Build On Life

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.” -Unknown

There is an owners manual which comes with most every new item you purchase. The car manual which reminds you how to turn the ignition on and exactly what most of the buttons do. Or maybe its that new vacuum describing how to empty the bag or to replace the belt.

Yet there isn't one that comes with life. There is no manual to pick up and find out when something goes wrong; no owners directions telling you how do you fix it. It is just you learning and moving through life. Information abounds in books and magazines, all giving you pieces of advice to help. There are experts out there that can give you guidance and direction.

But it is you that must build your life. You are the one building an 'ark' which will carry you through times of trouble. Do not be afraid to begin that building process, you will get it built and it will be your achievement.

Blessing From The Ancients

“May God grant you always...A sunbeam to warm you, a moonbeam to charm you, a sheltering Angel so nothing can harm you. Laughter to cheer you. Faithful friends near you. And whenever you pray, Heaven to hear you.” -Irish Blessings

Celtic / Gaelic Triscele

The triscele has been used since ancient times in Celtic culture to symbolize the cycle of life. If we can learn from our ancient histories, then our future is guided by what once was.

Going The Extra Step

Each of us goes about our day performing our daily duties, whether they be at home, work or play. It is the ability to do more then expected which can turn the ordinary into something much grander.

Take the story of a young post World War II pilot going about his duties in Europe. It was a time when Germany was split into east and west. Berlin was even split in half although it was surrounded by much of communist controlled East Germany. It was a time of mutual distrust politically and tensions could run very high.

This pilot, Col. Gail Halvorsen performed a daily job of delivering goods to West Berlin over the blockade imposed by East German officials. Yet the one thing he saw were the children. Thus was the start that would eventually become 'Operation Little Vittles.' As they flew their planes to deliver needed goods, the crews would drop with hand made parachutes, candy and sweets for the children.

Col. Halvorsen would 'wiggle the wings' of his plane and earned the nickname, "Uncle Wiggly Wings". What began as a small gesture of kindness, going beyond his normal duties, he saw a need and addressed it. One person with a single idea blossomed into what turned out to be 227,000 'candy bombings' over West Berlin.

Years later, Col. Halvorsen was met by a 60-year old man that so many years ago on a rainy day grabbed a tiny parachute which had fallen from the sky outside his school. Attached to it was a Hershey chocolate bar, never eating it and treasuring it for many years. He told Col. Halvorsen "it wasn't the candy that was important. It was that somebody cared."

Take a step further during your ordinary day and do something above and beyond the normal. You may see it blossom into something so much bigger. It will create something bigger in your life and in the lives of others.

Connection To Others

When it comes to connecting with people, communicating in various methods is a must. My book, "Attitude In Words" is available at many locations such as;

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/
Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Books Unlimited - http://www.booksunlimited.ie/
Lulu - http://www.lulu.com/)
Eruditor - http://www.eruditor.com/
Libreria Universitaria - http://www.libreriauniversitaria.it/
Target - http://www.target.com/
Blackwell - bookshop.blackwell.com

There are so many other places it is available as well. A shameless plug I realize, but it is only one method of impacting those near and far. There are so many ways we can communicate with each other including the internet. Our church has a great website that allows people to connect with each other. I like to think of it as "MySpace on steroids". This form of communication allows us to reach others across all geographical boundaries and to form closer connections.

I am constantly amazed at how the words of a person can spread so quickly and to such a wide audience of people through these forms of communication. My own blog touches people all over the world and it creates connections to so many.

History has seen so many advances in these various forms of communication. The spoken word, the written word, the recorded word and the various types of medium through which the word is communicated. Think of the advances in communication shown below. The list is only a small record of how humans have advanced our ability to communicate with each other.

3500 BC to 2900 BC - Phoenicians develop an alphabet.
1775 BC - Greeks use phonetic alphabet.
1400 BC - Oldest record of writing in China on bones.
1270 BC - The first encyclopedia is written in Syria.
900 BC - 1st postal service for government use in China.
776 BC - 1st use of homing pigeons to send messages.

500 BC to 170 BC
Papyrus rolls and early parchments made of dried reeds.
They are the first portable and light writing surfaces.

200 BC to 100 BC - Human messengers on foot or horseback.
100 - 1st bound books
305 - 1st wooden printing presses invented in China.
1455 - Printing press with metal movable type invented.
1714 - 1st patent for a typewriter.
1793 - 1st long-distance semaphore telegraph line.
1831 - Joseph Henry invents the first electric telegraph.
1835 - Samuel Morse invents Morse code.
1843 - 1st long distance electric telegraph line.
1861 - U.S.A. starts the Pony Express for mail delivery.
1876 - Alexander Bell patents the electric telephone.
1877 - Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.
1902 - 1st radio signal transmitted across Atlantic Ocean.
1914 - First cross continental telephone call made.
1925 - 1st experimental television signal transmitted.
1930 - Radio popularity spreads, the "Golden Age" of radio.
1939 - Scheduled television broadcasts begin.
1944 - Government owned computers put into public service.

** The age of Information Science begins **

1958 - Photocopier or Xerox machine is invented.
1969 - ARPANET, the first Internet started.
1979 - 1st cell phone network started in Japan.
1981 - 1st laptop computers sold to public.
1983 - 1st cell phone network started in the United States.
1994 - American government releases control of internet

** WWW born, allowing for communication at light speed **

Today, we sit and wonder how we ever got along without all the devices to communicate with each other. All of it is great, it improves our ability to connect with others. We can learn about each other, find out about each other and perform all of this nearly instantaneously. Prior to the popular use of cellular phones, the one question people never asked on the phone was, "where are you?"

The point being, when you called someone on the phone, the phone was tied to a specific location. Today with cell phones you could be almost anywhere in the world.

In the end, when it comes to 'connecting' with people, the best method is 'face-to-face'. To sit down across a table from someone and share a cup of coffee or a meal remains the greatest form of human communication.

By all means, use the various methods of communication to spread your words and ideas; use the various methods to stay in touch with other people. Yet do not forget to take the bold step in communication; communicate one on one with people and find out how much more you can learn.