Gravity Always Wins

"The memories of loved ones will allow us to jump and dance in joy for having been part of their lives." -Joseph Primm

For the past three days, my thoughts have been upon the tragic scene that unfolded in Newtown, Connecticut. I watched various news stories and the Sunday talk shows. The social media comments on Facebook and Twitter contained both words of sympathy and frustrated ignorance (from both ends of the spectrum).

I thought about writing in memoriam to the children and educators lost. There were words I wanted to express for the parents and loved ones left to grieve. There were words I wanted to express for those on both sides. There were words I wanted to express to my God and for myself. But those words are better left to myself.

What I decided to talk about today is the apple tree. A source of nutrition, a fruit taken from a tree branch. So much goodness that we can experience each day. As the old saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." A shiny red apple, juicy and sweet to the pallette.

Yet what of the apple tree?

Every season, the apple tree excitedly announces a new arrival with flowering buds. It fills the air with excitement and promise. As each tiny apple grows ever larger gravity eventually wins. The apple falls from the branch onto the ground and the apple tree branches lift with a sigh.

But even when the apples all fall from the tree, the apple tree will once again burst with new flowers. The apple tree will always continue to try it again, to move forward, to try and defy gravity. The fallen apples will have touched the lives of many others. The seeds of those tender apples will have planted new hope in others.

There will be new growth elsewhere, in other people. The fallen apple will not have been for naught. And while it may seem that gravity always wins, in actuality, it is the apple tree that always wins.

Tear from an Apple

"Visionary people face the same problems everyone else faces; but rather than get paralyzed by their problems, visionaries immediately commit themselves to finding a solution." -Bill Hybels

Steve Jobs has passed away at the age of 56 years old. As a co-founder of the computer company Apple, the world experienced the visions of a man unfold and transform our lives. It is not often that we get to experience such a person in our lifetimes.

There will be plenty written about Steve Jobs, the business man, the innovator and the accomplishments. The changes that his company brought into this world will impact how we communicate, conduct and relate to each other for years to come.

I was not alive at the time to watch when people such as Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and others brought their visions into our world. I only get to live with the results of those visions, dreams and accomplishments. They gave us the types of changes that completely altered and improved the world around us.

The computer business is no different as it has transformed our everyday lives. Steve Job's vision and his company's products and innovations have accomplished the same thing. For a long time to come, what he accomplished will also transform our everyday lives. We will not soon forget the man.

But I also realize there is a family and friends behind this man who lived by the name Steve Jobs. To those people I send deepest sympathies. To lose a loved one is a heart breaking and life changing event as well. It is a loss that goes beyond words.

Steve's vision will live on in his products. His memories will live on in the hearts of his family, and his friends.