Andy Rooney had a suggestion worth our full attention. The “jester” of those 60 Minutes said: “…that one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
I do all I can, so appreciating God’s grace when I can do that.
It was the early Pandemic. 2020.
I was going through a long delayed exercise of throwing out personal business papers that were past their prime. Not only were they no longer needed but in some ways they were archaic. It was a bit of a shock to see how much things had changed.
Examining my correspondence that had been faxed 33 years years ago was like observing the Roman aqueducts. No emailing in 1987. Encryption was something for espionage. And, my personal correspondence was hand written. It even approached legibility. Voice recognition software used to create an electronic document would have been the stuff of science fiction to me in 1987.
Sure is good to know these operations and transmissions occur today in a far easier, more efficient mode. That is particularly true since at 75, I need some easier
Togetherness…
“To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.” Francois Mauriac, the late French writer, and Nobel Prize Laureate.
”To care passionately for another human creature brings always more sorrow than joy; but at the same time, Elinor, one would not be without experience. Anyone who has never really loved has never really lived…” Agatha Christie ‘Sad Cypress’, 1940.
Can you explain why you love your spouse if blessed with the good fortune of being attached? It is a mystery.
The average American marriage lasts eight years. Yes, there is heartbreak and sorrow. But, at its core, it is LIVING. It is vulnerability. It is taking a firm stand and, at other times, keeping one’s distance.
The relationship itself, particularly if it is long-lasting, is a miracle. Don’t you think?.
“I’ve learned that love, not time, heals all wounds.” “I’ve learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it. Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame.
It’s true. Love heals. Love seems to grow when the two of you learn to negotiate the differences more peacefully with time, climbing that mountain.
Time? We really can’t define it. But, we know in our hearts, love heals. Love makes life worthwhile.
God is love. May God bless each of us with ever enlarging hearts for others.
Changes
“If you are lucky and reverent, and hush for a moment the doubts in your head, sometimes God will whisper in your ear.” John Graves, the late American writer
One of those times for us was valuable to our marriage. We both heard God’s whisper and became believers about four months apart.. Kristine and I found the profound values we then shared deep in our souls, strengthened the weakening bonds between us. What a gift!
Another event, in which the odds are now 12,274:1 against an accidental occurrence, concerned a group study of Scriptures. The chapter studied by about 12 of us covered a miraculous circumstance on the island of Malta. Within 24 hours, my blog had the only view (8986 views as I write this) before or since from the island nation of Malta. The blog itself had no connection to Malta. To me, God had whispered that I…
View original post 20 more words
“I have learned that being kind is more important than being right.” Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame. “The truth is… everything counts. Everything. Everything we do and everything we say. Everything helps or hurts; everything adds to or takes away from someone else” Countee Cullen, African-American poet who was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
Oh, that arrogance we try to bury. That ego is bubbling near the surface, eager to erupt, sometimes in anger. It requires that we win at all costs. What could be more damaging to a relationship?
Yet Mr. Hyde has his way of overcoming Dr. Jekyll’s sweetness and light. I agree with the author/pastor/speaker/sage, Tim Keller. His book on marriage, The Meaning of Marriage, which he co-wrote with his spouse, Kathy, emphasizes that marriage is the place where both people learn to love more deeply. Isn’t love what gathering patience over time is about, following our Maker’s lead?
He has inspired the playbook, the world’s bestseller, Scriptures. Isn’t that book worth a go?
Perhaps worth some thought…
So ultimately our currency only has value based on people’s trust in the strength and stability of our nation. It is not backed by gold, silver or any other “precious” metal.
Our Continental Army was struggling through the tribulations of Valley Forge being paid currency in which people didn’t have much trust. Then the French nation brought us trusted currency, naval help and additional arms. That turned the tide of our Revolution, thank God.
When we have the world’s mightiest military and economy it engenders lots of trust from all but our enemies. So it is not just a budget’s size that requires priority. As a complete non-economist, it also seems important to me, however, to weigh the amount of our debt owned by the Red Chinese.
May God bless our leaders with clear guidance as they forage through a thick jungle of difficult priorities.
“We’re all strangers connected by what we reveal, what we share, what we take away—our stories. I guess that’s what I love about books —they are thin strands of humanity that tether us to one another for a small bit of time, that make us feel less alone or even more comfortable with our aloneness, if need be.” Libba Bray, an American writer.
There doesn’t seem to be enough connectedness in our frequently virtual world. The written word seems an effort in the right direction. It was essential to the beginning of the U.S. in books like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.
Books get our minds alive, not hooked into someone else’s visuals, however well cinema captures our attention. They allow us to share our lives and thoughts well.
In a sense, you are your imagination. It’s where your ideas are birthed. Doesn’t it make common sense to give it some exercise with quality, beautifully edited stories? Those young kids who love to be read to seem to be on to something.
How good does it get?
Years ago, I was obtaining a medical procedure in the hospital. I was in the pre-operative area. From across the floor, a nurse told me about my unusually elevated blood pressure. She asked if I had high blood pressure. I said, “Not that I know of.” I said to myself, “I do now.”
I was probably around sixty. It’s not a huge secret that since about 60 I have had hypertension. The CDC did a study of the prevalence of hypertension in adults from 2017 to 2018. According to the CDC: “The prevalence of hypertension increased with age. The prevalence was 22.4% among adults aged 18–39 and increased to 54.5% among those aged 40–59, and 74.5% among those aged 60 and over.” (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db364-h.pdf)
In those sixteen years or so, I have watched my health deteriorate, ever so slowly. It’s called the march of time. The same thing is happening to…
View original post 89 more words
Our stories…
“Stories are people. I’m a story, you’re a story… Our stories go in every direction, but sometimes, if we’re lucky, our stories join into one, and for awhile, we’re less alone.” Jess Walter an American novelist.
Usually the stories have elements of experience with universal appeal. Though, sometimes, it is a shared view of something of enormous natural beauty at a particular time of year found in only a few locales.
John Steinbeck in my favorite piece of fiction, East of Eden, describes the magnificent blooming of spring’s wildflowers in Salinas, CA where he grew up. On a family trip over thirty years ago, before I read Steinbeck’s work, we saw in a California valley just below a descending highway called The Grapevine, a similar, breathtaking, view of miles of purple lupines against yellow poppies.
It was so memorable. Our story joined Steinbeck’s into one. Something lit up in…
View original post 7 more words
Pilgrim on a Long, Long Journey 