Thoughts of the new year 2012

I write on this first day of this New Year because I have reached a point where I must take some kind of action. I see a trend so dangerous that it not only threatens Life as we know it, but the elemental forces of life itself.

We as decent caring people must, as a group, stand up and do everything possible to expose and counter this threat! Or else we will suffer the consequences of our own weaknesses! We have been driven by our own absolute selfishness where it comes to instant gratification of our senses at the very cost of our lives. We inadvertently taught our children our weaknesses and let them multiply them in our midst.

A steady stream of broken promises, selfish decisions, and greed seems all we have managed to teach our children. Did we teach our children the way to help each other to heaven? Did we help our spouse to the very limits of our ability because we love them and want, quite simply to make life better in the here and here after?

I sometimes feel that I am preaching to an audience so deaf with their own prejudices, and blinded by the lust for instant gratification that not one word will reach even a single mind. I reach out to you my friend, not in judgment either positive or negative; to give you the opportunity to reach out and touch the lives of your progeny; Children, grandchildren, or even blessed great grandchildren.



I, having made mistakes, both serious, and not so serious; in communicating with my progeny feel I have a right to say how difficult It is to let go, and yet take a stand for things I seriously believe in.

It is a razor sharp edge, that I can only walk imperfectly between the real, you know the things that really matter, long term; and the things immediate that seem so pressing, yet are revealed in the end, as trite, temporary, or totally non essential in the long run. Yet we allow them to steal our awareness away from the long term, real and valuable things. Thus we miss focusing on the things with values that last, really last all the way through a whole lifetime.

Sometimes, it seems one’s life can be reduced to a series of short term notes that are due, and the interest that we pay for our instant gratification, steals so much of real value from our lives. It leaves no room in our life to appreciate what life is supposed to really mean. All the while our very definitions of value seem to change before our very eyes, and in the eyes of our progeny who learn a quick lessons, see us standing in quicksand trying to keep from sinking.

Ideally a parent would teach the lesson of standing firm on bedrock of real faith. Everyone needs a foundation built of things that remain true, and trustworthy, in times of plenty, and times of very little; in times of joy and in times of deep, to the core, sorrow. We lose touch with those with whom we need the most touch, we lose the ability to set a good example; and it is as painful as losing a large part of oneself.

How can we deal with a life without a core, can we allow ourselves to be like a quivering mound of Jello? Or can we stand strong given strength, shape and form by the underlying structure of things we define as true or false?

One needs only to look about to realize our world is full of people with severely atrophied or completely nonexistent structures, no foundation! They flounder in the flood flowing from the “misinformation highway and our biased mainstream news.”

Is it any wonder our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren are grasping for something real to hang on to? Sometimes it seems all we can give them, is so much less than what they really need!

Anyone with a little gray on their head sees the indelible marks of something seriously wrong at home, in our town, our city, our state, and, yes, even our whole world.

We can plainly see the arms and hands grasping for what we cannot give even if we could define exactly what it is for which they grasp so desperately. Ones’ structure must be built with ones’ own sweat, and mistakes, and retakes, and those infernal things for which there is no do over. It is built on forgiving others for making the same mistake I would have made if I had been standing in their shoes, and forgiving others and myself for my weakness, and praising God for the strengths that he has given me.

Perhaps the best use of my time is living an example of a simple thing like the power of prayer. It costs nothing really, and the peace of mind, the soul building strength that comes from prayer is powerful beyond expressing. When we have no words we let our souls communicate directly with the source of all power, and that one is God.

Sometimes my soul groans, for wisdom in choosing the right path, and the strength to climb the hills and valleys I encountered in my travels on that path.

I have come to the conclusion that I can no more understand the source of all power, than a blind man could describe the light he has never seen, in a language he never learned.

Yet we must continue on, and when we see a majority of our newest children born with no chance to build a structure. They live in the poverty of examples to teach them what they really need to live forever. Unmarried parents and unwanted children have no support structure, or anyone to teach them core values by example.

We must understand that our ultimate destination is not something definable in the language of our world. It, like love, can only be shown. God does reach out his helping hand to lift us over that last step that is so high there is no way we can do it alone.

That is exactly what I believe God wants for each of his creations, the surrender of self, necessary to allow him to help us in the direction we need to go. Trust in God, that his will is ultimately in our best interest. We must accept that we are responsible for doing the work necessary to bring us to that point when we must rely on God for what we can no longer do alone.

I see a trend, where much as if we are naughty children, we insist that we must do things our way, and it must feel good right now.

We as examples cannot allow ourselves to be drawn into condemnation of anyone, but we must set the best example possible and let each of those important to us draw their own conclusion without being beaten into submission.

I am reminded of a story of a man, who thought he was holy, beating people to teach them lovingkindness.l

We must stand on our structure, and when called upon to do so, we must defend our structure, because without it, we become spineless mounds of Jello.

It is recognizing when and how to defend our core structure where we run into problems. When we sit silently and let the ugly effects of immorality etch away the supports of society we can only fail. Tolerance is necessary for differences in people and belief systems, but we must sacrifice our safe little sphere of complacency and stand firm against the collapse of Family, and Society as a whole. How can we do that and remain true to our values.

How does one choose between the lesser of two evils?

I pray fervently for the grace and wisdom to do more right than wrong. It is a constant battle. Unfortunately I am seeing the destruction of a storm of evil which I failed to take a stand against; or the chaotic results of making the wrong decision about what is ultimately right or wrong, choosing for the moment which is the more comfortable evil.

Please join me in prayer to find the path through these confusing and dangerous times. I seek a refuge for myself and my family, where we can survive the times which I can only believe are approaching like an out of control train gaining momentum by the minute.

This essay is not intended to scare anyone, it is intended to encourage a return to the core values which made our nation great, our family units strong, and allowed us to survive our mistakes.

May God light your way my friends, and guide you through these troubled times. May he reveal to you what is important enough to take a stand for, and allow you the option to let the rest go by without wasting your precious energy!

May you find peace of mind in this new year and the strength to be the best person that you can be.

D