After All

“Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak” ~Thomas Carlyle

Thirteen years ago on a quiet Monday morning Lawrenceville Georgia Police were called to a family restaurant called Tanner's. It was a nice and friendly place that specialized in chicken dinners. What police found was a horrible double-murder carried out in a cold and brutal fashion.

A manager named Marc Ratthaus was killed and when the day chef, Adolfo Gonzales showed up, he too was shot and killed. Two young men with different stories and different lives with the same ending. It was heart breaking all around. The killings impacted many, many lives; the restaurant closed, people moved on.

Two brothers were arrested and found guilty of the robbery and murders. They each claimed a third man was the trigger man although one of the brothers was found to have killed at least one man. This third man escaped and it was felt by many that he would never be found or that he ever existed.

You have likely guessed correctly already. They found William Zepeda. They captured him, and now a court date will result and William Zepeda will have to confront this awful crime.

But what of the law enforcement officials? Their persistence in pursuing this case didn't end thirteen years ago. When the third suspect disappeared, they didn't give up, they continued the search. It is this persistence that defines their work. It is this persistence which defines their character.

I had thought of many ways to talk of persistence in our daily lives. To never give up and to keep pushing forward with our lives. It was when I picked up the newspaper today, February 23, 2011 my mind changed about the actual application of the word persistence.

It made me think about the word in a different context. It also gave me a chance to honor not only the Lawrenceville Police Department, but also any of the folks in law enforcement. You see my son worked at that restaurant. My son had been in the store that same morning to pick up his pay check. My son was not hurt and the persistence of law enforcement people comforts me.

Persistence can do quite a bit for your life. It can capture a suspect after thirteen years but it can also capture a dream. Remain persistent in your life and things will work out eventually.

A Brick

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." -David Brinkley

I guess you figuratively are not walking down the street with people throwing bricks at you. But it can certainly feel like it at times. The oddity is that it also feels like you are picking up those same bricks to carry.

It is sort of a "double-whammy" in that you are being pelted with bricks and having to pick them up carry them away. You could say it is very similar to a wagon full of rocks. An ever increasing load that you allow others to put upon your life.

The weight and size of this load slows your progress and eventually might break you down. It is a terrible thing to see a load of brick or rock come tumbling down upon someone's life. When it happens, there are only two possible results; complete destruction of the persons life or fighting renewal.

I have seen the destruction in people's lives. The kind in which they never recover and no matter how much you want; they are buried forever. It is a heart breaking process to watch but one that I learned from. No matter how heavy or burdensome, there is hope and possibility as long as life exists within you.

Start laying the bricks down, stop shouldering them and let them lift you. The foundation you can build can serve a couple of purposes. One is give you greater footing and raise you above the soft ground. A foundation that creates a means for you to reach greater heights.

These same bricks can be used to build a path for others to follow. A path that serves as an example to your spouse, your children, your friends, or others that are watching. Because the choices we make, the decisions on how we respond are being watched. Other people are learning by seeing how you respond and the path you lay for them will be everlasting.

Are you going to leave a pile of bricks or a nice brick path behind?

Ageless

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?" ~Satchel Paige

Our family has a Fox Terrier named Snickers but also goes by the Twitter pseudonym of @nacholibredog. This dog is full of energy and excitement when the time is right. Her rapid movement reminds me of those videos in which you are walking slow but the whole word is moving at lightening speed. It can be a real whirlwind of excitement.

What I managed to do the other day though was to start chasing our dog around the house. Up the stairs, around the dining room table and back. The burst of activity caught up to me faster then it would have a nine year old. But even at my age, I still felt like a nine year old during those moments.

Age had nothing to do with the fun during those moments. I did get a reminder of my age, but it won't deter me from doing it again. I continue to float between many different ages. It comes down to trying to have an ageless attitude.

It sounds like wishful thinking but it does work. Just because you may age in terms of years, your mind can have limitless dreams. An article about aging in Forbe's indicated that "only 1% considered age a barrier to achieving their goals." This tells me that the mind wants to continue doing all that it can regardless of our physical age.

All of this comes with the inevitable need to maintain a healthy level of weight, exercise and many of those other aspects to keep your health. But it also takes the right kind of attitude. If you think you are old and act like you are old then chances are you will live life old.

Does all of this mean we will live forever? Of course not, the cycle of life has its hold on us.

Does all of this mean we will be forever youthful? Of course not, the body physically ages.

What it does mean is that you can live an ageless life with the attitude that you carry inside. Your attitude about life can generate a great life beyond the physical aging. Your attitude can carry you further then you might expect.

Try changing your attitude about your age. Change the way you live.

Full Moon

"Light gives of itself freely, filling all available space. It does not seek anything in return; it asks not whether you are friend or foe. It gives of itself and is not thereby diminished." ~Michael Strassfeld

Every time it happens I'm simply amazed by the wonder of it. The beauty it casts upon the landscape can be breathtaking at times. I have yet to see a photograph that truly captures the view. While there are many excellent pictures and paintings, none captures it more then just seeing it for yourself.

What I'm talking about is a full Moon, shining upon the night and lighting up the dark half of the earth.

Moon light could be considered a harbinger of hope, that a new day is coming. It is something that is inside each of us. Some little light that others may call a burning ember. But it is that little light that grows and gives us the ability to see some greater.

You might feel that you are much too alone. That the light is too small for me because your problems are much too large. If so, then think about it from the perspective of the Moon.

Here a small object, orbiting around by itself in a cold and hostile space. Heck, only twelve people have actually visited the moon in the last 100 million years.

But during all of that time, a huge and beautiful Earth has been shining its light upon the Moon. So the light inside of you is not the small Moon but a huge light filled with people that care. The light comes from so many others that are a part of your life.

While the Moon lights the night darkness for us, from the perspective of the Moon, imagine how grand the light is coming from Earth.

Allow the light to grow inside and fill you with hope and greatness. The darkness will vanish and your eyes will see all that is in and around you.