situation with very bad people. At this point he realizes his mistakes in his choices and works hard to change. He finally realizes that he cannot change on his own and the power of God in his life is his only hope. He finds that hope and becomes a young man of faith and integrity even to the point of taking a near death wound to protect his brother. The power of God intervenes saving Edmond’s life.
Edmond now leads a pure life changing to a lifestyle of integrity and honesty. He receives a new title of Edmond The Just.
My life has changed but oh if it had been so many years ago. But I live in God’s timing, not my own.
This all depends on what you are looking for in a pet. Most people say that dogs have owners whereas cats have servants.
That can be true to a point. A lot of the pet’s personality becomes what the owner wanted.
Dogs are great guardians, affectionate and happy to just stay with the owner to play games and receive affection in return. But dogs also require a lot of work. Potty training, feeding, grooming, and are more expensive in care than a cat.
Cats are much more self reliant. Put a kitten in a litter box and potty training is done. Some kitty kibble and soft food is usually enough food for one day. If your cat goes outdoors and gets hungry nature provides them a wonderful buffet of little rodents to feast on. Which in most cases is a good thing.
Of course that are a plethora of pets. From snakes to spiders and anything between. As for me, I love dogs but my favorite would be a cat.
How have you adapted to the changes brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic?
No matter what I think about Covid-19, I will never please everyone. So I’m glad that what other people think of my opinions will not impress or affect me in any way. just as mine should not not affect them.
When I first heard about it, I thought “Great, another flu.” Then the politicians and media picked up the gauntlet and took off. So we went from a flu virus to a pandemic that would end humanity in a matter of weeks.
Now I was getting hot under the collar. My United States was going to start telling me where I could go and how I had to dress to go there? I don’t think so. I know I am not very politically savvy, I dislike arguing and will do my best to avoid it. But if two masked individuals show up at my doorstep, one with a needle in one hand and the other holding a permit to hold out an arm for my Covid-shot, I will be in my first fight ever and they will find out that a wheelchair can be used as a deadly weapon.
Accusations of where it came from, political mandates forcing people to wear masks, and the one that really got me was the planet enforcing vaccines on everyone. To the point of losing jobs, businesses being forced to close if they did not comply, and forbidding me from entering businesses if I did not comply.
So any changes too my life were next to nil. And any future changes, concerning my personal life and values, will receive the same reception.
lifegoeson4us 