Remembering

It has been 24 years since our country changed forever following the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the selfless acts of the brave souls on United Flight 93 which prevented another assault on Washington, D.C. The memories of that fateful day will always remain vivid in our minds and hearts.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, two of which were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, a third into the Pentagon, and a fourth plane crashed in a rural Pennsylvania field during a passenger revolt. 

Today, we pause to honor the memory of those we lost, pay tribute to the resiliency of survivors, and extend our gratitude to the courageous members of the military, police, fire, and healthcare professionals who responded on that tragic day and have continued their unwavering service for nearly a quarter of a century. Heroes, all of them. The impact of 9/11 will forever be etched in our memory, a testament to the spirit of our nation.

There are many who were not alive back then in 2001 and so it is so important that we teach the new generations of what happened and work to see that nothing like this ever happens again. Just yesterday there were more hateful shootings. Let us remember our past and all resolve to put an end to hate.

Preventing Suicide

We hear about the death of a favorite performer and then hear that they died at their own hand. A friend or relative dies suddenly and there are whispers that he took his life, but shh don't talk about it. Well we need to talk about it and that is what today is about.

Every September, the month is used to focus on prevention and awareness and World Suicide Prevention Day is a special awareness day observed on September 10th every year. It should not just be when a friend or famous person dies. We need to remember that it can happen any time to any person. Males make up 50% of the population but nearly 80% of suicides.

Life is precious. We need to put an end to suicide. We CAN do it. Putting an end to hate and bullying is a great place to start. Openly talking about our feelings is important too. Nobody should ever feel like they are alone. Reach out. Be present. Get involved. Talk to professionals. I also invite you to go to https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/playbook/ for some excellent resources.

The Twenty

I have told this story before about how special we all are, but I really like it and some of you might not have read my blog the day I told this before, so here it is again.  A well-known speaker started off his seminar holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this."

 

He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. "Now, who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We may feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who DO LOVE you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but by WHO WE ARE. You are special - Don't EVER forget it."

As I mentioned above, I am retelling this wonderful story, and the first time I posted it, it was a retelling too. I have no idea who first told it - it's been circulating on the internet for some time.  The significant thing is the messages it brings.  We are all special.  We should all count our blessings, and NOT our problems!

The purpose of life

What is the purpose of life? Have you ever heard that question asked?  Why are we here?  How should we act?  Should we be ruthless and dishonest and claw our way past others to get the biggest piece of the pie?  What are we expected to do during our lifetime?

You probably already know my answer to the above questions.   I think we are all here to each make a difference for the better. We all should contribute to the common good, but that's just my opinion. 

It would seem that the great essayist, lecturer, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson agreed. It was he who said “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

What do YOU think is the purpose of life?

have I got some questions for you!

How are we doing with this blog? When do you read it? Who do you think we should mention here? What kinds of things have we left out? Where might we find more hometown heroes? Why is this even important? When will more folks get involved? How can folks interact here?  Oh, and what about the past two days here?

I prefer writing encouraging things.  It's so nice to tell the positive stories of people making a difference.  Occasionally though I see some bad things that simply must be addressed.  Any thoughts about what I wrote here yesterday and the day before?

Okay, so there are a lot of questions I can ask about this blog. You may have questions of your own. Right under each day's entry is a space that says comments. Write something there. Ask a question or make a comment. I have a never-ending supply of questions, but I certainly don't have all the answers. Perhaps you can help.

There are tons of ways we can give back of course. I humbly offer some suggestions that come to mind or tell you about some folks who have done a stellar job of being a superstar, but I need your help. I would love to know about some of the really positive people you may have encountered. Who is a hero to you? Tell us the what, when, where, and why too!  

Those are my questions for you today.  Remember you can use that comment section to ask questions of me.  

Be the spark

I love it when folks post encouraging things on social media. Encouraging others, I think actually encourages ourselves. Sometimes I read a long and very profound message, and other times it is short and to the point. ("Be Kind"). There always seem to be more encouraging messages around the holidays and especially as the new year begins.  How about now though?  I think we can all use some encouragement in the summer too.

This morning as I looked at my X feed, this jumped out at me: "All it takes is a single spark to build a fire. Commit to being that spark in your community and make a difference." Wow! I couldn't have said it any better.  That's the kind of encouragement I'm talking about.

 

Be the spark.  Isn't that what we talk about here every day - being the spark? More and more I see folks agreeing, and I think this world is getting better each day!  Let's all keep encouraging each other.  Let's all keep making a difference!

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.