Category Archives: Role Model

Smile Anyway!

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Smiling is a good idea for lots of reasons. A sunny disposition and demeanor favorably colors the interactions of my days for the most part… but not every time.

Smiling is a good idea for lots of reasons. A sunny disposition and demeanor favorably colors the interactions of my days for the most part… but not every time.

“Hi Smiley” was the greeting I recently received from a business associate while attending a lovely event in glamorous surroundings.  It was early in the day and the mood was festive and pleasant.  It was interesting to think about the notion that I must come across as a person who is smiling and cheerful a good bit of the time.  As I considered this thought, the words to a song taught to me by my parents came to mind.

Let the sunshine in, face it with a grin.
Smilers never lose, and frowners never win,
So let the sunshine in, face it with a grin.
Open up your heart and let the sunshine in. Continue reading →

Eagle Project

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Everything about scouting is handled by volunteers, and the Scouts working on these projects are young developing future leaders of the community.

Everything about scouting is handled by volunteers, and the Scouts working on these projects are young developing future leaders of the community.

This week I met with a young man who is working to become and Eagle Scout.  This soon to be 10th grader is interested in pursuing an Eagle Project, which I have learned is no small undertaking.

A quality Eagle project takes time.  The Scout must do all pre-planning, design, any fundraising, and go through a multi-step review process with the end user of his work, property owners, his scout troop and the scouting district. Most Scouts plan 6-9 months for an Eagle Project, taking it from a concept to a fully fledged plan, getting it reviewed (which often involves changes), reviewed again until it is fully ready, and then to implementation. Continue reading →

The Financial Pinch

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Feeling the financial “pinch”? If so, you have lots of company.

Here’s the thing… we all have some money, but that is not the only “spendable” thing we have to work with.

Feeling the financial “pinch”?  If so, you have lots of company.  When you start talking to people there is never any shortage of complaints and the old adage if often heard, “The money ran out before the month.”  We’ve all been there.

I recently heard of a cost cutting measure that is working like a charm for some of my elderly friends.  Granted, these folks are already living in a financially affordable apartment home, having left the big expensive setting behind as their children grew up and established their own families, but the “pinch” is still felt, even by these careful proactive people. Continue reading →

My Story

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I wrote my own story in 500 words, making sure I did not leave out the failures and mistakes that were also part of the tapestry of my life so far.

I wrote my own story in 500 words, making sure I did not leave out the failures and mistakes that were also part of the tapestry of my life so far.

No matter how old I feel, I know that I am in the final quarter of the game.  There is a lot of living left, but I think often about what I want to leave behind for the people I love.  The essence of connection to other people is “being known” and I want those I love to know who I am and what I am about.

Obviously, I will leave behind all my stuff and whatever money I have accumulated, but what I really want to leave is the ideas and beliefs that have driven everything along the way.  Continue reading →

Leisure Time Choices

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The movie was about six boarded young adults with lots of time and money who were looking of a “different kind of experience”.

As I left the theater, a young employee smiled and said, “Thank you for coming to our theater. I hope you enjoyed your movie.” I told Him that I did not enjoy the movie and pleaded with him not to see it adding, “I don’t know why I made myself in to a garbage can for the last hour and paid for it besides!”

I like to work.  The tasks are clear when my time is spent producing desired results.  At the end of the day, no matter how tough the problems were, I feel great about what I was able to accomplish.  Sometimes it is just a piece of the problem was solved, but the feeling of make a valuable contribution to the project is very satisfying.

Last week I had a rare day off for a holiday and consequently, found myself with extra time on my hands in the afternoon.  I went to the local mall to look around and decided to take in a movie.  I chose the one that was starting just as I arrived, bought a small bag of popcorn… for a huge price, and settled in to a common entertainment experience.

The movie was about six boarded young adults with lots of time and money who were looking of a “different kind of experience”.  Continue reading →

Eternal Value

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This new venture with my son has me thinking about the importance of investing in the spiritual lives of children and in their character development. This morning I heard a speaker say... “Professional success without a successor is failure.”

This new venture with my son has me thinking about the importance of investing in the spiritual lives of children and in their character development. This morning I heard a speaker say... “Professional success without a successor is failure.”

Recently my youngest son asked me to join him on Sunday mornings for the whole summer to teach the bible to young children who are 6 and 7 years old. I was thrilled to say yes! Our teaching team will get together each Saturday morning for the summer season to eat breakfast together and to and plan for the next days lesson. Although I do not know all the adult who will be on the team as yet, I am looking forward to the whole process.

We will focus on the life of a Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus who began as a fisherman and became a great spiritual leader whose influence has impacted generations. Continue reading →

Pay it Forward

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Find a younger person that is living in the storm of life right now that you have lived in the past. There are no NEW problems, just recycled ones!

Find a younger person that is living in the storm of life right now that you have lived in the past. There are no NEW problems, just recycled ones!

As we get older, there is a natural drift toward isolation. Senior men and women begin to feel marginalized as their world shrinks and the choices are not as wide open as they were in the past. So how can we find meaning and purpose for our lives during the final season? How can we invest ourselves during the final season?

We live our lives forward, but we understand them by looking backward. Continue reading →

Marriage

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It is beautiful to see and hear from lovers who are still devoted to one another after 50 years together.

It is beautiful to see and hear from lovers who are still devoted to one another after 50 years together.

My son in-laws parents celebrated 50 years together today as family, friends and coworkers gathered to congratulate and honor this much-loved couple. We heard the same songs that were part of their original wedding ceremony and ate a copy of the wedding cake that was part of their first special day together.  I for one enjoyed looking at all the posted pictures of Paula and Jim’s family over the years.

All three of their sons have families of their own now, and each one was introduced including all the children which included new baby. Continue reading →

Learn it & you own it!

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The class was full of young people and the teacher and I were the only older folks in the class, but I loved it!

The class was full of young people and the teacher and I were the only older folks in the class, but I loved it! 

When I was 10 years old we got our first TV set, not because my parents needed more entertainment, but because a family friend gave it to my dad. The only reason he wanted to get near a TV set was to find out “how” it worked. He had already disassembled a few of them to discover what made it work. He was also a ham radio operator conversing with people all over the world and we had a big towering antenna attached to our house to bring in the signals. Continue reading →

A Heart Song

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Find a place to “sing your heart out”… and when no one’s around, there’s always the shower.

Find a place to “sing your heart out”… and when no one’s around, there’s always the shower.

Remember when you were in a choir or glee club? It was all about singing a message with others using music as the communication vehicle. Whenever music is involved, be it singing or playing an instrument in a band, I think the participant is the real beneficiary. Add dancing or choreography and you had your whole body involved!

I always loved rehearsal… even more that the performance because I got to sing for a longer period of time. In the days and nights that followed, the music was going through my head while I was just doing every day activity. Continue reading →