Fishing Lessons

"I love fishing. You put that line in the water and you don't know what's on the other end. Your imagination is under there." - Robert Altman

This week is called Gma & Gpalooza here at our house. It is a chance for the grandkids to spend a few days with Grandma and Grandpa, while the Moms and Dads get a short break to have some time alone. The week is always a blessing for us as we get to watch these kids grow steadily in life.

We plan events for the kids and one particular adventure was going to the Georgia Aquarium. The largest aquarium in the western hemisphere at just over 10 million gallons of water. To put it mildly, this place is huge.

While watching the fish and my grandchildren pace the tanks and glass walls observing each other, it occurred to me how life can be like fishing. Seems odd I'm sure to think of fishing at an aquarium built with a conservation and environmental mission.

Then again, I find inspiration in the oddest of places sometimes.

there are four things we do when going out fishing and are very appropriate as we travel along our life's path.

1. Be prepared.

Be prepared for most anything that might come along. This doesn't mean planning for the worst in every instance, but also planning in the good that will happen. This can be accomplished by staying well read, keeping up with the latest news and simply bringing the basic needs along with you. Keep learning and always prepare yourself for what is needed during your journey.

2. There are surprises around every corner.

This means you will never be fully prepared for every eventuality. So when these surprises occur, roll with them, adapt and enjoy the experience of the adventure. These unknown events are normally opportunities disguised as a distraction. If a tree has fallen into shallow water in your path, it likely has become home to the fish underneath. Opportunity created by surprise.

3. To have patience and persistence.

Sitting for hours along the dock with a line in the water can seem useless. Yet much can be learned by watching the motion of the water, the movement of the shadows along the shore and where the bugs hang lowly over the water. Our journey in life has these same moments but continuing down the path, we crest a hill, round a bend in the lake only to find what we were looking for.

4. Be in the moment, and live it out.

Every moment of every hour or day is going to be filled with different adventure, boredom or despair. Those moments can also be filled with happiness, joy and laughter. The past has floated by and can not be altered. The future still awaits down the shoreline. What does exist is here and now, so enjoy the moment.

The sea, the lake or the stream are filled with many fish. Each is an opportunity or adventure waiting for us to capture it. Little do we know what lay beneath the water line. But what we do know is that life exists there and all around us, waiting for us to live every moment of it.

Stay inspired my friends.

Lessons of Christmas

"A Charlie Brown Christmas"

How many of you remember and look forward to watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas" cartoon every year? This cartoon animation is the work of the Peanuts creator, Charles Schulz. It first aired in 1965 and is a must-watch show for those that celebrate the Christmas season. It is a message of anti-commercialism along with good will towards man. While millions love its message, I do find it ironic that the materialism it speaks out against is one in which each of us actively take part in.

There is a famous scene in which one of the characters named Linus gives his “True Meaning of Christmas” speech. It is the speech that is meant to steer all of us back towards what Christmas is truly about. But interestingly enough, this particular scene was nearly cut from the final release. You see, Charles Schulz was a religious man and according to his biography, “the life of Jesus remained for him a consuming subject.”

So in the early stages of production, he wanted the script to feature some religious overtones.  In particular, he wanted a passage from the St. Luke gospel about the birth of Jesus Christ. Schulz wanted to bring that meaning to the Christmas holiday. It was a meaning that many times get lost in the mayhem and excitement of the day.

The producers agreed to include a Nativity scene, but when the script was finished, the animation director realized he had included an entire minute-long speech directly from the New Testament. this led to a huge argument between Schulz and the producers. They argued that the cartoon was an “entertainment show” and the speech would scare off advertisers by narrowing its audience. Schulz argued that it should remain as it was central to the story line.

Charles Schulz fought for what he believed in and this iconic speech survived being cut from the show. The "speech" remained part of the original CBS special and it became the second-most watched show of the week when it debuted on December 9, 1965. This story has aired every year since.

You know, there are many things that are worth standing up for in our lives. Charles Schulz believed in something that has resulted in millions of children and adults hearing this message each and every year since 1965. It reminds us that even one person can impact many others with their actions of belief.

You are a pebble dropped in the water which creates the waves that wash a seashell upon the shore for someone else to find. You make a difference simply by standing up for what you believe in.

And without more said, here are the words from Linus, spoken not only to Charlie Brown, but to millions of us.

Luke 2:8-14

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

A very merry Christmas to you, your family and friends!

Lessons in Love

“Enjoy the process. In the middle of this is where everything happens.” -Dean Sweetman

In my new book called LOVE IS describes my journey to discover what real love is. I also take a look at other couple in history and their story of love. There are also chapters that examine the greatest love story ever told. So in my efforts to help you learn what real love is, I am including bits and pieces of my book in various blog articles.

In the chapter titled "If I Speak", my days in college turned out to be a mixed bag of discovery. I see failure in the form of not completing my degree and hard lessons learned regarding how to handle different situations. But I also see success in what turned out to be a path to having four wonderful boys and a great career.

So here is an excerpt from my book, LOVE IS.

++++++++++

The year’s in-between high school and my sister’s death slowly began to have love take hold of me. There were moments of learning and false starts. Even as I graduated from high school, there were still those selfish feelings of “why didn’t I receive more from the high school experience.” No scholarships, no girl friend, no shouts of encouragement or job well done. This caused me to harden my resolve that I would have to do it all on my own. That is not exactly what love is all about and it would continue to take time for the learning process to develop. So off to college I went with a self-centered ambition in mind to succeed on my own terms and that is how I left those early years behind.

Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska would prove to be the application, right or wrong, of those lessons that were building up inside of me. I would enter college with the initial purpose of separating myself from my high school days. I was determined to build a new life on my own terms. College brings new possibility to everything. There are new people, new surroundings and new challenges to conquer. I set out to achieve everything I could by myself since it seemed no one else wanted to be part of my life. It all turned out good and I learned new lessons in life and love even though I was a slow learner.

I jumped into college full steam ahead, becoming involved in many different adventures. There was of course the standard class schedule, much of which I quickly lost control of. This was due to the fact I was becoming heavily involved in many of the other college activities. There was student government, plays to act in, art classes to take and of course parties to attend. It was a collision course with failure to earn a degree that I didn’t see coming.

There were many other successes that came out of my college attendance. I became the Student Body President and also an appointed Student Representative to the State College Board of Trustees. I learned the dos and the don’ts of representative government. I failed miserably at some of my work but succeeded in others. There were people I met along the way that were good and some not so good. All of time I was trying to it all by myself in what I later viewed as righteous indignation.

My love life was on a very slow track as well. It seemed I was falling back into old habits from high school. There were advances and there were a couple of girls that I dated, both of which taught me different lessons about love. There was heartache on my part in never being able to develop a relationship with one. And the other there was heartache on her part when I broke off our relationship. I cannot remember enough to tell you why either relationship failed, but I would say my lack of understanding what love really meant contributed to it. As my relationship with these two women failed, so did my classroom studies. As I transitioned into my second year of college, there was still hope of success in continuing my education.

++++++++++

I firmly believe that we are constantly on a journey to find the full potential of love. Love is and can be a very powerful force in our life. I would suggest that once you learn the basic tenets of what LOVE IS, it will focus your own journey and make it more enjoyable.

Enjoy my new book folks and as always, stay inspired.