I was thinking about footprints.
Various shapes, sizes. Easy to find on a beach as you walk along the
shore. Perhaps not so welcome when you find footprints on your newly
cleaned floor. As a kid, my family would drive to the dunes at a state
park along Lake Michigan and we'd see signs requesting visitors to watch
where they walk, to stay on the path and not disturb the ecosystem.
I wonder about the footprints I've left behind and what became of
them. Were my footprints welcomed like the ones at the beach? Were
they seen as an intrusion like the messy ones on a clean linoleum
floor? Did I care enough to not damage the "ecosystem" of the people I
walked with?
Teddy Roosevelt had a famous line: "Walk softly, but carry a big
stick." While I admire TR greatly, I'd like to amend his statement to:
"Walk softly, and carry a big heart."
We never really know what happens
to our footprints, but if we carry a big heart, they can be lasting,
and loving, impressions for people to follow. Sort of like a trail for
the ones who come after us.
Live your life and make a difference.
Thoughts on everyday life and inspiring others to contribute to life in a positive way.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
The Gift Of Hope
Five years ago,
we bought a house and moved in. The
girls lobbied most of the summer for a dog.
Hannah and Emily would search the Internet and each morning, Kim and I
would find a new picture of a dog. On
the refrigerator. In our bathroom. Taped to the TV. Somewhere.
Everywhere. Each morning. Every morning. Some evenings, too.
I was won over
pretty quickly, but being the dutiful (and scared that I might end up sleeping on the couch or in the garage) husband, I kept to the party
line. “We don’t need a dog.” Eventually, Kim wore down too.
And Bailey came
into our life. A beautiful Golden
Retriever. Two years old. Housebroken.
And near death.
When we picked
Bailey up, we could easily count her ribs.
She was more than shy, more than timid.
She was afraid. Noises. Quick movements. If I took off my belt, she’d run. It was weeks before we realized she could
bark. She was silent. Quiet.
Almost sullen. And like I said,
afraid. Neither Kim nor I said it out loud, but we didn’t think Bailey would
last more than one or two weeks. If
that.
The Vet said she’d
be fine, though she was malnourished. Started
her on a regimen of pills. Vaccinations.
Food. Water. Mostly love.
Now?
Still timid,
mostly with men and boys. Playful. Protective. Sleeps in Emily’s room, though Kim is her
favorite. Funny how that happens!
As a counselor
and teacher, I saw many kids like Bailey.
Afraid. Malnourished- not only from a lack of food and
clothes, but from a lack of care, of compassion, of love. One as sad as the next.
Without Hope.
When we would
have visitors in California, I enjoyed being tour guide. One of the places they wanted to see was
Hollywood Boulevard. There was a major discrepancy
in what they imagined it looked like and what it actually looked like. Gone was
the glamour, the elegance, the money.
Instead, dark, dirty, grungy. Run
down.
I remember
following one street kid. Probably late
teens, early twenties. Walked
quickly. Some popcorn had spilled on the
sidewalk and without breaking stride, he reached down and scooped up some with
his right hand and shoved it into his mouth.
A few steps later, there was a half-eaten Twinkie. Again without breaking stride, he scooped it
up and ate it. How hungry he must have
been.
It’s been years
since I watched that young man. As I
write this, I can still see it happen. I
see him. I picture other kids like him.
I’ve always
wondered what his life . . . their life . . . was like that would chase them
out of their homes and onto the street.
How bad it must have been.
Certainly no
love. No Care. No Compassion. No . . . Hope?
A rather
one-sided view, I’m sure. Don’t know the
reasons these kids landed on the street.
Just that they are there.
Existing, not living. Functioning
day to day, night to night. Surviving.
You know, I
believe in kids. Always have. Their resilience. Their toughness. Their ‘smarts’.
I think as
adults, beyond food and shelter, beyond clothes and a place to sleep, we need
to give our kids a future. We need to
give our kids lessons of love, of compassion.
We need to care. We need to help
them understand that they have a place in life, in our homes, in our hearts.
We need to give
them The Gift Of Hope. For it is with
The Gift Of Hope where our children see their future, our belief in them. Without The Gift Of Hope, there are no
dreams. There are no wishes. There is no future. Hope gives our children a chance, an opportunity. We need to do this for our children, for
ourselves. We need to do this. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
What's In Your Suitcase?
Go on any trip
lately? We’re in the middle of summer,
so vacations abound, I’m sure. People
coming. People going. Long trips.
Short trips.
Ever go on a
trip and forget to pack something?
Something as simple as a toothbrush or deodorant? Easily remedied at any convenience or grocery
store. Forget a pair of shoes? A sweatshirt that you meant to take “just in
case”? A little more costly, but again,
easily remedied with a stop to a department or shoe store.
When I was
growing up, we traveled around in a beat up green Plymouth station wagon. The radio didn’t work very well, so we
sang. Each of us. Didn’t matter how old or how young. It was expected.
Well anyway . .
.
On a trip
somewhere, we stopped for gas and to use the facilities. We took our turns, dad last because he worked
the gas pump and paid the clerk. We climbed
in, took off and began singing. The sound was off. Didn’t sound right. A voice was missing. Mom turned around and counted heads.
Yup . . .
My brother, Jim
was missing. We turned the car around,
went back to the gas station and there he was.
Sitting in the dirt near the front of the store. Crying.
Angry. Scared. All of us scared. Being a father of three, I can’t imagine the
worry, the fear my parents must have felt.
Having worked with missing and exploited kids, well, I don’t even want
to go there.
But Jim was
forgotten. Something not easily remedied
by a trip to a convenient store or a grocery store or a shoe store or a
department store. Pretty serious. Don’t really know how it happened.
I don’t remember
just how far we had gotten because I’m four years younger than Jim and he was
pretty young at the time. But, really
scary.
Back to the
suitcase . . .
I think each of
us have suitcases. Some large. Some small.
Some fancy. Some plain. And in it are all the things we might need to
bring along on a trip called, “Life”. To
a lesser or greater extent, each of us has tools and skills. Some born that way. Some have to learn it. And for others, they might not have the means
or skill to acquire what is needed on that trip called, “Life”.
And at times,
what we have in our suitcase just might fail us. We forget what’s in that suitcase.
We lose our
patience. We lose our temper. The listening skill we’ve learned along the
way is abandoned. The ability to reason
and see all the options is left at the gas station just like my brother Jim
was.
We end up
hurting feelings. We end up causing
anger. Might even cost us a job. Sometimes not easily remedied. Sometimes more than just a turnaround and
head on back. Sometimes much more
difficult than that.
Might be the
time to see What’s In Your Suitcase.
Might want to check out just what is . . . or isn’t in it. Might want to take the time to take stock and
determine what exactly is needed before we proceed on that trip called,
“Life”. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
Friday, July 12, 2013
Endings
Those of you
around my age, remember watching the last episode of “M.A.S.H.”?
Hawkeye tried to
get B.J. to say goodbye, and he wouldn’t . . . at least until the very end, the
last scene. The episode was titled, “Goodbye,
Farewell and Amen”. Fitting, I
guess. There was an attempt at a spinoff
or two, but not very successful. I think
it was because of the original characters.
Their affection for one another.
Their interdependence on one another.
Their annoyances with one another.
Their togetherness.
Hawkeye, B.J.,
Hot Lips, Frank, Charles, Klinger, Radar, Father Mulcahy and of course, Colonel
Potter. They were real to us . . . to me
. . . as much as our next door neighbor is real, perhaps more so.
Hated to see it
end.
Not so much the
show, but the characters.
To me, movies
and television shows are all about the characters. Same with books. I have to love or hate the characters. Nothing in terms of indifference will
do. As a viewer or reader, I have to
care. And care deeply. I do that, I hope, in my own writing.
Yesterday, Emily
and I watched the replaying of the last episode of “iCarly”. It was so sad. So very sad.
I got choked up and had to fight tears.
I’m not sure why it hit me as it did, but it did.
I mean, these
were kids! Having to say goodbye to one
another. Having to leave one
another. Carly left for Italy to be with
her dad. Her older brother, Spencer, stayed
behind and would be by himself. Freddy
and Sam somehow separate because Carly was their glue.
I know it
happens. Lord knows I’ve had many
Endings in my life.
My dad passing
away along with two of my sisters.
Leaving Wisconsin and my family three separate times. My son moving away from home. Hannah heading off to college. Friends and their friendship, who I thought
would last forever, somehow left my life . . . perhaps, I left theirs. Not sure.
An Ending though to be sure. All
Endings. And sad. All sad.
I don’t do
Endings very well. Not well at all.
Yes, I know that
each Ending is an opportunity for a new Beginning. I get that.
But Endings hurt
too much. There is so much pain
involved. To me, more pain than the fear
of beginning again. I don’t like Endings.
My youngest,
Emily, has told me many, many times that, “Everyone deserves a happy ending.”
It’s a rule with
her. For each of us, too, perhaps.
I try to explain
to her that life doesn’t necessarily have happy Endings. Her reply is simple: “Well, it should!”
Perhaps if we
focus on new beginnings instead of the Endings, maybe it would be less
painful. Perhaps if we focus on the
excitement of change, of the opportunity to begin again, to begin anew, it
might hurt less. Not sure, really. Honestly not too sure. But, it’s something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Wish Upon A Star
“Star light,
star bright;
First star I see
tonight;
Wish I may, wish
I might;
Have the wish I
wish tonight.”
And then we’d
shut our eyes and make a wish. Right?
I think each of
us grew up with that little poem, those hopes, those dreams. Those wishes.
I wonder
sometimes how many wishes I’ve made looking up at the stars in my lifetime. Stretched out in the backyard. Sitting on the dock at the lake. Around the campfire while we stuffed ourselves with s'mores.
My daughters,
Hannah and Emily and I decided that the brightest star nearest the moon was
their grandfather . . . my dad . . . watching down over us. Just keeping a watchful eye.
I know that I’ve
spent some nights in silence as I considered him watching us, wondering what he
thought of me, my life, my family. I
wish my dad would have been around for my kids.
How they would have loved him, and he, them. But he had passed on well before I met my
wife and we had our kids.
And, about those
wishes . . .
As a kid, my
wishes were simple. Kid stuff. All about me, as most kids’ wishes tend to
be.
As I got older,
the wishes were more like bargains. You
know the kinds where we’d say something like, “If I get this, then I’ll . . .”
And then as I
got older yet, and after Kim and I had children, my wishes became about
them. Keeping them safe. Having them grow up strong and
confident. Finding someone to love and
more importantly, someone who will love them.
Someone to take care of them. Keeping them from harm.
Wishing for
their happiness. That their lives be
fulfilling. That their dreams would come
true.
But the thing
about a dream is that it doesn’t happen on its own. Dreams must be pursued. Dreams must be worked for.
I mean, if
wishes just happened because you saw a star and made a wish . . .
No, wishes like
dreams, have to be worked for. There
should be some sort of effort. A plan.
Wishes are like
life . . . they have to be lived. Any
wish worth having is like a goal . . . gone after, pursued.
Otherwise,
wishes like dreams, are just hopeful and happy thoughts. In time, forgotten. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
Friday, July 5, 2013
My Favorite Room
My Favorite Room
is our downstairs family room. Hands
down favorite. We just painted it in a warm tan, almost but not quite adobe. The color embraces you, welcomes you.
It’s decorated
with Navajo art. Sand paintings, small
and large. Painted tiles of pueblos and
a desert ranch. A peace pipe. A large painting of a native women gazing at
a pueblo dwelling from a balcony.
I’m not sure why
or how I’ve come to love the Navajo culture.
I think it was early on when I’d read Louis L’Amour westerns. My dad had a large paperback library and I’d snatch
them after he’d read one, sometimes rereading the same one over and over. My dad knew I was reading them, so every now
and then, I’d find one on my dresser or my pillow. He and I liked the Sackett adventures the
most.
Later on I
started reading Tony Hillerman and it was he who introduced me to Jim Chee and
Joe Leaphorn and the Navajo culture and country. Since then, I’ve read and studied a bit on my
own. And our downstairs family room is
our . . . my . . . tribute to those people.
My Favorite Room
is peaceful. Cool in summer. Warm in winter. Restful.
I can
think. Imagine. Watch a movie. Rest and sometimes take a nap. Write a little . . . okay, a lot.
It’s my
sanctuary. My get away.
My Favorite
Room.
I think each of
us has a place where we go when we need to.
We need a place to go. To
recharge. Retreat. Regroup.
To think and plan. Perhaps
quietly celebrate. Maybe lick our
wounds. Sometimes alone. Sometimes with others. Mostly alone.
Each of us needs
a place like that. Without it, we run
out and get used up like a battery that loses its power or energy. Without it, we wind down and can’t wind back
up. Without it . . .
I suggest you
discover one of your own.
Within your
house like mine. Maybe outside of your
house. The back deck facing a
woods. A riverbank. A route you take for a walk or for a ride on
your bike.
Make it your
own. Use it when needed. And perhaps, even when it isn’t needed. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Take A Different Road
I’m pretty much
a creature of habit. Perhaps we all are.
When Emily and I
drive to school, I take one of three ways, usually the same way. Hannah and I took the same route. I guess I’ve always done this sort of thing.
I remember as a
teacher in Wisconsin, one of my department mates was amazed that I had lived in
the same community for five or six years, but didn’t really know my way
around. Mark would say, “Just get in
your car and drive sometime. Really,
just drive!”
But I didn’t.
Instead, I’d ask
him for directions, take out a map (way before GPS was born) and otherwise get
lost a lot. As I stated in a previous
post (I, Compass), I suffer from Anti-Directional Lewis Syndrome. It is a malady that affects most of us in the
family.
So as a result,
I stick to mostly the same route each day, day after day . . .
My wife, Kim,
knows the county much better than I do.
It could be because she teaches in a school that is the furthest North
in the county so she had to find different ways to get from home to school and
back again because of the volume of traffic that exists in the D.C. Metro and
Northern/Central part of Virginia.
I think Kim
knows the county better than I do partly due to the fact that she teaches
Behind The Wheel (Driver Education) so the kids take her all sorts of
places. Mostly Behind The Wheel is safe,
except for the time a young lady drove up over the curb and into the woods
(yes, really!).
But because she
allowed kids to drive her places, she’s seen more, knows more routes, and can
get around much easier than I can.
Got me thinking
. . .
What if I . . .
we . . . experimented a bit with our routine?
If we broke out of our norm? If
we stepped out of our pattern? Stretched
a bit? Explored a little? Opened ourselves to new experiences?
If we decided to
take a different route, a different road, a different path, it might not be the
fastest or the quickest and could actually take us longer. It might make us uncomfortable. It might test our patience.
But . . .
It might make
life . . . our life, our world more interesting. We might see a little more. We might learn a little more . . . about our
world . . . about ourselves. About life. Something to try. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
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