Nice To See

If you want to make a difference in someone’s life start by being kind over being mean.

Just the other day I saw something that was so refreshing, so nice to see, I just felt I had to share it with you. My wife was in a different room of the house when she saw a video on YouTube and told me I should watch it as well. So, when I was done brailing in the kitchen, I sauntered over to the laptop in the living room and was pleasantly surprised by something that made me smile. I think it will make you smile too.

So, before I go any further, here it is…… (instructions for video link: right click on the colored http link below, then click on open hyperlink, then click on play, sit through commercial and then click play again and enjoy)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/26/mitchell-marcus-special-needs-teen-basketball-game_n_2766354.html

Allow me to summarize, just in case the YouTube clip didn’t function properly.

In a world where we are constantly surrounded by negative role models this basketball video is a like a breath of fresh air. This story had it all:  a.) underdog  b.) caring coach  c.) compassionate teammates  d.) crying mom  e.) the unexpected. Alone it was a nice story, the way it ended - WOW.

When I first started watching it I began thinking “I’ve seen this kind of thing before,” and wasn’t expecting much. Man, was I wrong.

Hollywood could not have written a better script. The underdog, Mitchell Marcus, is a special needs teenager with a developmental disability, who is a senior at Coronado High School in El Paso, Texas. He happens to be the team manager, with a deep love for the game of basketball, but had never suited up to play in a game.

Then the caring coach surprises Mitchell in the last game of the season by allowing his manager to suit up. The coach, Peter Morales, was even willing to sacrifice the outcome and put Mitchell in regardless of the score. So,with about a minute and half to go, with Coronado up by ten points, coach Morales put Mitchell in and gave him his chance to score, his moment.

Despite the efforts of his compassionate teammates, going out of their way to get him the ball, each time Mitchell shot the ball it would not go into the hoop. The game seemed destined to end without Mitchell making a basket. To top it off, with less than ten seconds to go he booted the ball out of bounds. It looked like he would never get his name in the box score.

With disappointment hanging in the air, then came the crying mom moment. There seemed to be no fairytale ending in sight as Mitchell’s mom made a cameo. I thought she was going to say how much she loved her son and that it didn’t matter if he scored or not, that he was still a winner for trying his best. However, she was speaking of it as a moment she will never forget.

Then it, the unexpected, happened. Jonathan Montanez, a senior forward for rival Franklin high school, took fate into his own hands. In an unbelievable gesture of pure kindness, he called Mitchell’s name and passed him the ball. The rest is history as Mitchell finally sunk the shot and the fans rushed the court.

With one simple pass, a young man showed a whole nation that, “kindness is treating others how you want to be treated.”  And in my book that is always nice to see.

Swavel

 

My favortie cup (2nd serving)

My favorite cup (second serving)

Forgiveness, like a cup of coffee, has the unique ability to transfom what was once weary and worn into something fresh and vibrant once more.

 

   

 

 

When it comes to the subject of forgiveness, Immaculee Ilibagiza, a Tutsi (pronounced tootsie) from Rwanda,  has a story you won’t soon forget. 

Her  unbelievable story bgins on April 7^th, 1994, at the time Imamaculle was in her early twenties and  home from college on Easter break.  It was  during this day that the pesident of her native country, Rwanda,  was shot down in his plane and killed.  Consequently, the Hutu (pronounced who-two)  tribe, which is rival of Imacculee’s Tutsi tribe,  went on a torrid killing spree which is now commonly refered to as the Rwandan genocide.  The Hutus blamed the death of the president on the Tutsis’and  claimed they would kill every tribe member in order to take revenge. 

On that terrible spring day she was rushed immediately to a friendly Hutu neighbor’s house, who was a Protestant minister.  Once inside she was taken immediately to a seldom used bathroom in a remote part of the house and locked inside with seven other Tutsi women. It was their only hope to remain safe from the  Hutus who had declared war on her people calling them cockroaches, going from house to house killing everyone from her tribe that they could find. 

For ninety days, she and seven other women stayed trapped in this secret three foot by four foot bathroom, as death lurked right outside the bathroom window.   On one such occasion for two hours, her enemies came looking for her and other Tutsis inside the minister's house, even calling her by name in attempt to frighten her out.  As the Hutus looked thoughout  the house, in desperation Imacculee prayed  this, “ God if you are real don’t let them find the door of the bathroom.”  That moment her faith in God was renewed when her assailants, who once had their hand on the doorknob, never entered the bathroom and then left.

Imacullee and her seven friends would survive the holocaust, however, in those three terrifying months  a staggering one million people died.   The equivalent of three out of four of the entire Tutsi population was wiped out.  Sadly, included in the dead were all of  Immaculee’s family: her father, her mother, grandparents, and two brothers, leaving only her one brother, who was out of the country at the time of the masacare.

Needless to say, you would think that Imaculee would have every reason be bitter and full of rage at this outpouring of evil leveled on her, her family, and her people. This however is not the case .  She claims that her truning point of leaving the hate behind and seeking forgiveness instead happened during those desperate days in that little room.  Imaculee prayed the Lord’s prayer every day for ninety days.

While she was praying the Lord’s prayer over and over again she happened upon  a part she could not pray,  “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”  The reason she could not pray it was because she didn’t want to pray a lie.  She realized after much thought, that the Lord’s prayer originally was a prayer that God Himself our Lord gave us.  So, she turned to the author of that great passage to help her out. 

It was then  in that tiny little bathroom that Imaculee had another epiphany. In her own words, she realized this .... "you being mad at them, you getting angry wanting to do what they are doing doesn’t change a thing."  Something just became clear in that moment, that told her , “everyone has a chance.. to …see the truth.”  In essence what Immaculle did was what Jesus said as He hung on  the cross, " Father forgive them for they know not what they do."  

If  it were not enough, Immaculee felt she needed to forgive the people who were trying to kill her.  What she choose to offer her enemies was forgiveness, not hatred.  For this expressed reason she went to prision to meet the leader of one of the gangs who had sought to take her life. After an awkward pause, they both began to cry as their eyes met and she touched his hand as she said these healing words, “I forgive you.”  Imaculee’s heart eased immediately as she saw the tension release in the man’s shoulders, who once sought to obliterate her and her people.

She concludes her book, Left to Tell…. with these words: “ the love of a single heart can make a world of difference.  I believe that we can heal Rwanda – and our world – by healing on heart at a time.”

The following are truly acts of God: earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and  forgiving those who wrong you.

Swavel

 

My favorite cup (first serving)

 

Forgiveness, like a hot cup of coffee, has the unique ability to transform what was once weary and worn into something fresh and vibrant once more.

What I would like to share with you in two separate blogs, are two beautiful examples of forgiveness both centering on how we need to forgive.   If we can’t forgive, like Jesus said in the Bible, how can we expect God to forgive us?

When I think about how sometimes we must forgive regardless of the trespass, a story about Corrie ten Boom, a holocaust survivor during World War II, comes to mind. She, her sister, Betsie and her family had been imprisoned during the Nazi invasion of Holland for hiding Jews.

As the story goes Corrie was speaking on forgiveness in a church in Munich, Germany in 1947. She spoke of forgiveness as this, “When we confess our sins, God casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever.”

After she had finished speaking it was then that a man whose face she could not forget approached her. He was one of the guards from Ravensbruck, the despicable concentration camp, where both Corrie and Betsie had been taken after their arrest. It was there that he and the other guards treated the sisters and many other countless Jews like animals. Many like Betsie and countless others would die there due to the harsh conditions.

Since his time as a Nazi guard, he had become a Christian and now was in search of this forgiveness that Corrie had so freely offered just moments before.  Although, he did not remember her, she remembered him. He went on to say that he knew God had forgiven him for the cruel things he did in the prison camp, but he wanted to hear from her lips that he was forgiven. Then, he put his hand out.

The following is what happened next in Corrie ten Boom’s own words….

And I stood there—I whose sins had again and again to be forgiven—and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place—could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking?

It could not have been many seconds that he stood there—hand held out—but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I had ever had to do.

“For I had to do it—I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. “If you do not forgive men their trespasses,” Jesus says, “neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

I knew it not only as a commandment of God, but as a daily experience. Since the end of the war I had had a home in Holland for victims of Nazi brutality. Those who were able to forgive their former enemies were able also to return to the outside world and rebuild their lives, no matter what the physical scars. Those who nursed their bitterness remained invalids. It was as simple and as horrible as that.

And still I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart. But forgiveness is not an emotion—I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. … “Help!” I prayed silently. “I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling.”

And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes.

“I forgive you, brother!” I cried, “With all my heart!”

For a long moment we grasped each other’s hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God’s love so intensely, as I did then.

Remember, you can’t drive forward in life, if you’re still looking backward in your rearview mirror.

Swavel

 

Locate the fastball

In life we should apply grace, just like a major league pitcher locates his fastball, early and often.

Over a week ago, I had the privilege of hearing and learning from ex major league pitcher, Dave Dravecky.  He was speaking at a men’s breakfast where over 1500 were in attendance and what he had to share was quite inspiring. Allow me to give you my take from the balcony, the lobby, and as a passenger in a car. These are the four tips I learned that day in baseball speak:

1- Get coached up

Dave Dravecky, a natural born southpaw, was born in Ohio on Valentines’ Day in 1956 with an inherent love for the game of baseball. As I stood in the balcony, he spoke of how this love was nurtured by his father as he grew up when the two would throw catch in the backyard. Dave went on to say as he got older that he played both baseball and basketball in high school. Then, in the mid nineteen seventies, when college beckoned he chose to attend Youngstown St. where he made the baseball team as a walk on player. He also spoke of a very valuable experience of when he started a playoff game only to get drubbed by twenty some runs by rival team Wright State. This seemed helped him to learn he had not yet arrived and needed to keep working on his craft.

After his college career, Dave had the honor of being taken in the 21^st round of the baseball draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1978. It was during the next few years in the minors and being traded to the San Diego Padres that Dave’s pitching career and life began to change.

It was then that he made mention of two men who were instrumental in helping him change and grow. One was a pitching coach, one was a fellow minor leaguer.

The first man was Eddie Watt, an ex- Baltimore Orioles pitcher from the nineteen sixties, who was his pitching coach and taught him how to better hone his craft and develop his pitches. It was then through trial and error that Dave began to improve his repertoire and eventually became major league ready.

The second man who made an impact on Dave’s life was a fellow ball player and friend, Byron Ballard, who began challenging Dave spiritually. This man’s persistence eventually led Dave and his wife, Jan, into a relationship with Jesus who changed their perspective forever.

In layman’s terms, Dave’s early life taught me it is of major importance to take instruction to heart and then apply it to your life.

2- Be ambidextrous

If you were to Google the name Dave Dravecky on your computer, you would see many significant accomplishments in his career. You would notice that he had a career ERA of 3.13 and never had a year over 4.0. in his eight year career. He also went to the World Series, was voted to an All Star game, and was the starter on opening day; all noteworthy statistics by today’s standards.

But, the biggest challenge of Dave’s career happened to him in 1988, his second year with the San Francisco Giants. It was then that Dave’s life was about to hit a speed bump. It was during this time that doctors diagnosed a lump in Dave’s left arm, his pitching arm. When they examined it closely they discovered that it was cancerous and had to be removed immediately. He and his wife faced this setback with their faith in God fully intact, ready to fight.

So, ten months later on August 10^th, 1989, after the cancerous lump had been successfully removed the resilient, left hander found himself back on the mound. . He returned with a resounding triumph as the Giants beat the Reds. However, in his next start five days later in Montreal, Canada, instead of a speed bump Dave’s life was about to hit a wall. In the sixth inning as he delivered a pitch he heard a deafening noise in his ear and felt a tremendous pain in his arm. He had broken his arm and soon discovered that the cancer had come back. The news get even worse when the doctors told him that his left arm, his pitching arm, would need to be amputated to keep the cancer from spreading.

Although the news was devastating Dave had no choice but to learn to live differently. He would have to be ambidextrous and learn to use his off hand. He could no longer play the game he loved and he went through some very tough times. Nevertheless, he stated during this difficult transition he was learning that Jesus plus nothing equals everything. His life was now speaking, not just his pitching

In layman’s terms, Dave’s struggles in his life taught me that sometimes, whether you like it or not, you must make the necessary adjustment,.

3-Appreciate your fans

Everyone wants and needs to be appreciated. This was never more apparent to me, then when before Dave began to speak that he did something rather unique to encourage himself. As I looked on from the balcony, he took out his phone and pulled up a picture of his grandson, one of his biggest little fans, with his tongue sticking out. Immediately, as he placed it on the podium, you could just see the levity it granted him.

Anyone can be nice when everything is going his or her way. Then it is easy to be pleasant and affable to fans and those who request our time or attention. However, I believe Dave’s life has spoken loudest when things were not going according to what he had hoped.

It was apparent from my view that Dravecky appreciated his fans as they stood in line for over an hour and a half to get his autograph. As I was standing in the lobby after the meeting was over, I was sitting near where Dave was signing autographs and I could overhear most of the questions. For instance, I overheard a man ask him about depression, a subject some men would have brushed off; however, Dave was very candid and honest in his personal reply holding nothing back. Having personally suffered from depression as well, his compassionate response spoke volumes to me as well.

Another way Dave showed his appreciation was by doing what Jesus had taught us to do a long time ago- love the little children.

Since, I was to be riding in the car that was transporting our guest of honor back to the Philadelphia Airport; I felt it appropriate to go along with my friend backstage to fetch Dave’s bag. When I noticed the carry-on, with a San Francisco Giant logo attached to it, I was surprised to see a baseball sitting on top of it. I discovered from my friend that this was a prized possession bestowed upon Dave from several local special needs kids in which they had signed it just for him. This was not lost on him, as he put it in a special compartment so it would not be misplaced.

In layman’s terms, he taught me that you can never be too young or too old to give or receive an encouraging word.

d- Locate the fastball

If I had to use one word to sum up Dave Dravecky’s life it would be grace-full.

The best advice often comes when you are not looking for it. As I approached Dave with his suitcase and autographed baseball, I overheard him speaking grace to a father who was last in line and wanted some advice for his lanky teenage son, who was aspiring to be a big league pitcher. What I overheard Dave say was that the boy needed to focus on locating the fastball before he could even think of being successful on any level. Dave went on to say other pitches are nice, but the ability to throw a fastball for strikes is the main secret to successful pitching.

Grace, like that aforementioned fastball, was something the ex-big leaguer had been exhibiting all day. He was really living it out when during a ten minute question and answer session in front of the group a well-meaning gentleman asked him a tricky theological question about whether we are predestined or whether we have a free will. The question left me dumbfounded, but not Dave.  He paused for a moment and then with no remorse said that grace was the best way to handle the situation and moved to the next question.

He also showed tremendous grace as he interacted with people putting his arm around young and old alike as he smiled over and over again for pictures. Then on the way down to the airport, after he must have been exhausted, I witnessed him continue to show grace to all of us who were in the car. He listened to our stories and even apologized about a situation that wasn’t his fault, when he could have been agitated.

All this from a man who was once asked by a baseball reporter after he broke his arm and knew he would probably never pitch again, “where is your God now?’ As exhibited by his life, God never left him and still is with him, as Dave continues to shows grace just like he used to locate his fastball back in the day.

In laymen's terms, Dave taught me that when it comes to life grace is more than just being nice, it's a necesity

Swavel

Somewhat Trivial

Welcome to my 2013 version of Super Bowl trivia, about last night’s big game. You know the type, the slightly off, somewhat trivial kind of questions you won’t just find just anywhere. Before we start, congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens for winning a real turn out the lights kind of game. Let’s begin:

 

1- What inspired Lamar Hunt, founder and owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, to come up with the nameSuper Bowl?   (a) A grocery store flyer gave him the idea   (b) His daughter was playing with a super ball    (c) A conversation he had with then commissioner, Pete Rozelle   (d) Hit him out of the blue while was he was getting a haircut at the local barber shop

 

2- Before Joe Flacco led the Ravens to a Super Bowl victory last night, who was the other quarterback who led Baltimore to victory in Super Bowl XXXV (35) ?   (a) Steve McNair   (b) Bo Jackson   (c) Justin Bieber   (d) Trent Dilfer

 

3- Speaking of Joes who won Super Bowl MVP’s, what product was Joe Namath famous for endorsing?  (a) Miller Lite Beer   (b) Nutri System   (c) Hanes Pantyhose   (d) Cadillac Sevilles

 

4- Jim Harbaugh, coach of the San Francisco Forty Niners, once appeared on what TV show?   (a) Saved By The Bell   (b) Magnum P.I.  (c) The A-Team   (d) The Cosby Show

 

5- Which of the following is the only true statement about ex- Washington Redskin player, Timmy Smith, in regard to him and the Super Bowl?   (a) He was the first black quarterback to win the Super Bowl   (b) He played against his brother Emmitt Smith in the big game   (c) He holds the single game record for most yards rushed in the Super Bowl   (d) He was the first and only player ever to be ejected from the Super Bowl

 

6- Thurman Thomas is famous for doing what during the Super Bowl?   (a) He misplaced his helmet during the game and couldn’t find it   (b) Lost his job because of the part he played in the Janet Jackson halftime wardrobe malfunction   (c) Was the singer who forgot the words to the National anthem and was shamefully booed   (d) Missed the game winning kick in the big game and cost his team the win

 

 

7- Name the San Francisco Forty Niners’ mascot?   (a) Earthquake Earl   (b) Sourdough Sam   (c) Prospector Pete   (d) The Pillsbury Dough Boy

 

8- Name the reason Ray Lewis does his highly energetic pre-game celebration dance before every Ravens’ game as he enters the field?   (a) Too much Icy Hot in his athletic supporter   (b) He’s Ray Lewis and he can do whatever he wants to psyche himself up   (c) He always wanted to be a ballet dancer and this is a good forum for it   (d) He’s trying out for Soul Train

 

9-Which one of the following entertainers has never performed during the Super halftime show and in my opinion should next year?   (a) Phil Collins   (b) Bruce Springsteen   (c) Shania Twain   (d) Prince

 

10- Which one thing has never happened in the Super Bowl:   a) Up with People performed at halftime   (b) A man died of a heart attack in the crowd just before kickoff   (c) The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl in which they played against the Cleveland Browns   (d) The lights went out in the third quarter one year causing a half hour delay

 

11- Jack Harbaugh, father of the two brothers who faced off last night in the Super Bowl, used to repeat what famous phrase to his boys when they were growing up?   a)Win one for the Gipper   b) Always preheat the oven when making brownies   c)Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing   d) Who has it better than us?- NOBODY

 

Here are the answers 1-b 2-d 3-c 4- a 5-c 6-a 7-b 8-b 9-a 10-c 11-d

The point of these somewhat trivia questions is that although I hope you found them entertaining they are of no lasting significance. Do something big today and the next year it is forgotten or relegated to a memory of a select few. However, when you do something big or little for God, He never forgets. May we remember to do the important, meaningful things God asks of us whether anyone notices or not. Then truly we can say like Jack Harbaugh used to say to his boys,Who has it better than us? - NOBODY.

Swavel

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Forward

To Withstand

Unlike Catherine Hepburn, if I could be a tree, I would not be an oak; I would be a Joshua tree, renowned for its sheer ability to withstand.

 

The phrase what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger seems to best sum up a Joshua tree, at least for me. It is perfect mixture of persistence and endurance mixed in with the innate ability to flourish where difficulty is present.

Distinctively American, this tree only grows in the southwestern United States, where it thrives in the arid soil of the Mojave Desert. In the scientific community it is referred to as yucca brevifola and has been recorded to grow from anywhere to sixteen to forty nine feet high. The Joshua Tree National Park is located in Southern California about 150 miles east of Los Angeles.

This tree known for its resilience looks like something you might see in an old episode of Bonanza as Hoss Cartwright rides over the Ponderosa. The Joshua tree is known for its long, straight dagger shaped leaves that tapper off to a sharp point at the end. It is an unusual looking tree with leaves that grow in a spiraling pattern, not to mention the rather unpleasant odor that the off-white blossoms give off.

The trunk of a Joshua tree is made of thousands of small fibers and lacks annual growth rings, making it difficult to determine the tree’s age. This tree has a top-heavy branch system, but also has what has been described as a “deep and extensive’ root system, with roots possibly reaching up to 36 feet away. If it survives the rigors of the desert, it can live for hundreds of years with some specimens surviving up to a thousand years.

Its unique name, the Joshua tree, was given by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19^th century. The tree’s unique shape reminded them of a Biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands upward in prayer. The Joshua tree and its ability to flower in the desert represent a pioneering and persistent spirit that is well suited for its home in the American west.

Quite frankly, if it wasn’t for the band U2 in the 1980’s, I believe the poor Joshua tree could still be living in meager anonymity. However, when a band as famous as U2 uses your image to represent them on a record cover you tend to get noticed, even if it is just for peculiarity.

Albeit the tree itself is not much to look at, however, its characteristics are quite something to marvel over. Anyone can succeed given the right environment, support, upbringing, and financial stability. Thrive amidst adversity and then you have something, at least in my eyes. God never gives us more in life than HE can handle.

So, why should anyone what to be like a Joshua tree? At least for me, the answer is simple: to withstand is the thing.

Swavel

 

Dig Deep

“Some hillsides speak directly into our souls, without ever saying a word.”

The old adage, dig to China, came to mind the other day as I was shoveling out my neighbor’s burn pit. It was a difficult kind of digging that never seemed to end with one wheel barrow full of soot after the other. It also was a great reminder of the importance of a good shovel and how often we learn best from the past.

In light of the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and also a personal tragedy my family and I suffered some twelve years ago when my wife and I buried a child of our own, I wanted to weigh in on grief. The elephant in the room at times like these is where do we go from here with all this heartache? Though no one is an expert when it comes to these things because each person’s experience during tragedy is unique to them, I would like to offer some hope on the subject. If grief is not handled correctly it can overtake you and consume you whole. Ultimately, making you a living victim of the tragedy you are trying to outrun.

In my own hometown I have learned from tragedy. On January 13^th, 1908 the little homespun community of Boyertown, Pennsylvania was devastated when the Rhoads Opera House caught on fire and 170 souls perished in the blaze. This past Sunday marked the 105^thanniversary of this catastrophe. More than half of those victims are buried at Fairview Cemetery, the very same resting place of my grandfather. The bodies of many who died were burned so badly that it took over five days for the families to identify their dead. Even then over twenty bodies were left unidentified and buried together as such in Fairview.

Today, when I stand on this hillside, even now I can still feel the remnants of pain left over from the mourners who grieved on that very same hillside so many years before. Somehow, I feel obligated to give some perspective to something that was so utterly devastating.
As I read about the Opera House Fire in books written by Mary Jane Schneider entitled “A Town in Tragedy” and a“Midwinter Mourning” I was struck by the crushing pain that this indescribable disaster had brought to my hometown so many years ago. There just seemed to be no answers.

The following is taken from “Midwinter Mourning” and best sums up the mind-set of those who survived. “Helpless to change the disaster, thankful to be among the living, they did not allow themselves to talk about it. Many did not mention the fire again in their lifetime. They did not want to feel the sadness or the horror of relieving those days”

In my opinion, I have learned that in order to survive such a travesty, one must dig deep and be resilient. The key factor with resilience is that it does not try to make sense of the pain, but rather is motivated to keep moving forward and not try to make sense out of the senseless. Just like the fire was bright during its devastation, so must our resilience be bright to overcome it.

Nevertheless, amidst all this devastation there is a story shared by Mary Jane Schneider in “Midwinter Mourning” about a little boy and his father’s shovel which seems to sum up resilience so beautifully. In my own words, the story goes like this….

With the sheer amount of graves needed to be dug to bury the town’s dead the volunteers were outweighed by the need. Not to mention that the physical task had begun to weigh heavy on the bodies and psyches of those who had the unenviable task of digging.

On one such morning the workers at Fairview cemetery, who initially thought they would be laying trolley track, were instructed to dig graves instead. Overwhelmed by the task they refused and an argument ensued between the workers and their foreman, Milton Brobst. Eventually the foreman, a powerfully built man, convinced the workers but they conceded grudgingly. They however had not counted on a seven year old boy to assist them.

Seven year old, Freddie Hertzog had overheard the news the night before at his father’s hotel. And since several of his classmates had died in the fire he decided to do something with his grief. This young boy needed no irate employer to motivate him to dig deep. So, armed with his father’s big shovel and a strong will he took up the rear of the long line of overworked and weary men who marched from the center of town to the cemetery on that dreary day. Weighted down by the heaviness of his father’s shovel, Freddie bravely announced to the distraught foreman, “I want to help dig”. With tears running down his cheeks Brobst hoisted the boy onto his shoulders, as he took the boy back to his mother. The book does not reveal whether Freddie ever got to dig or not, however the story goes on to say that “during the trying day, the story of little Freddie and his shovel touched many a weary heart.”

We must, not unlike little Freddie, refuse to allow a moment that didn’t go our way to define us and in turn ruin us and those we love. When faced with tragedy we need be resilient and move forward, despite the pain. A poster I read once regarding the tragedy of 9-11 best sums this thought up, “We are not defined by tragedy, but by how we carry on.”

Life in the aftermath of tragedy is like picking up your shovel and digging when everyone else believes you are just wasting your time. In the end, all we can do is the work as best we can, expect nothing in return, and then live our lives every day in an effort to honor those we are grieving.

Remember, every day is a gift, so pick up your shovel and DIG DEEP.

Swavel

Ten Cents Worth

“Whereas the ordinary resolve to change, the noble succeed at it.”

A resolution as defined by Webster is the power of holding firmly to a purpose.  However, in our society, resolutions tend to be flimsy promises we make to ourselves without a serious commitment. They often vary from losing weight, to making more money or quitting a bad habit, just to name a few. Often, when we don’t see the required results we give up on our resolutions and just go back to doing what we always did before.

Seeing it is a new year I thought I would share my ten cents worth of changes for 2013 with you, two cents at a time. Here’s hoping I buck the trend and stick with them.

 

First two cents- COMPLAIN LESS

Not to my credit, I tend to complain far too often. For example, at my favorite convenience store sometimes the cashier accidently charges me ten cents more because my coffee mug looks larger than it is. Often I do not realize it till after I get the receipt and then I grow frustrated. So, sometimes in an attempt to avert this injustice, I will sternly tell the attendant at the counter, “No it’s a 12 ounce, not a 16 ounce”. What an idiot I am. Fortunately, that mug recently broke and hopefully now I have learned to be less petty.

Second two cents- SPEAK WISER

Unfortunately, I have a history of speaking before thinking. Many years ago when I was in my early twenties I was at a high school football game and I started making fun of the opposing school’s marching band. If my memory serves me correctly the band decided to perform a theatrical presentation where they danced around with a giant blue ball supposedly representing the world. As I started making fun of their effort a woman from that school’s band, deservingly so, turned around and let me have it.

You would think that I would have learned from that, but about six months ago I made a similar disparaging remark. . While I was talking to a fellow employee I made a flippant remark about something he was wearing. The offended person, fueled by the emotion of the moment, let me have it, as the comment overshadowed the rest of our time together and ruined the conversation. I simply should have kept it to myself, because once you offend someone over an opinion, good luck ever winning them back.

Third two cents- TRY HARDER

“ Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” This quote by Samuel Beckett is one of my favorites because it inspires me, not to be perfect, but to keep making the effort. This thought pattern tends to go along with complaining less. Instead of talking about the problem, when you try harder you can do something about it to improve your situation, more times than not. Especially with the way the economy is right now, there is no better time than to be hard at work, rather than whining woe is me.

Fourth two cents- PRAY MORE

In my opinion, God does not need me to pray because He needs my advice. He asks me to so I can be on the same page He is on. Prayer is something I need to make a bigger priority because I find that when I do God answers some prayers before I even pray them. Like He was just waiting for me to humble myself and ask Him what he wanted to do. And why shouldn’t I be doing that every minute of the day. I believe God created the world in six days, so I very well need his help and guidance, not the other way around.

Fifth two cents - BE ENERGETIC

Whatever you do, don’t be like Eyeore. People are drawn to people who have enthusiasm, not people who are always complaining and are tired all the time. To be honest this is a big struggle for me since by nature I am someone who is not a morning person or a late night person. So to get through the day I depend on coffee, adrenaline and a daily walk that gets the blood flowing. Regardless of the fact I struggle with being tired, when I am awake I want to be alert and positive and make the most of everyday, like it might be my last.

So, as we begin this year, I don’t know about you, but I am resolving to improve on last year’s version of myself. Well, at least that’s my ten cents worth on the subject.

Swavel