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