One

Back in the 70s, Three Dog Night sang that "one is the loneliest number."  It doesn't have to be though.  One can multiply very quickly.  One can make a huge difference.

I have heard people say, "what can I do"?  Plenty.  If you think that your single vote doesn't matter, you are mistaken.  If you think that your volunteer shift at the library isn't that important think about what doesn't get done when you aren't there.  We all have special skills, and we all can make a difference and that is what this blog is all about.  

When we see bad things happening, we can speak up and say that we want good.  We want positivity.  Change for the batter begins with each of us.  We really can make a difference.

One person is seldom really alone. It might begin that way, but quickly you might be joined by others who also want to make a difference. Changing the world for the better is the daily regular occupation for people who dare to get involved. You can be that person.

 

We are here to enrich the world

It is very pleasing to me when I see someone else say what I am saying here in this blog every day. We are here to make the world better and to give back. (That's what I think anyway, and that's why I write about it in this blog). I know one of the reasons many of you read this is because you agree. Right? It's been especially nice this week seeing all the positive energy from Washington and around the country, which I certainly hope will continue.

I also write in a separate blog about kindness. Being kind to everyone is certainly a great way to make a difference and to enrich our world. I think that kindness enriches our world.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the 28th US President (early 1900s) apparently agreed too. He said "You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand."

Thank you President Wilson. I totally agree! Let's all keep enriching the world!

World Cancer Day

Thirteen years ago my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer and ten days later, she passed away.  Mom had already been living with a blood cancer, leukemia for a number of years.  Human beings can be affected by over 200 different known cancers.  Today is World Cancer Day and it was established to encourage more awareness along with prevention, detection, and treatment.

 

So where do we start?  In terms of early detection, regular checkups are vital.  Also, get to know your body and be aware of unusual changes.  Learn about the most common cancers too and what you can do to prevent them. 

 

Don't be afraid to ask questions too.  If your doctor gives you information that you don't understand, say so.  Also, feel free to see out additional sources of information too.  For 100 years your American Cancer Society has been leading the way and you will find all kinds of information on their website.  Just go to http://www.cancer.org/

 

The biggest focus of World Cancer Day is to reduce death and illness caused by cancer significantly by the year 2020.  It is not likely that there will ever be a single cure for cancer, as cancer is an umbrella term for many diseases involving unregulated cell growth.  Take a moment today though to think about friends and loved ones that you have lost to various forms of cancer and then vow to do something about it!

Give us this day our daily blog

It's almost like a prayer, as each morning I put my fingers to the keyboard and tell another story here about making a difference.  Some of my posts are about local heroes and sometimes they are about famous people.  I write with suggestions and ideas about what all of us can do to make the world better.  I don't write about me - I write about US.  We together really can do some pretty wonderful things.  We all can change things for the better and truly make a difference.  That's what I write about.

 

Day after day and year after year I write something here, and I am grateful to each of you who read this.  Tell your friends.  Post your comments.  Give us ideas.  You can really make a difference and if you take something from here and do something great with it, how wonderful!  Let us know about it.

 

I have no idea how many different people read this, but I am happy that you can here today.  You can become a regular follower and never miss a post.  I'll keep on blogging and I hope you keep on reading!

For him it makes a difference

Another one of those "internet parables" came my way the other day, and although you may have heard it, this one again is worth sharing. Like others I have shared here in the past, I have no idea who the author is.
 

It seems an old man was going for a walk one day when he noticed a little boy feeding a thin, shaggy looking dog with bits of bread. He went up to the boy and asked him why he was sharing his bread with the dog.

The little boy answered, "Because he has nothing. No home, no family, and if I don’t feed him he will die."

"But there are homeless dogs everywhere," the old man replied. "Your efforts don’t really make a difference."

The little boy looked at the dog and stroked him. "For him, for this little dog, it makes all the difference in the world."

I wish I knew who wrote this because they get it so amazingly right. Did you ever hold back from donating money or food or anything else because you could only spare a small amount and thought it wouldn't make a difference? If we all fed those homeless dogs - if we all fed those homeless people, it would make such a difference. I'm thinking we just might wipe out homelessness!

Daddy may I borrow $25

Those heartwarming stories that circulate on the internet can be quite inspiring.  From time to time I have shared some of them here, although I always wish I could give credit to the writer.  Here is another author unknown tale:

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.
SON: ‘Daddy, may I ask you a question?’
DAD: ‘Yeah sure, what it is?’ replied the man.
SON: ‘Daddy, how much do you make an hour?’
DAD: ‘That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?’ the man said angrily.
SON: ‘I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?’
DAD: ‘If you must know, I make $50 an hour.’
SON: ‘Oh,’ the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: ‘Daddy, may I please borrow $25?’

The father was furious, ‘If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish.  I don’t work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.’  The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:  Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25 and he really didn’t ask for money very often.  The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.

‘Are you asleep, son?’ He asked.

‘No daddy, I’m awake,’ replied the boy.

‘I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,’ said the man. ‘It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you.  Here’s the $25 you asked for.’

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. ‘Oh, thank you daddy!’ he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.  The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.  The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

‘Why do you want more money if you already have some?’ the father grumbled.

‘Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,’ the little boy replied.  ‘Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?  Please come home early tomorrow.  I would like to have dinner with you.’

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

Let us learn from this story and one of the lessons should be the importance of our children, of all our family and our friends!

what a beauty

What a great beauty this land of ours is.  What a great beauty is our life.  What a great beauty we are surrounded by each and every day of our lives.  Look at the trees and the flowers.  Breathe in the fresh air.  Listen to the birds and the crickets and the little children giggling.  Take a moment to appreciate the beauty.

 

Doesn't look beautiful to you?  Look again!

If you live in the big city you may have forgotten that beauty comes in many forms.  If you are in a great hurry ever day you just might miss some of the beauty in our world.  Slow down.  Take the time.  If you become jaded or choose to not open your eyes and your ears, you just might miss out.  There really is so much to see.

 

What a beauty we have all around us though!  Don't take my word for it though.  Open your eyes and take a look!

The Boy and the Starfish

All good stories begin with "Once upon a time," right? Well here's one, that was adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley (1907-1977). You might find it reminding you of a similar story I recently told about a dog, and the message is really the same, so read on.

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a little boy, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" said the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the boy replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

Indeed. It made a difference for every single starfish the boy threw into the water. The message this morning is clear, and it's one I have I shared over and over. WE can make a difference. WE can be superheroes. WE can do some pretty incredible things. If we throw our hand up in surrender and don't even try to make this a better world, of course we won't be giving back, but each of us can and should give back in our own way. If it seems overwhelming and that our contributions won't make a bit of difference, remember the story of the boy and the starfish!

The day of the Challenger tragedy

Seven lives were lost on this date in 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after takeoff. I will never forget that morning and the terrible sadness. The crew of seven were Francis Scobee, Michael Smith, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe.  They all perished.

All eyes were on televisions screens that day.  The story was tod over and over.  We watched in disbelief.  We also watched in great sorrow.  Ronald Reagan was President of the United States at the time, and regardless of your political leanings or what you think of the Reagan Presidency, I think you will agree with his actions that day.  Quite simply he did what a President should do.  He was presidential.

The State of the Union Address was schedued for that night, but instead of that, we heard another speech. It was televised from the White House. Reagan described the tragedy "On the day of the disaster, our nation held a vigil by our television sets. In one cruel moment, our exhilaration turned to horror; we waited and watched and tried to make sense of what we had seen."

President Regan's speech was only four minute long, but it was soothing, comforting, and just what America needed. Quoting from the poem High Flight by John Gillespie Magee Jr Regan closed saying "We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.'"

Never again - NEVER!

Today is International Holocaust Memorial Day, we honor and remember the six million Jewish Holocaust victims and survivors, and the millions of other victims of Nazism . We listen and learn so we may educate future generations, and we say never again to ensure atrocities of the past – including all acts of genocide – are never repeated.

"Never again," we say, and yet we let horrible hateful things happen still to this day.  I don't mean for one moment to minimize the Holocaust by talking about modern day hate crimes.  My point is that we get angry and say we are going to do something but then don't.  The best way to honor the victims of the horrible systematic, government-sponsored persecution and murder of human beings, is to remember them and to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.

Were there any warning signs of what was to come before the start of mass killing in 1941? Indeed there were. The biggest warning both then and now, was the abundance of hate. The killings did not come first. It began with hate. It started with denial of basic human rights. It began with attacks on truth and on the rule of law.  What about now?  Do you see any hate in the world?  In our country?  In your community?  Now in 2024, I am saddened by the many examples of hate all around the world.

Take some time today to really remember the horror that was the Holocaust.  Think of the victims.  Light a candle.  Above all, work to stop the hate.  When we say never again, we have to make it so!

The Rucksack

Here is another of those stories I have stumbled across. This one brought tears to my eyes, so I just HAD to share it. The author is unknown.

I locked the classroom door. The metal click echoed like a gunshot in the sudden silence.
I turned to the twenty-five high school seniors staring at me. They were the Class of 2026. They were supposed to be the “Zoomers,” the digital natives, the generation that had everything figured out.
But from where I stood, looking at their faces illuminated by the blue light of hidden phones, they just looked tired.
“Put the phones away,” I said. My voice was quiet, but they heard it. “Turn them off. Not silent. Off.”
There was a grumble, a collective shifting of bodies in plastic chairs, but they did it.
For thirty years, I have taught History in this gritty, working-class town in Pennsylvania. I’ve watched the factories close. I’ve watched the opioids creep in like a fog. I’ve watched the arguments at home turn into wars on the news.
On my desk sat an old, olive-green military rucksack. It belonged to my father. It smells like old canvas and gasoline. It’s stained. It’s ugly.
For the first month of school, the students ignored it. They thought it was just “Mr. Miller’s junk.”
They didn’t know it was the heaviest thing in the entire building.
This year’s class was brittle. That’s the only word for it. You had the football players who walked with a swagger that looked practiced. You had the theater kids who were too loud, trying to drown out the silence. You had the quiet ones who wore hoodies in September, trying to disappear into the drywall.
The air in the room was thick. Not with hate, but with exhaustion. They were eighteen years old, and they were already done.
“I’m not teaching the Constitution today,” I said, dragging the heavy rucksack to the center of the room. I dropped it on a stool. Thud.
The sound made a girl in the front row flinch.
“We are going to do something different,” I said. “I’m passing out plain white index cards.”
I walked the rows, placing a card on each desk.
“I have three rules. If you break them, you leave.”
I held up a finger. “Rule one: Do not write your name. This is anonymous. Completely.”
“Rule two: Total honesty. No jokes. No memes.”
“Rule three: Write down the heaviest thing you are carrying.”
A hand went up. It was Marcus, the defensive captain of the football team. A giant of a kid, usually cracking jokes. He looked confused. “What do you mean, ‘carrying’? Like, books?”
I leaned back against the whiteboard. “No, Marcus. I mean the thing that keeps you awake at 3:00 AM. The secret you are terrified to say out loud because you think people will judge you. The fear. The pressure. The weight on your chest.”
I looked them in the eyes. “We call this ‘The Rucksack.’ What goes in the bag, stays in the bag.”
The room went tomb-silent. The air conditioning hummed.
For five minutes, nobody moved. They looked at each other, waiting for the first person to crack.
Then, a girl in the back—Sarah, straight-A student, perfect hair—picked up her pen. She wrote furiously.
Then another. Then another.
Marcus, the football player, stared at the blank white card for a long time. His jaw was tight. He looked angry. Then, he hunched over, shielding his paper with his massive arm, and wrote three words.
When they were done, they walked up, one by one. They folded their cards and dropped them into the open mouth of the rucksack. It was like a religious ritual. A silent confession.
I zipped the bag shut. The sound was sharp.
“This,” I said, resting my hand on the faded canvas. “This is this room. You look at each other and you see jerseys, or makeup, or grades. But this bag? This is who you actually are.”
I took a deep breath. My own heart was hammering. It always does.
“I am going to read these out loud,” I said. “And your job—your only job—is to listen. No laughing. No whispering. No glancing at your neighbor to guess who wrote it. We just hold the weight. Together.”
I opened the bag. I reached in and pulled the first card.
I unfolded it. The handwriting was jagged.
“My dad lost his job at the plant six months ago. He puts on a suit every morning and leaves so the neighbors don’t know. He sits in his car at the park all day. I know he’s crying. I’m scared we’re going to lose the house.”
The room felt colder. I pulled the next one.
“I carry Narcan in my backpack. Not for me. For my mom. I found her blue on the bathroom floor last Tuesday. I saved her life, and then I came to school and took a Math test. I’m so tired.”
I paused. I looked up. Nobody was looking at their phones. Nobody was sleeping. They were staring at the bag.
I pulled another.
“I check the exits every time I walk into a movie theater or a grocery store. I map out where I would hide if a shooter came in. I’m eighteen and I plan my own death every day.”
Another.
“My parents hate each other because of politics. They scream at the TV every night. My dad says people who vote for the ‘other side’ are evil. He doesn’t know that I agree with the ‘other side.’ I feel like a spy in my own kitchen.”
Another.
“I have 10,000 followers on TikTok. I post videos of my perfect life. Last night, I sat in the shower with the water running so my little brother wouldn’t hear me sobbing. I am more lonely than I have ever been.”
I kept reading. For twenty minutes, the truth poured out of that green bag.
“I’m gay. My grandfather is a pastor. He told me last Sunday that ‘those people’ are broken. I love him, but I think he hates me, and he doesn’t even know it’s me.”
“We pretend the WiFi is down, but I know Mom couldn’t pay the bill again. I eat the free lunch at school because there’s nothing in the fridge.”
“I don’t want to go to college. I want to be a mechanic. But my parents have a bumper sticker on their car that says ‘Proud College Parent.’ I feel like I’m already a disappointment.”
And finally, the last one. The one that made the air leave the room.
“I don’t want to be here anymore. The noise is too loud. The pressure is too heavy. I’m just waiting for a sign to stay.”
I folded the card slowly. I placed it gently back in the bag.
I looked up.
Marcus, the tough linebacker, had his head in his hands. His shoulders were shaking. He wasn’t hiding it.
Sarah, the girl with the perfect grades, was reaching across the aisle, holding the hand of a boy who wore black eyeliner and usually sat alone. He was gripping her hand like a lifeline.
The barriers were gone. The cliques were dissolved.
They weren’t Jocks, or Nerds, or Liberals, or Conservatives. They were just kids. Kids walking through a storm without an umbrella.
“So,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. “That is what we carry.”
I zipped the bag. The sound was final.
“I’m hanging this back on the wall. It stays here. You don’t have to carry it alone anymore. Not in here. In this room, we are a team.”
The bell rang. Usually, it triggers a stampede.
Today, nobody moved.
Slowly, quietly, they began to pack up their things. And then, something happened that I will never forget.
As Marcus walked past the stool, he didn’t just walk by. He stopped. He reached out and patted the rucksack, two gentle thumps. I got you.
Then the next student. She rested her palm on the strap for a second.
Then the boy who wrote about the Narcan. He touched the metal buckle.
Every single student touched that bag on the way out. They were acknowledging the weight. They were saying, I see you.
I have taught American History for three decades. I have lectured on the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the Civil Rights Movement. But that hour was the most important lesson I have ever taught.
We live in a country obsessed with winning. With looking strong. With the “highlight reel” we post on social media. We are terrified of our own cracks.
And our kids? They are paying the price. They are drowning in silence, right next to each other.
That evening, I received an email. The subject line was blank.
“Mr. Miller. My son came home today and hugged me. He hasn’t hugged me since he was twelve. He told me about the bag. He said he felt ‘real’ for the first time in high school. He told me he was struggling. We are going to get help. Thank you.”
The green rucksack is still on my wall. It looks like garbage to anyone who walks in. But to us, it’s a monument.
Listen to me.
Look around you today. The woman ahead of you in the checkout line buying generic cereal. The teenager with the headphones on the bus. The man shouting about politics on Facebook.
They are all carrying a rucksack you cannot see. It is packed with fear, with financial worry, with loneliness, with trauma.
Be kind. Be curious. Stop judging the surface and remember the weight underneath.
Don’t be afraid to ask the people you love: “What are you carrying today?”
You might just save a life.

The author is unknown as I said at te beginning and I have no idea if this is even true, but it sure is a powerful story!

The Parable

This being Sunday, how about a parable? 

A man was taken on a tour of both heaven and hell. In hell he was shown a banquet hall filled with diners seated at a table that was covered with all kinds of delicious food. Each person’s back and left arm were tied to the chair so that bending at the waist was impossible, and the left arm could not move. The right arm was stiffened so that the elbow would not bend. The people at the table could gaze at the delicious spread and they could smell the aroma of the food, but they were starving.

In heaven, the picture was the same – backs and left arms shackled, right arms stiffened – but the diners were feasting and rejoicing, because each diner used his stiffened right arm to feed the person to his or her right. It was a picture of people working together, in other words – it was cooperation. How wonderful!

Of course, we don’t have to wait to get to heaven to have this kind of teamwork. It really is quite easy to do things for each other, right here on earth! Oh and before you ask what part of the Bible this parable comes from - it doesn’t. This isn’t a parable of Jesus, but one that we mortals came up with and which has been told and re-told. The point is a very good one though: cooperation - helping others - making a difference. It's a story that illustrates the very thing we talk about here every day.

If you like your parables to come from Scripture and have to have some backup from the Bible, let’s look at the words of Blessed Paul the Apostle, who in his letter to the Philippians wrote “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” I could not have said it any better!

Smell the flowers along the way

What do you see? A brown eyed susan? A beautiful blue sky? A brightly colored roof? There is beauty everywhere just as there is good all around us. We only need to look and listen and smell and hear and feel.  There are difficult days and there is ugliness, but we shouldn't let ourselves get caught up in that.

 

To really make a difference in this world we need to have open minds and open hearts and open eyes.  We need to enjoy life.  We need to smell those flowers!  Really.  I used to say that every day and I still mean it.  Smell the flowers along the way.  Really.  It's important. No, we don't have to actually bend down and put our nose to a flower, but we do need to live! 

 

We have so much to give, and it all starts with love.  Smell the flowers along the way.  They're only here for a very short time and they need a lot of love to grow!

Sharing the food

The other day someone who reads these words send me a message saying I seemed to have all the answers. Goodness no! I don't think anyone has all the answers, but if we listen to others and keep our eyes open, a lot of those answers will become very obvious. 

Downtown yesterday I saw a number of people arriving at their church for worship. I noticed that they all seemed to be carrying something too - food. Some folks had big boxes of cereal and other had those multi-packs of instant noodles and some had bags that seems to have cans in them (tuna perhaps, or soup, or maybe vegetables). Now I don't know how often they do this, but even if it is just occasionally, what a great idea! Here's something anyone can participate in.

Yesterday afternoon while I was in the supermarket, I took note of some of the sale prices of food. Amazingly I found soup for a dollar or less and canned tuna was just sixty-nine cents! Outside the store I saw a vending machine that had canned beverages for thirty-five cents. For five dollars, I could buy a soda, five cans or tuna, and a can of soup, and still have money left. So I did it. Most of us can afford five bucks every now and then, and look how much food you can get. There are of course many other options, but that's just one example.

There is a small boutique in my old San Francisco neighborhood where I lived may years ago, that did food drives occasionally and, to encourage participation, they gave discounts on their merchandise to folks who brought in canned goods. It was a win-win situation, and just about everyone put some cans in the barrel. People who didn't know ahead of time, would run across the street at a Walgreens store and pickup some sliced peaches or chicken broth or maybe a can of beef stew or chili. Such a simple act that makes such a big difference!

Here is one answer to hunger. The other day the US Postal Service did a collection. The church here in Kingman that I mentioned does it and that clothing store back in San Francisco, and they aren't the only places. We can even start some new collection programs where we live, if ones don't already exist. Perhaps you have some other suggestions. You are more than welcome to share them in the comments below.

Happy birthday Toan!

I used to write a lot here about Toan Lam, so what else could I possibly write about the creator of Go Inspire Go?  Well for one thing, today is his natal anniversary so it is appropriate to send our best wishes.  Also, has a lot of inspiring content on the internet.

Now this blog is not supposed to be about me (and yes that is me with Toan in the picture), but I will hastily point out that although we have met and do keep in touch, I seldom see him - he's a pretty busy guy, and he also is exactly what we do write about here - he is someone who is making a difference!

 

Go to http://goinspirego.com/ to find out more about them, if you don't already know.  Send them some inspiring stories or videos too.  You can even donate to help sponsor their coverage of wonderful inspiring people.  This is Toan Lam's idea.  This is Toan Lam's creation.  He continues to make it happen every day.  I urge you to click on the links there and watch some of the videos.  You will indeed be inspired!

 

I mentioned knowing Toan, and want to point out that I have seen firsthand that he is an inspiring person, not just when he is telling a story for Go Inspire Go, but wherever he is and whatever he is doing.  His tweets and facebook posts make you smile and help your spirit soar.  The encouraging and uplifting presence of Toan Lam is contagious too.  Check out his website regularly and you will be moved to a new level of goodness.

 

So, thanks for all those wonderful moments of inspiration Toan, and Happy Birthday!

Wednesday

Today is Wednesday, the fourth day of the week (except for folks who don't count Sunday and then, today is the third day).  It is the name of the little girl Addams.  Wednesday is also a song by Tori Amos, the name of a couple of different films, a 70s pop band from Canada, and an opera.  The poem says that Wednesday's child is full of woe. 

 

It is often called "hump day" because it falls in the middle of the standard Monday through Friday work week and so once you finish Wednesday, you are "over the hump."

 

The are many significant things that can be said about this day, but I happen to think that all seven days of the week have special significance.  We can do great things every single day of our life - it really doesn't matter what day it is!  Since Wednesday though is the day upon us, let's go out and make it a wonderful one!

Calling all heroes

Here in this space I write about all kinds of heroes.  Some are enduring heroes and some only for a moment for one action they did.  There is also a lot of disagreement about who is a hero.  I have written here that Colin Kaepernick is a hero, but I got a number of responses disagreeing with me.  Can singers and dancers be heroes?  What about an actor?  How about politicians?  Perhaps your big brother is your hero.

Who do YOU call a hero?  What is it that makes them a hero?  Is it one thing or many things that they do?  Did they perform some incredible act? Do we need heroes in our lives these days?  What do YOU think?  Let us hear from you in the comments section below.  Is there someone who is a hero to you?

Maybe there is a better word for it.  I'd like to know about that too.

MLK Day

Today is the day we remember the great leader, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr and all the lessons he taught us. Born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, GA Dr King would be 95 today, had he not been shot and killed back in 1968. Just four days after his death, Representative John Conyers introduced a motion to make King’s birthday a federal holiday, but it wasn’t until 1979 that the House of Representatives voted on the motion. It failed to pass by five votes.

In 1983, Congressmen Jack Kemp, Newt Gingrich, Jim Wright and Tip O’Neill gave speeches in support of the holiday, and it passed in the House by 53 votes. Senator Jesse Helms adamantly opposed the bill and accused King of being a communist.   It passed in the Senate anyway, but by just twelve votes.  The bill made its way to President Ronald Reagan’s desk and he signed it into law in November 1983.

 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated in 1986, although it would be over a decade before all fifty states adopted the holiday. In the years since its adoption into law, the holiday has been marked every third Monday of January. In many parts of the country, it isn't just a day off from work or school, but a day to give back and make a difference. There are marches and rallies and speeches. 

How will YOU observe this day? What are your plans to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.? MLK Day has always been about service and this year shouldn't be any different.  Your participation does make a difference.

Who do you say that I am?

Today many churches remember the Confession of Saint Peter (because it is a Sunday, it is also transferred by many to tomorrow).  Jesus had asked Peter, "Who do you say that I am?"  Good old Saint Peter who wasn't always the most articulate of the followers, got this one right without any trouble at all.  "You are the Christ," was his reply.

 

Now this must have been pretty important stuff because this encounter isn't just casually mentioned by one writer.  In fact, the story appears in three of the four gospels.  Jesus knew who he was of course, but did others know?  That was important to him.  It may seem odd but stop and think about it.  Don't YOU want to be known?  I don't mean just your name.  That wasn't the issue here.  You want people to know the real you, just like Jesus wanted Peter and the others to know him.

 

How sad it is when some of us hide who we are because we fear we might be rejected.  Some hide their true identity for other reasons, but whatever makes someone do it, the result is destructive.  We all have a basic need to be seen and known - not necessarily accepted.  Yes, acceptance is certainly a good thing, but being fully known is more important.  What you want someone to accept you as they thought you are, but not as you really are?

 

Think about it.  If you have friends or family who are hiding part of themselves, perhaps you can help them be more comfortable about who they really are.

Baby it's cold outside

It's winter.  It's cold. Here in Arizona where I live, it's been down in the 30s every night this week, and we even had a bit of snow already. Now is a good time to remember your farm animals or pets and to especially remember the homeless who are outside all the time.

Nice clean warm socks, sturdy shoes, and warm blankets to cover yourself, and of course a good sturdy overcoat are all so very helpful to those in need. A Texas organization called Project Warm Us can use donations and volunteers. Find out more at http://www.projectwarm.us/ A Nashville based organization called Soles4Souls distributes shoes to needy people and, I'm told is also now distributing coats. Their website is https://soles4souls.org/ There are churches and other organizations in communities across the country that do collections and give these things to the needy. Check around where you live, and if you don't find anything, consider beginning a program of your own. The thanks you get back will warm your hearts!

When I lived in San Francisco, we had an annual memorial for people who died outside on the street. Many of those died because of the cold. Most of those deaths could have been prevented. Let's step up and do something.

Give Me A Number

One day at the hospital where I volunteer, I overheard family members talking about an elderly patient.  "I'm not spending money on that," said one.  "She probably won't be alive much longer anyway so it wouldn't be worth it."

This isn't the first time I heard people talk numbers.  During the COVID-19 pandemic I heard several times that some people would die, but not enough to be worried about.  When should we be concerned then?  Please, give me a number.

There are many wonderful people in this world doing great things, and it gives me pleasure to be able to write about some of them here and about things we can all do to make a difference.  From time to time though I just have to comment on the other side of the coin.  There sadly are people who just don't care about others.  I don't get it.  I really don't.  I especially don't understand the preoccupation with numbers.

Every single person is entitled to the chance at happiness from the moment they are born until the day they day.  It's not a case of some being expendable.  It isn't that someone has lived a long time and therefore no longer deserves to live.  That is simply nonsense.  It doesn't matter who says otherwise - they are wrong.  There isn't an age when people are no longer worthy.

differences

Take a look at the image to the right. Most of you will see three logs if you look at the picture from the left side. However, if you look at it from the right, there appears to be four logs. Hold on! How can this be? Keep looking at it. Two different realities.

Reality can be so complex that equally valid observations from differing perspectives can appear to contradict each other. If you disagree with someone, don't be too quick to dismiss them though. Take a step back and try to look at things from all sides. Perhaps there is more than one correct answer.  This picture is proof.

While it is true that everything is not as simple as this drawing, sometimes our differences aren't really that big a deal after all!  Something we can think about this morning.

Shrink-wrapped life

You have probably heard jokes about the shrink-wrapped furniture that some folks have in their house.  Don't sit on the couch.  It might get dirty!  I've actually been to homes where the chairs and sofa are covered with plastic.  People actually try to save their furniture for special occasions and to keep them clean.

 

I suppose nobody wants a dirty couch, but guess what?  It's supposed to get dirty!  It's supposed to get used!  You bought the couch to sit on, not to use as some sort of museum piece.

 

We can put all of our possessions on a shelf and save them for just the right time, but who decides when that right time is?  Do we really want to lead a shrink-wrapped life?  "Don't smile too much - it might cause wrinkles."  Oh the things I hear sometimes.  "My friend gave me that and I'm saving it for just the right moment." 

 

That bottle of wine, your plastic covered furniture, the jewelry you have in that seldom-opened box - it ALL should be broken out now!  What are you waiting for?  Don't waste your life looking for moments still to come.  Embrace what is already here.  Just being alive is a special occasion.  Being part of humanity is something that should be enjoyed every single day.  Don't keep waiting for a special occasion.  The special occasion is already here!

 

Miss Sally

Back when I was a teenager, I met an elderly woman who was shopping for groceries. The store should have offered to help her with her bags, but they didn't. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't offer either. When she asked if I could give her a hand, I happily carried her bags to her car. It turned out my family's house was near hers, so I went home with her and carried her bags in and then walked home.

Before I left, she invited me to have a slice of pie "for my assistance." I told her how delicious it was and she invited me to come over the next day for some other goodie. She told me she baked something just about every day but didn't have anyone to share it with.

Her name was Miss Sally, and she became a good friend. I'd go over and mow her lawn or help her clean her floors. Sometimes we just sat and talked. There were at least seventy years between our ages, but somehow, we always found something to talk about. I also enjoyed a lot of pies. cakes, and cookies. Miss Sally sometimes gave me something to take home. I'm not sure if I really gave much to her, although onetime she said thank you for helping her not be lonely.

That was a long time ago. I'm so glad I met her. If I truly helped her be less lonely, I'm glad. She really gave a lot to me. It wasn't just the baked goods, or even the conversations. Miss Sally gave me a lot of wonderful memories that I cherish to this day!

inspire someone

Did you ever see such a powerful act of love that you were moved to tears? Even in the midst of so many hate crimes and two recent mass shootings, there are still moments that warm our hearts. Has something you read about or even something that you were actually involved in led you to want to do more?

We can find inspiration in so many places. Sometimes one person’s inspiration can be just as moving to others. 

With that in mind, I invite you to share with us here any inspirational moments you have encountered. Leave a comment below. Write as much or as little about the experience as you like. Write something though - we would really love to hear from more of you!  I know I frequently ask for comments, but it truly is good to hear from those who read this.  

Perhaps YOU will inspire someone!

At the hospital

Some of you are aware that I volunteer at a local hospital where I live, and I was thinking of that when I got up this morning.  Occasionally I've shared stories here that are not my own, and this is one of those. This has been floating around on the internet, and I have no idea who wrote it, but please read on for a moving tale.
 

"Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for endless hours.

"They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, and where they had been on vacation.

 

"Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

 

"The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

 

"One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

 

"Days and weeks passed.

 

"One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

 

"As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

 

"Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall!

 

"The man called the nurse and asked her what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

 

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'"

Great story, huh? As I said, the author of this is unknown. You may have even read it before, but I think it is worth seeing again. I was very moved when I first read this story, and I hope it touches you as well.  Do share this with others too. That's what encouragement is all about.

How many

Hearing this same question several times in reference to the lgbtq community, I just HAVE to say something. In reference to same sex marriage, I heard it asked "Why should we be concerned about such a small group of the population?" This month I have heard two different people saw the same thing about our transgender sisters and brothers. Just yesterday, I heard someone on television ask why bathroom accommodations should be made when there are so few people involved. I can recall back in the early days of AIDS there was concern about the blood supply, and it was said that too few people were involved to make testing of the blood worthwhile.

How many does it take? When will we stop discriminating. Justification of our various prejudices has often been linked to numbers. If a race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion or any other group is in the minority, some folks think that is reason to discriminate. What about abused animals?  Are tons of dogs, cats, horses, or other animals mistreated in your community? It isn't the number that we should be concerned about, because any abuse, yes ANY, is too much.   "Not many of them, so they don't count."

WRONG!

Everyone counts. Everyone is important. I'm sorry if I seem to keep getting up on my soapbox, but I have to say this. In fact, I want to scream it from the rooftops! All lives matter. Everyone should be able to live a full and rich life without fear or intimidation. Everyone. It doesn't matter how many. Now let me be clear. I'm not saying that any action is okay. We aren't talking about what folks do, but rather who folks are. Discrimination based on identity is wrong.

Expand your horizons!

Expanding our horizons is one fairly easy way to change the world. When we increase the range of things that we know about or have experienced, we open up so many new possibilities. Is trying something new every day a pretty tall order? Consider doing it every week with at least one bigger thing every month.

Now to make this work, it might help to write some things down on your calendar. Certainly you can leave some events to chance, but planning ahead will give you a much better chance of success. Begin with events that take place in or near your community such as concerts or parades or fairs. How may of them have you always said "someday I should do that"? Well, why not make the next event your someday?

 

It's amazing how rewarding it is to broaden your horizons!  You don't have to limit yourself to scheduled events too.  Go out and try new things like tutoring a student, serving food to the homeless, answering phones at your favorite non-profit, or maybe some daredevil idea like bungee jumping or skydiving.  Go on a retreat for a weekend, either with a group, or by yourself.  There are so many possibilities!  Oh and if you really want to benefit, share your experiences as well!

Lend a hand

Making a difference can take many forms. Lending a hand or an ear is just one way to help out - one way to connect with others and to be human. I don't take about me here, because my goal all along has been to encourage cooperation and hopefully to get those who read these words to want a better world and so to reach out to others. It's NOT about me - it's about all of us. Today though, for a change, it's a little more about me, and about an incredible person I am truly blessed to have in my life.

Every one of us will occasionally have a bad day.  Nothing seems to be going right and you feel like you don't want to even move.  Well, rare though it is, that was me this week.  I made a comment on social media, which probably hundreds of people saw, but there was someone out there who also acted.  Moments after my post, he was reaching out.  "Are you okay?" he asked.  A conversation - a very encouraging one, began.  He cared.

 

Now I'm not suggesting for a minute that nobody else cares.  This person did something though.  He reached out.  He lent a hand.  It made a world of difference and I will always remember the warmth of his friendship last night and his concern.  Today is a great day.  I feel fantastic.  Last week though was a great reminder of how wonderful it can be to lend a hand to someone who needs you.  How wonderful it is to care.

what is the color of happiness?

First of all, tell me, are you happy?  Is there something special that makes you happy?  Don't take a lot of time.  There might be several things or perhaps you are just a happy person.  Now, close your eyes for a moment and think of that happiness.  Does a color emerge?  Red?  Pink?  Blue?  What is the color of happiness?

 

Now you may think that I have lost my mind, but there is a point I want to make.  Science might say that there is indeed a happy color.  I say happiness is EVERY color, because happiness is EVERYwhere!  Yeah, we all have bad days and it's certainly normal to feel down sometimes, but even when things are bad, there can be happiness.  Broke but have a family to cook for?  Well happiness can come from knowing how to prepare a wonderful meal for just pennies.  

Have you ever seen a homeless man with a big grin and wondered what he could possibly be happy about?  There are so many reasons to be happy.  So very many.

 

Am I blue?  That usually means depressed.  So blue is a bad color?  No way!  I say they are all good.  Look around you and see all the beauty.  Smile at the abundance of colors.  Be happy.

unwelcome

One of the most wonderful things we can experience is the feeling of belonging - the feeling that we are truly welcome.  The first day at a new school or a new job or a visit to a church you have never been to before or even a family reunion where most of the relatives are distant ones that you don't know, all have something in common.  You can feel alone and uncomfortable, like you don't belong there.  

There are many other situations where you can experience the same feeling.  It isn't nice at all.  In the midst of this pandemic there are so many places where we are not welcome in the usual sense, but does that mean we are not welcome at all?  Churches will sometimes say they are "welcoming," but are they really?  Do they make you feel comfortable?  Do people say hello and introduce themselves and make any kind of effort to make you feel welcome?

 

Did you ever go to a bar or restaurant where it seemed that everyone was a regular and that you were the odd one?  The employees were super friendly to all of them, but hardly even acknowledged that you were there.  Does that make you want to come back?  Of course not!  It is an easy thing to change though.  Making people feel welcome just involves caring and showing it.  Smile.  Be friendly.  Introduce yourself.  Make the visitor or the newcomer feel that they belong there.

One o the issues with hate is people get the idea that a certain neighborhood or bar or even a certain church, is theirs.  We have our own little group here and everyone else should stay away!  Is that healthy?  How might they feel if encounter this sort of unwelcoming atmosphere?

 

We all make a difference in the lives of others when we show them a friendly and welcoming attitude.  We all have the ability to get rid of that unwelcoming mat.

 

Babies Don't Hate

This is a baby. Yes, I know that is obvious, but there are a few other obvious things about babies that I would like to point out.

 

Babies don't hate you because of your skin color and they don't hate you because of your race or your gender identity or your sexual orientation. Babies don't hate you because of your weight or your religion or your sex. Yes, it may be obvious, but in fact babies don't hate you for any reason at all! Do you know why? They don't understand the concept. They don't know how to hate.

 

A wonderful article several years ago titled See Baby Discriminate said that children as young as six months could judge others based on their skin color. Where are they getting these ideas? Who is teaching our children? The answer of course is that we are. We are teaching discrimination. We are teaching hate. We are taking away the innocence of our children.

 

Parents and teachers are not bad. That's not my message here. What I am saying is that babies come into the world without any notion of hate. Let's not give it to them!

Strawberry, vanilla, or chocolate?

Listening to a talk show the other day, I heard a well-meaning person several times speak of "lifestyle" and "sexual preference" when talking about lesbians and gays. Well, after the smoke came out of my ears, I realized it was time to do one of those "educational" posts.

First off, it is NOT a preference! Let me give you an example of preference. Some people eat vanilla ice cream. Some like chocolate better. My favorite happens to be strawberry. Of course I will eat any of those flavors. I love ice cream. What we are talking about here though is a preference. I prefer strawberry. It is my personal preference.

Now when it comes to dating men or dating women, this is NOT a preference matter. I do not simply like one better than the other. Oh no! I am ONLY attracted in a sexual and in a romantic way to men. I am gay. It is my orientation, NOT my preference. It's also not a lifestyle choice. You don't wake up one morning and say "I'm going to wear the gay outfit today."

Now I am sure that someone may disagree with all of this, so I ask as I always do for your comments below. I'd love to know if anyone agrees. From where I sit though there is a big difference and saying sexual preference suggests what we make a choice, when in fact our orientation was predetermined and was not our choice. So, what do YOU think? Any thoughts?

I found something better

Maybe it was because I last night heard Aretha Franklin's signature hit "Respect" or maybe it was a scene I was recalling from the 1966 comedy film The Trouble with Angels, but something suggested I write this today.

 

First the scene from the movie.  An all girls school run by nuns is the scene and the Mother Superior is talking to one of the students about her own youth when she was a seamstress and had dreams of becoming a designer.  The student asks why she gave it up, and after a reflective pause, Reverend Mother says "I found something better."

 

Picture if you will, a high school boy asking a girl out on a date.  He asks just any girl because he wants to be sure of a yes answer, but all the while he is hoping for a yes from a more popular girl, whom he eventually asks.  Having gotten that yes from the girl he really wanted to go out with, he drops the first girl like a hot potato.  He found something (actually someone in this case) that he felt was better.

 

Now these are different situations to be sure, but the point I am trying to make is that we sometimes make changes for the better, but we don't always play fairly.  The girl in the second example certainly didn't get a good deal.  How about when you are choosing teams for basketball and the poor player always gets chosen last? 

 

Recently an organization sent out invitations to a number of people asking for someone to come and speak at an event.  They really didn't want just any of them though.  The first person who said yes was thanked and told when and where the event was and she was expecting to be the speaker - that's what they had told her.  A few days later the organization received a late response from one of the others that they had invited.  The late responder was a bigger name and so they dumped the first in favor of this new person.  Were they playing fair?

 

Think about these situations.  When, if at all, is a good time to go with something better?

Just a cashier

If someone says "she is just a cashier," that's insulting.  (I used to hear "just a secretary" a lot, but the term "assistant" now usually takes the place of secretary).  Every single honest endeavor is important and there is no "just" about it.  Some folks try to make themselves more important but putting others down, but that is just plain wrong.

Lately I have noticed the cashiers in supermarkets and drugstores becoming the victims of this sort of bashing.  It doesn't stop there either.  Often customers treat these service employees so badly that you would think manners had been thrown out the window.

Consider this:  the cashier generally counts your change into your hand, but how many of you hand that cash payment directly to him or her?  All too often the money is just tossed on the counter often with many coins included.  The transaction would be so much faster (and more courtesy would be shown toward the cashier) it that same money had been placed in the cashier's hand.

If the cashier smiles at you and says hello, don't assume they have some hidden motive.  Perhaps they are just being polite.  Oh and when the cashier asks if you want a bag, it is because we are trying to save the earth and not use bags as much as we did.  Instead of immediately placing every purchase in a bag, it is hoped that many customers will bring their own reusable bag or will simply carry their purchase in their hands.

Cashiers are people doing a job.  Treat them in the same manner you would like them to treat you.