Pride Month

By proclamation yesterday President Joe Biden said "This month, we honor the resilience of LGBTQI+ people, who are fighting to live authentically and freely. We reaffirm our belief that LGBTQI+ rights are human rights. And we recommit to delivering protections, safety, and equality to LGBTQI+ families so that everyone can realize the full promise of America."

The Presidential Proclamation also said, "I call upon the people of the United States to recognize the achievements of the LGBTQI+ community, to celebrate the great diversity of the American people, and to wave their flags of pride high."

The entire text is on The White House website, for those of you interested in reading it all. You can see it HERE. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is likely to mention Pride at various times during the month in her press briefings. Jean-Pierre is the first openly gay person to ever hold that position.

So happy Pride everyone! Isn't it great to have a supportive President?

Twenty dollar bill

A well-known speaker started off his seminar holding up a $20.00 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."

The story of the twenty dollar bill is one of those that has floated around and I am simply retelling it here. (I do that sort of thing from time-to-time and in fact just shared this story four months ago). I like it a lot though and it speaks to a number of things. Mostly it says count your blessings, not your problems.

Starting young

Last night I was watching young Opie Taylor learn about sharing. You remember The Andy Griffith Show, don't you? It was about life in a small town, where Opie lived with his father - the town's sheriff, and his great aunt. There were laughs, but there were also a lot of life lessons.

In this episode, there was a collection for underprivileged children, and Opie only put in three cents, despite having a full piggy bank. His father tried to impress on him the importance of sharing and of helping out others. His father was also concerned about appearance.  How would it look for the son of the sheriff to be so stingy?

When was the first time you ever did something for somebody else? Do you remember? Do you remember anyone ever teaching you these values? Is it important to get this message at a young age?  Did you give out of generosity or because it would make you look good?

This show treated the subject well.  It wasn't a new concept. They told the story in a fairly straightforward manner. At the end though came a surprise: Opie wasn't being cheap. He was saving to get a coat for a little girl who would shiver come winter, because her family could not afford a new coat for her. Opie, it seems, already knew the importance of helping others!

Do your best

When I was younger, I used to always hear people say, "you might not always have the results you wish, but make sure you do your best."  Oh course your best isn't going to stay the same.  Over time we are all expected to do better and better.  Occasionally we might do worse.

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter weighed in on the subject saying "You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don't win, at least you can be satisfied that you've tried. If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't set high goals, you don't branch out, you don't try - you don't take the risk." I agree!

I don't have any idea how my day will go, but one thing I do know for certain - I am going to do my best!  That would be a great motto for all of us!

A Life-Changing Story

I have to tell you the words below today are not mine, but this story, which has been circulating on the internet, really touched me. I have no idea of the author, but I am so glad this was written. Please read on -

Her eyes met mine as she walked down the corridor peering apprehensively into the kennels. I felt her need instantly and knew I had to help her.

 

I wagged my tail, not too exuberantly, so she wouldn't be afraid. As she stopped at my kennel I blocked her view from a little accident I had in the back of my cage. I didn't want her to know that I hadn't been walked today. Sometimes the overworked shelter keepers get too busy and I didn't want her to think poorly of them.

 

As she read my kennel card I hoped that she wouldn't feel sad about my past. I only have the future to look forward to and want to make a difference in someone's life.

 

She got down on her knees and made little kissy sounds at me. I shoved my shoulder and side of my head up against the bars to comfort her. Gentle fingertips caressed my neck; she was desperate for companionship. A tear fell down her cheek and I raised my paw to assure her that all would be well.

 

Soon my kennel door opened and her smile was so bright that I instantly jumped into her arms. I would promise to keep her safe. I would promise to always be by her side. I would promise to do everything I could to see that radiant smile and sparkle in her eyes.

 

I was so fortunate that she came down my corridor. So many more are out there who haven't walked the corridors. So many more to be saved. At least I could save one.

 

I rescued a human today.

Why do the shootings keep happening?

Yesterday in Texas, right after shooting his grandmother, a man went to an elementary school and began shooting at the kids. Summer vacation was almost here. Yesterday was the second to last day of the school year. At least 19 children were killed. How could this happen? Why?

Earlier this month there was a massacre at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York. The next day a mass shooting occurred at a church in California. Add to these the long list of mass shootings at various places across the US. There was the 2017 Las Vegas shooting that claimed 60 lives. Remember too the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016 where 49 people were killed. In 2007, 32 were killed at Virginia Tech. Twenty seven lives were lost at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. This is only a partial list. The shootings keep happening.  Why are we willing to live with this carnage?  Why?

Why is it easier to buy a gun than to get healthcare for the bullet wound? What is the answer to this gun violence? Does anybody care? Why do the shootings keep happening? Look at the rest of the world - mass shootings aren't happening anywhere else? How come it keeps happening here? Oh and can somebody explain this open carry thing? Seriously. There are 42 states that allow for open carry of some or all firearms. I'm from California (where that is not allowed) and I just don't understand why someone needs a long-gun when they go pickup their coffee at Starbucks. Why?

Last night, Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr asked an important question: "When are we going to do something?" I wish I had the answer. I am convinced that something can be done, so why wasn't anything been done yet? Why?

Lots of good times and kindness

It was on May 22, 1992 that Johnny Carson said goodnight to America for the last time from that familiar stage at NBC Burbank. Can you believe it's been thirty years?

From Groucho Marx, Rudy Vallée, and Joan Crawford to Robin Williams and Bette Midler, it seems like all of our favorite stars appeared with Johnny. It seems that everyone stayed up to watch him. Many performers began their careers on his show. Ellen DeGeneres, David Letterman, Joan Rivers, Drew Carey, David Brenner, Tim Allen, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Arsenio Hall, Howie Mandel, Jeff Foxworthy, and Don Rickles became household names because of him. I still enjoy the old reruns of the show on Antenna TV, and clips on youtube. Carson was fun. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was the late-night place to be.

On daytime television a fixture for the past nineteen years has been The Ellen DeGeneres Show.  I can remember Ellen's first visit to Johnny Carson and I've enjoyed her performances in many venues over the years.  Her daytime program though is ending soon, with the last new show coming this Thursday.  Despite some controversy in the past few years, it will be missed.  Like Johnny, Ellen introduced us to a lot of new friends.  She also taught us the importance of being kind.

Noting the end of two great talk shows may seem like an odd focus for this space, but I write here about doing good things and about making a positive difference.  I think Johnny Carson and Ellen DeGeneres have both done that.  I'm grateful for all of the good times they have given us.