All is Okay

"And all your future lies beneath your hat." - John Oldham

He stood there, a man standing on the gravel drive way. He was near the house about half-way down towards the country road. I remember him as being tall and statuesque in his pressed pants and starched white shirt. The top button of his shirt was undone with no tie, the sleeves partly rolled up. His round wire-rim glasses reflected the afternoon sun as he smiled his wide smile towards me.

What I remember most is the fedora hat which covered his mostly bald head. It was probaby an attempt to keep his Irish skin from turning red. But he lifted his hat and waved to me. A gesture that seemed so comforting to me. A gesture I believed was meant only for me, his grandson.

I was only five years-old at the time as I stood in the open door-way of the corn crib. It seemed I had known Grandpa Gale for a lifetime. I guess I had known him for all my five years, but it seemed much longer. And now the wave of his hat seemed to say it would soon be over.

Soon Grandma and Grandpa would be moving to California. It would be quite some time before I would ever see them again. This final wave seemed to be telling me everything I needed to know. It was everything needed to guide me in life, all in the wave of the hat, telling me everything would be fine.

It is an image I can recall clearly in my mind to this very day. At the time so many years ago, I am sure the full impact back then was never fully comprehended. But as I recall the day, the moment, the image, I fully know that Grandpa was giving me his final bit of advice. A year later he would die in that far away place called California. A heart attack would take him from so many. Death would replace him with memories.

As I look back and recall the day, I am sure that regardless of what happens to me, everything will be okay. The wave of his hat telling me everything would be okay. It is an image he left for me, that I can go back and remind myself that yes, everything will be okay.

When even the cruelest of life's circumstance enters your day, think of Grandpa Gale and the wave of his hat. A smile given to tell you that things will get better; that life for you will be okay. Grandpa would want it that way not only for me, but for you as well.

Stay inspired my friends!

Not the End

"Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact." -William James

It seems the world is falling apart. You pick up a newspaper or read your favorite web news site; stories of concern can be found in nearly every part of the world.

We currently have the devastation in Japan, unrest and uncertainty in the Middle East and Africa, and a possible government shutdown here in the United States. Anywhere you look, it might be easy to believe that December 21, 2012 is here already.

But stop for a moment and take a breath.

2001, World Trade Center terrorist attack kills thousands
1994, In Rwanda, Hutu militias begin killing Tutsis in a genocide
1990, Twin ferry accidents on opposite ends of world occur
1975, North Vietnamese forces begin final offensive in the Vietnam War
1968, Martin Luther King Jr. is shot and killed in Memphis, Tenn.
1941, Germany invades Yugoslavia and Greece,
1861, U.S. Civil War begins

And the list could go on and on as far back as you wish to go. Bad things happen. Horrible things happen. Generation after generation has to deal with the circumstances and issues that arise on their watch. It is a part of life.

If you feel overwhelmed by all of it, place yourself in the heat of World War II. The common person, seeing a truly world at war with horrific news and events. Go back the Great Depression of the 1930s, World War I, the U.S. Civil War; on and on there are generations that had to endure.

The good news is that each of the generations have made it through. The world didn't end. Humanity found a way through all of it.

We can be concerned but we have to turn that concern into energy to solve or begin to solve present day issues. If we merely cower in the face of despair, nothing will ever be accomplished.

You have a journey of life to live. Know that there are a hundred other good things happening as well. Just look around, stay positive, stay focused and we will overcome any present day issues.

It is going to be okay.