Psalm 91

He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in Him I will trust. Psalm 91:2

In his book The Fisherman and His Friends, Louis Albert banks tells of two men who were assigned to stand watch on a ship out of sea. During the night the waves from a raging storm washed one of them overboard. The sailor who drowned had been in the most sheltered place, while the one who survived was more exposed to the elements. What made the difference? The man who was lost had nothing to hold on to.

What a picture of the way some people are affected by the trials of life! When life is peaceful, they seem very self-sufficient, but when the going gets rough they are swept off their feet. Because they have refused God’s help and have nothing to hold on to, they are easily overwhelmed.

Christians who cling to the Lord, however, can weather the fiercest storms of adversity. They are often heard to say, “I don’t know what I would do without the Lord.” They know that the heavenly Father is always with them to strengthen, guard, and protect them.

Yes, Christians do have Someone they can rely on in every circumstance of life. Every Christian can say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” —rwd

He cannot fail, your faithful God, He’ll guard you with His mighty power; then fear no ill, though troubles rise, His help is sure from hour to hour. —hgb

God has not promised to keep us from life’s storms, but to keep us through them.

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”
— Thornton Wilder

As we approach another Thanksgiving—dining room tables heaped high with the obligatory turkey, taters, and trimmings, it’s difficult to ignore the struggle and challenge so many of us have faced this year. Alas, it’s been a year of more slicing and dicing of budgets and jobs than of crudités. So many have lost so much.

That’s why it is more important than ever that we focus on gratitude—the active process of paying attention to the blessings in our lives and expressing thanks. Granted, this may require a little more creativity and resourcefulness than usual, but it is so important. How powerful it is that seek the silver lining in our most difficult situations and feel genuinely grateful for the opportunities to learn and grow.

Admittedly, that sounds a little pop-psychological. You may be thinking, “Yea, Elaine, easier said than done.” And, I agree to an extent. My year has provided many “learning opportunities.” With an unexpected “professional reinvention,” the vicissitudes of life as a single mom with two teenage boys, a failed relationship, and critically ill family members—2009 has been no picnic.

But I am grateful for so much. The road to self-awareness can be arduous, disruptive, and painful, but it reaps generous rewards. I have excavated buried treasure (and some trash for immediate disposal) from the depths of my own psyche. And, I am grateful to be making new discoveries daily about what I really want and what I possess that I can express to make the world a better place. Wow, with almost a half a century under my belt, I’m finally starting to figure some of “it” out. As treacherous as the road has been, it’s been productive, indeed.

My remarkable boys, faithful friends, family, church home—and a provocative, new professional association with PCI are all on my gratitude list. I also appreciate you and your interest in my writing. This blog is my passion and my pleasure. It is astonishing. The unpredictable Circle of Life has truly spun me in an exhilarating, new direction this year. And I am convinced that gratitude has helped me. The challenge is allowing ourselves to see it amidst the noise, clutter, and confusion of our lives—to be fully present and consciously aware. It pays to practice gratitude; it can:

Improve relationships. Think about those people who let you know they appreciate you. Doesn’t their appreciation improve your relationships? Be grateful for people, and make sure you let them know how you feel.

Reduce negativity. It is hard to be negative about your situation when you are thinking about the positive aspects. One of the fastest ways to improve your mood or outlook is to count your blessings.

Improve problem-solving skills. When we think about a problem from the perspective of gratefulness, we open our minds up to new possibilities and connections. We enter a problem-solving situation with an attitude of opportunity rather than challenge or defeat.

Help us learn. Most dark clouds have a silver lining. Every problem can give birth to opportunity. Being grateful for your situation, even if you don’t like it, allows you to be thankful for the opportunity to learn something new.

Alleviate depression. Try writing five things you are grateful for each night before you go to sleep. You may just start to see a ray of light piercing through those gray clouds. Developing an attitude of gratitude is one of the most important things that you can do for attracting and manifesting the things that you desire into your life.

Life is a series of choices. It is a combination of proportion and perception, and we must be deliberate about consciously choosing gratitude. I surrender my feelings of negativity and despair. I embrace the viability of hope. I actively look for humor, abundance, and joy, and I allow others to reach out to me with their gifts of love, laughter, and healing. I signal the world that I am open, engaged, and committed to fostering the greater good—today and in the years ahead.

Blessings to you and your loved ones this Thanksgiving,

Elaine

Matthew Henry was an English preacher in the late 1600s and early 1700s. He is best remembered for the legendary commentary set that bears his name. He died from a stroke while on a preaching tour in June, 1714.

Once, while Henry was traveling by horseback on his preaching circuit, he was held up and robbed. That night he recorded the incident in his journal. He concluded the record with the following prayer: “I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.”

Friend, when you and I reach the place in our spiritual maturity where we think and pray like that, we won’t have any problem finding things for which to be thankful. Matthew Henry obviously had learned the lesson of Ephesians 5:20, which says: “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” May we learn that lesson as well.

Barbara Marx Hubbard, long regarded, by some individuals, as one of the world’s leading futurists, has defined the term, Synocracy, as:

…Synergistic Democracy…an emergent form of self-governance….the next stage of democracy in which each person has the opportunity to express his or her creativity for the good of the self and the whole. It is a form of governance that facilitates all citizens in finding their unique potential and where best to express it within the whole. It leads toward a cocreative society in which all people are free and responsible to do and be their best. [Emphasis added].

Synergistic is the adjectival form of “synergy” (from Greek sunergia,  cooperation).  Synergistic (synergic), thus, means “acting together,” or “working together in a creative, innovative, and productive manner” (from Greek sunergētikos).

Timothy Wilkin, MD, writing in an 2004 article, stated that “Barbara Hubbard originally coined the term Synocracy to refer to a not yet defined future system of ‘rule by the people’ in a co-Operative society.”   Dr. Wilkin also reported that Barry Carter, the author of Infinite Wealth, claimed that he had independently created the term, Synocracy.  Carter, quoted by Wilkin, wrote on his own behalf:

Barbara Marx Hubbard created the term synocracy. Having never read her book, I independently created the synocracy concept by way of mass privatization. When people are owning partners in a mass privatization organization they must participate because owners operate on profit and loss. As mass privatization communities work together we move beyond representative democracy and even beyond consensus democracy to create synergy-ocracy and synthesis-ocracy or synocracy. Infinite Wealth shows mass synocracy to be the new system of social order for the Information Age to replace representative democracy. It even replaces the notion of government with the broader notion of social order. Just as learning is driven internally where education is driven externally representative government is external and where as self-organizing mass synocracy is internally driven [Emphasis added].

Dr. Wilken observes:

In today’s world…it is assumed without question that majority rule democracy is the best way to organize humanity. To even offer a criticism…is to invite an immediate and often emotional charged attack on oneself. We are quickly asked to choose between majority rule democracy or the dictatorships of communism/fascism. We are quickly reminded that if we don’t like it here in a majority ruled democracy, we are free to leave….

Majority rule democracy in its purest form was found in the Ancient Greek city-states and Early Roman Republic, these were direct democracies in which all citizens could speak and vote in assemblies. This was possible because of the small size of the city-states almost never more than 10,000 citizens. However, even these Ancient democracys [sic] did not presuppose equality of all individuals; the majority of the populace, notably slaves and women, had no political rights at all. So even here the majority really did not rule.

In modern representative democracies we find the majority rule mechanism used to select our representatives, to make decisions within committees and to make decisions within the legislative bodies, however careful analysis reveals we really have rule by the few….

In today’s “FREE” world all political decisions are made using majority rule democracy. The the group deciding may be small—a committee faced with solving some particular problem, or large—the entire voting electorate of a nation choosing a President. Regardless of the size of the group deciding, decision is made when one faction within the group achieves a simple majority. That faction wins the minority faction loses. Majority rule consensus requires only a simple majority to force the minority—the losing voters to accept the position of the majority—the winning voters. There is no need to gain the agreement of all of the members. There is no need to prevent the minority from losing [Emphasis added].

When one looks at the evolution of systems of governance, it becomes clear that, over the course of recorded history, humankind has moved from autocratic, adversarial forms of force and control  (dictatorship, rule by one, or oligarchy, rule by a few), to majority rule democracy (“rule by the most”), and finally to modern representational democracy, which we find has devolved back to “rule by the few.”

The Relationship Continuum

According to Wilkin, “all human choices and all human relationships can be described as falling on a continuum,” viz.,

Adversity – Neutrality – Synergy

 Wilkin defines an “adversary [or adversarial] relationship” to be:

…any relationship wherein the participants are less happy, less effective and less productive than they would be without the relationship. An adversary choice is any choice that reduces the happiness, effectiveness, and productivity of the participants in the relationship. The sum of the whole relationship in terms of happiness, effectiveness, productivity, profitability, satisfaction, etc. is less than the sum of the parts – less than the sum of the individual’s ability to be happy, effective, productive, profitable, satisfied, etc. outside this relationship.

He defines a “neutral relationship” to be:

…any relationship wherein the participants are equally happy, equally effective, and equally productive as they would be without the relationship. A neutral choice is any choice that has no effect on the happiness, effectiveness, and productivity of the participants in the relationship. The sum of the whole relationship in terms of happiness, effectiveness, productivity, profitability, satisfaction, etc. is equal to the sum of parts – equal to the individuals’s  (sic) ability to be happy, effective, productive, profitable, satisfied, etc. outside this relationship.

And, finally, Wilken defines a “synergic relationship” to be:

…any relationship wherein the participants are more happy, more effective, and more productive than they would be without the relationship. A synergic choice is any choice that increases the happiness, effectiveness, and productivity of the participants in the relationship.  The sum of the whole relationship in terms of happiness, effectiveness, productivity, profitability, satisfaction, etc. is more than the sum of the parts – more than the sum of the individual’s ability to be happy, effective, productive, profitable, satisfied, etc. outside this relationship. 

Compared to the rule by the one of dictatorship,  the rule by the most  of majority rule democracy, appears to be a much fairer way. And fairness is perhaps the greatest value of our American nation.  However, it should now be clear to the reader that while Neutral political-economic systems are better for humanity than Adversary political-economic systems. Majority rule democracy is really an Adversary political-economic system pretending to be a Neutral political-economic system. In reality only lip service is given to rule by the most.

The Evolution of Democracy

Dr. Wilkin in his essay Beyond Democracy, has concluded:

What we really have in America, the “freest nation on Earth”, is rule by the few. And, while rule by the few holds some advantage over rule by the one, its advantage does not imply there is nothing better for Humanity.

If we are to find a synergic form of organization for humanity, we will have to look beyond the representive (sic) democracies of today.

Barbara Marx Hubbard has provided the conceptual underpinning for imagining the outcome of Wilkin’s “look beyond.”

The context for the evolution of democracy is the New Story of Creation, cosmogenesis, the discovery that the universe is an interconnected whole system that has been unfolding and transforming for billions of years. This unfolding is always toward higher consciousness and greater freedom through more complex order, and it continues now through us. From atom to molecule to cell to animal to human, and now to a Self-actualized humanity, we are becoming a complex planetary system, always through greater cooperation, connectivity, and synergy [Emphasis added].

This is a multi-billion year trend!  Synergy, the coming together of separate parts to form a whole system greater than the sum of its parts is not idealistic; it is a fundamental tendency in nature.

She quotes from the writing of evolutionary biologist, Elisabet Sahtouris:

Type I ecosystems are populated by aggressive species establishing their niches through intense, sometimes hostile, competition for resources and rapid population growth, while the species in Type III ecosystems tend toward complex cooperative or collaborative systems in which species feed or otherwise support each other to mutual benefit. The Type IIs generally lump together various “transitional” ecosystems. It seems reasonable to ask where the “more advanced” species that can build stable final communities “come from.” How did they evolve? Logically, there must have been a time when only pioneer species existed, yet somehow evolution led to the existence of mature, cooperative species” (Vision in Action, vol. 3, Number 1, 2005) [Emphasis added].

Hubbard concludes:

The human species as a whole has barely reached Type II.  We are in transition as a species toward greater cooperation. The growing threat of self-destruction through domination, control, and self-centeredness is a mighty evolutionary driver that is awakening millions of people within our immature species to move toward more cooperative action. Therefore, one of our fundamental efforts must be to develop processes to cultivate social synergy wherever we can [Emphasis added].

Thus, we can say that the term, synocracy represents the form of governance toward which “cosmogenesis” is slowly (at least from the human view) but relentlessly progressing.

I’m wiped out.  I can’t begin to fathom how Tracy & Jeff are feeling.  Time to roll back the clock a bit and catch you all up.

Saturday morning, Ditty had a basketball game.  Afterward BooBoo, Ditty and one of Ditty’s friends were going with DH to a local waterpark for a Cub Scout event.  While we were at the basketball game, the friend’s dad got an emergency phone call that his father had fallen off the roof and was being air lifted to a trauma hospital nearby.  The message was relayed to me by a mutual friend.  The girls didn’t know yet, and I made a decision not to tell them.  Since Ditty’s friend was going to be with us for the afternoon anyway, there was time to find out from her parents how they wanted to handle telling her. 

Later that day, a message was relayed to me through the girl’s aunt that her mother would prefer to be the one to explain what happened.  I let DH know what had happened and that we weren’t going to tell the girl anything.  It was important to give that little girl this time to be a kid and enjoy the day with her friend Ditty.

Sadly, Jeff’s dad passed away.  His aorta tore and that was what caused the fall from the roof.  While his family is thankful that the tear didn’t occur while he was driving, they are grief stricken none the less.  Please pray for them in their hour of need and for their deceased loved one as well.

Thank you.

Angelo and Domenica.  They arrived in the United States from Sicily in the early 1920’s, passing through Ellis Island.  He had a fourth grade education, at best, and drove a cart for a living.  She had been the daughter of a vineyard manager, bootlegging an education with the vineyard owners daughter, until she was fourteen.  It was unheard of for a peasant girl to have so much schooling.

Settling into the milltown of Methuen, Massachusetts based on obtuse familial connections, they both worked in the sweatshops.  Their only child, Alfio, was born in 1923.  It was that extra bit of schooling that drove Domenica hard.  She would not settle for less for her son.  “Formazione!” (Education).  He was going to school.  He would not face a lifetime in the mills.

She lived to see him graduate with a degree in Engineering from Northeastern University.  But just barely. Packing his possessions into a trunk, he headed off to Detroit at 22 years old.  Certainly, she must have been proud as he entered the elite corps of ‘junior management trainees’ for Ford Motor Company.

It was cancer that got her.  Breast cancer, which wasn’t particularly treatable in the late 1940’s.  Alfio, an only child, left his promising start in Corporate America, and returned home to care for her.  As she was dying?  His father was overwhelmed at the prospect of losing his wife.  He took his own, breathing his last breath in Alfio’s arms. 

My father, Alfio, buried both of his parents before he was 25 years old.  Alone.  He regrouped, re-entered the workforce, and found purpose for his life.  He understood the meaning of the word “onward”.

Domenica and Angelo

Alfio, First Communion

‘Any attempt to measure one’s progress in life with an assessment of their present physical surroundings, or even a panoramic glance at their life and times to date, is just plain “whacked.” The reason being, is that each journey, kind of like a haircut, should never be fully appraised until it’s complete. Otherwise, one might mistaken a miracle-in-the-making for a setback, loss, or the “wet-look.”

Your cosmic barber and de-whacker,

The Universe’ (courtesy www.tut.com)

I’d concur….it just ain’t over til ‘the fat, over-the-top, contented lady sings….or dances, really!’

BB Webb

On my way to an appointment this afternoon I was listening to the Dave Ramsey Show.  Dave was counseling a caller who was despondent about his financial situation and felt like giving up. Dave counseled him NOT to give up and that it is easy to let life knock the FIGHT out of us.  For whatever reason, the concept of life circumstances knocking the FIGHT or WILL from us really resonated with me.  This is probably because I have been there before.  We have all experienced those moments when the challenge facing us seemed impossible and there is no way out.  I would love to tell you that life always works out great and things don’t go really bad sometimes – but we all know that this isn’t the way life works.

The key is not letting life get the best of you.  No matter how many times you get knocked down GET BACK UP and KEEP FIGHTING.  There will always be times when we think that we can’t go on or that there is not use in trying anymore but this is simply not true.

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up!” – Vince Lombardi

As parents we much teach our children this very important concept and unfortunately the only way to do that is to let them fail sometimes – as gutwrenching as that is for us.  If we always run to their rescue they will never learn how to handle adversity and the tenacity to fight through their challenges.

While we all have different personalities, I personally believe that everyone can learn how to deal with adversity and become a better person as a result of going through the trial.  It’s not a matter of if we will go through adversity, but rather when.  The Book of James in the Bible offers a lot of great insights about how to handle adversity in our lives by relying on God’s strength rather than our own.

This is my “junk post”.  I don’t know if it happens this way with the rest of you regular bloggers, but starting Fridays, the views, or the number of visits jumps off a cliff.  Since hardly anyone’s gonna read this… oh what the hell?  I don’t write as if I have a huge audience anyway.  As a matter of fact, up until November 26th, 2007 all my writing had been to myself in the form of journaling.

I don’t know if I still have it or not, but the first journal I ever kept was inspired by my 7th grade English teacher.  Inspired may not be the right word because it was a mandatory assignment.  Anyway, Ms. Parker (who, oddly enough, became my wife’s English teacher about 10 years later on the complete opposite side of town) made us keep a journal in those composition notebooks (which, oddly enough, are manufactured at the company I’ve worked for since July).  I don’t remember what we were to journal about, but after her class was finished I kept it up.

Journaling (notice I’m not calling it a diary – sissy stuff) was something I found to be very therapeutic.  I joined the Navy right after high school, and I was thrust into an environment where I knew nobody and the only ones who were talking weren’t really talking.  They were our drill sergeants (Navy calls them company commanders, or CC’s, but you guys wouldn’t have a clue what I meant unless you’d been in the Naval boot camp), and they were LOUD and very, very MEAN!  We had two of them.  One, a Chief, was on his way out of boot camp duty.  This was his last company.  The other, a Boatswain’s Mate 1st class, was just starting.  We were his first go-round.  Can you imagine how that went?  Simply?  The guy on the way out (Chief) was training the guy on the way in (Boats).  So Chief had to really show Boats the ropes, and we paid severely for it.  They had this thing called mashing, where, as punishment for some vile crimes such as starting a march off on the wrong foot, or looking down at your feet at attention, the CC would say, “DROP”, and we’d all hit the deck in the push-up position.  What happened next was called getting mashed.

These guys invented all sorts of cruel calisthenics with which to violently, and inhumanely painfully punish our bodies.  ”Down an inch” was one of my favorites.  In the push-up position, back straight and level with the deck, up on your toes, elbows locked so the arms are forcing your shoulders into the air, and our dog tags hanging outside our shirts, the CC would say gently, “Down an inch!”  That’s what we did… went down one inch.  About oh, I don’t know, a minute or so later came the next command, “Down an inch!”  We’d do this until our dog tags touched the ground, then laid flat on their sides.  Once that happened, the commands changed a bit; “Up and inch!”  Sounds easy, huh?  This went on forever!

Another one they liked was called “watching TV”.  Similar position to the push up, but instead of supporting your upper body with outstretched arms, you put your elbows on the tile floor and cup your head in your hands.  See why it’s called “watching TV”?  The only thing touching the ground was our toes and elbows.  Then, that little pain in the ass Boatswains’ Mate would say, “I don’t like what’s on.  Let’s change the channel.”  Whatcha think happened next?  We leaned on to one elbow, then reached our now free hand out in space in front of us and pretended to change the channels on an imaginary TV.  If Boats didn’t like the channel we selected, we had to keep changing it.  It SUCKED!

There are probably dozens more of these wicked exercises I could tell you about.  I won’t.  It was NOT fun at all, and I wondered why I didn’t just go ahead and sign up for Seal training instead.  Anyway, the point is that the Navy was sometimes isolating and very cruel.  I’d developed some fast and close friends, brothers even, during those times, but none ever as close as my real brother who was thousands of miles away.  Nobody to really talk to.  So I wrote.  Writing let me get it off my chest, so to speak, and I didn’t have to justify what I was writing, or edit it for political correctness.  I’d written some fairly harsh stuff about my experiences.  One rant in particular found its way to my boss’s boss, who decided to interrogate me about it.  The rant was about HIM too!  That was uncomfortable, and I didn’t write much after that until the divorce.

I wrote a damned book during that 3 plus year ordeal.  We had a 2-year-old daughter at the beginning of it, which made things incredibly painful for me.  ”Incredibly painful” does not even begin to describe it either.  I had nobody to talk to, and writing was unbelievably therapeutic for me.  That period of my life was really the most extended and ungodly painful – up to and since.  I did a lot of my spiritual searching during those 3 years and was able to discard a lot of my religion as a result.  So, from that perspective it was worth it.  As painful as it was, it was necessary, and it was exactly what I needed.  Sooooo glad I went through it because it’s because of that crap that I am now who I am.  I have a beautiful life now, a life that would not have happened otherwise.  I’m very thankful for the pain.

After the divorce was final I stopped writing for the most part.  I wrote in that divorce journal every once in a while, but just out of a feeling of needing to bring things up to date.  I haven’t written in it since before I met my amazing wife Kelly.  I never felt the need.

A discussion with my good friend BJ about what we were going to do after we finally got laid off led to me starting this blog on November 26th, 2007.  I’m glad I did.  I’m glad I have that good friend.  I’m glad I have this life, its ups and downs, the pain, the pleasure… all of it.  I love it!

The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes.

Josh Correia from Nipomo High School (1 hour north of Santa Barbara and south of San Luis Obispo) lets obstacles roll off his back like nobody else. This kid, who looks more like a linebacker, has really put together a solid season. He should do well at the next level and tonite as they head to Downey to play Verbum Dei.

Josh Correia overcomes all kinds of adversity to have solid season.

What are we doing with our customers immediately following the signing of a sales agreement?  How are the next 15 to 20 minutes being spent?  How do we keep their excitement peaked and manage any butterflies that may be circling?

1. Congratulate them–reinforce the decision
2. Review the construction/move-in schedule
3. Set Design Coordinator appointments
4. Discuss their preferred means of communication
5. Introduce them to others in the company
6. Encourage them to bring friends–show off the new home
7. Email digital photographs

Continue to watch and analyze your buyer’s emotions.  Be aware of any signals of discontent or emotional insecurity.  Reinforce their decision with Good News Stories relating to and supporting their purchase.

There are certainly additional ways to reinforce their decision… I’d love to hear your ideas.

Let’s be sure that our Purchaser’s Butterflies are Flying in Formation! 

…By keeping them In-Formed!

Warning: May contain language and imagery that some may find objectionable.  It is not my intent to offend  Rather I hope to capture a small part of the flavor of the events of that day.

Pop!!

A single rifle round whizzed through the air somewhere nearby. Not at all an uncommon experience around the Taji market right outside Forward Operating Base (FOB) Taji. It could be a warning shot from an Iraqi Army check point or other action not directed toward us.

“Someone’s been hit!” A voice came over the I-com radio.

Oh shit!…

Four hours earlier…

Thump, Thump, Thump… “Dave, are you comin’?”  The voice of CPT Keith Powell broke through the hiss of the overworked A/C unit.  Keith, the battalion surgeon, and a good friend, stood at my door with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

I stumbled to the door only half awake. “What time is it?” I asked, squinting my eyes to protect them from the bright morning.

“Time for you to get your lazy ass out of bed…6:10.” He stepped in my hooch. “Late night?”

“Not if you consider getting in at 02:00 early.” I stumbled around getting ready. “Why is it that people always seem to go into crisis around midnight?” I asked rhetorically. Keith understood. Many nights we would wake up each other when a Soldier came seeking help from one of us. We each shared half of a trailer. Some referred to it as the Body and Soul shack. It was nice to have my own room, but it was also nice to have a friend and colleague next door.

“Where are you headed off to today?” Keith inquired, as he saw me grabbing my battle rattle (body armor and helmet).

“On a mission with civil affairs. Some of them are having difficulties and need someone to smooth some edges. I won’t have time to come back here after chow.”

We stepped out into the cool, somewhat refreshing, 93ºF morning air with a slight breeze to take the edge off. The sky was blue and clear. All-in-all a nice morning, except for the fog of three hours of sleep and the 50 lbs of equipment squeezing my torso.

We chose a route to the DFAC (dining facility) that included shade. It may only be 6:20 in the morning, but the sun is blazing from the time it pokes the crown of its head over the horizon.

A long row of charcoal grills lined the path into the DFAC. What is this all about? Too bad I will be gone most of the day. As we entered we were greeted by red, white and blue banners and table coverings. It was the fourth of July, 2006. It looks like KBR planned a cookout. A nice break for those who would have the opportunity to enjoy it.

We quickly scarfed down some decent food, dropped our trays off and headed out. Keith was on his way to the clinic which is on the way to the civil affairs company area. About halfway to the clinic I stopped in my tracks.

“What is it?” Keith said.

“I just remembered. My brother died on the 4^th of July two years ago at age 36 from a stroke.” I started walking again.

“I’m sorry. That is just too young.” Keith said as we continued walking toward the clinic.

“Yeah, thanks. What makes it more interesting is that I am 36 years old. It would just kill my mother if I died on the same day.”

Keith smacked me on the back of the head. “You’re not going to die today. You will go on your mission as you always do and you will be fine.”

Keith entered the clinic and I continued on to the link-up location. Today was a first, a special duty chaplain assistant would join me for the first time. My original assistant could not handle the pressures of combat or the Army.

As expected, we were delayed. The concept of “hurry up and wait” is familiar to anyone who has served in the military. This really did not bother me all that much. It provided an opportunity to spend time with my Soldiers, and usually conduct at least a few counseling sessions. This morning would be no different. These can be useful times to build relationships that can lead to quality ministry.

After some of the normal chit-chat and small talk, one of my soldiers, a young Specialist started to share about some of his concerns and problems he and his wife were having back home. We were able to spend a good forty minutes addressing his concerns before we were in hurry-up mode and listening to the pre-mission brief.

Off we went. First to the Taji market, then to the Taji counsel building and then to assess the progress on a project before heading back to the FOB. These meetings and encounters can be delicate and require a strong, firm and humble strength. This can be difficult for warriors, especially under the violent conditions of 2006. However, lives and progress are at stake.

The graphics we looked at during the brief did not do the area justice. As a result, I felt uncomfortable with how the vehicles were positioned to provide cover at our first stop, the Taji Market. We did not have adequate cover and we would have to walk a good distance from the vehicles. There were intel reports of a sniper, but he had been quiet for quite some time. This was supposed to be a short stop on our way to our main objective, so I let it go.

After a few minutes on the ground, we found the individual of interest, and began a conversation with him concerning the project that was being proposed to aid the farmers and people in the Taji area.

My new assistant, an MP by MOS, walked with me and stood watch near the entrance of the shop. After only a few moments of negotiations…

…Pop!

The rifle shot caught our attention, but at first it was not alarming. The radio call provided some meaning to the shot. My assistant started to head out to engage the enemy. PFC Warren was a competent and courageous MP (Military Police) but an inexperienced 56M—Chaplain Assistant. I grabbed the back of her IBAS (body armor) and pulled her back.

“Where are you going.” I said as she turned around.

“Some one has been shot! We need to go help.”

“I agree. But your priority is my protection. Don’t forget I am unarmed! This would be an easy place to kidnap an unarmed man. First we need to get confirmation and some situational awareness. We will be of no use if we become the next casualty.” I said trying to keep myself as calm as possible.

The CA (Civil Affairs) captain radioed for confirmation. “Affirmative, one of our guys has been shot!”

I edged around the corner of a wall to assess our possible course back to the trucks (M1114-up armored HUMVs). Why did we park so far away. I thought to my self. The shot appeared to come from the north. We needed to get to the south side of our trucks for cover.

So far there was only one shot. I decided that we needed to render whatever aid we could and that we could not do that from our present location. The only reasonable path to the victim included an open stretch of about 70 meters. No cover. Only open rocky ground.

I turned and made eye contact with PFC Warren. “Cover my back. Stay a couple of meters behind me.” I headed out at best possible pace. The terrain was fairly rough and I did not want to lose an ankle. I could hear Warren behind me so I kept going.

About halfway across the open space an overwhelming sense of vulnerability came over me. There is no cover. No protection. No getting out of the line of sight except continuing on. My heart was racing like it never had before. All it would take is one shot and there could easily be two or three victims. I hope I made the right choice in moving out. A wrong decision did not only affect my life, but that of others—a brief moment of terror!

These thoughts left as quickly as they came. We had a mission to accomplish. Someone was injured. How seriously? We did not know.

We arrived at the trucks and observed a gaggle of Soldiers. One Soldier was standing on the TC—passenger side of a M1114 with the door open and just staring. I got her attention.

“Did you call this in the battalion?” I said with urgency.

“Which battalion should I call?” She asked. This is a better question then you might suppose. The CA was part of our battalion, but we were in the battle space of another battalion doing a mission for them.

“It does not matter. Whichever one you get on the radio first. We may not need a medivac, but they need to prepare for it.” We were close enough to the FOB that it would be better to bring the wounded to the clinic and medivac from there. Besides, there were no good landing zones close enough to this location.

Four or five Soldiers were standing looking at the wounded Soldier. One dismounted Soldier was position to watch our backs. “You three, turn around and set a perimeter,” I said as we trotted to the wounded Soldiers position. We were very vulnerable to the south. An opportunistic attack from around the corner of one of the near by buildings or the tree line presented a significant risk.

I dropped to my knees—and action I would regret for the next three or four days, the ground was rocky. “Where is the CLS bag?” Just as I said it one of the NCOs came around the side of the truck with the bag and scissors. The wounded Soldier was conscious, talking and able to stand with assistance. These were good signs. But what would we find when we cut through his pants? From the blood on his pants the wound look very high on the leg.

My heart pounded as I considered the possibilities as the NCO cut through the pants. As the pants were being cut my assistant and I quickly donned gloves. A nick high on the femoral artery or vein would been difficult to control. I had a hemcom bandage, it contains a substance used to quickly clot blood, in my cargo pock and hoped that I would not have to use it. We had just received these bandages in the Combat Life Saver course we took a few weeks ago. Needing to use it would mean we could not control the bleeding by normal means. The image of the medic Black Hawk Down clamping the femoral artery of one of the wounded Soldiers very briefly flashed through my head.

“Good! The blood is a dark crimson color.” I said as I tried to find an entry or exit point. There was a copious amount of blood, but it did not appear to be flowing freely—another good sign. As I wiped the sticky dark fluid I noticed several lacerations, chucks of shredded flesh barely still connected to his leg and multiple 9mm shell casings.

“What happened? This looks more like chopped beef. And what are the spent shells and shell fragments doing here?” I showed one of the exploded 9mm casings to the NCO who helped cut the pants.

He looked at the pistol strapped to the left leg of the Soldier and took it from its holster.

“What is this?” The NCO asked as he pointed to a small hole on one side of the pistil grip and an exploded pistil grip on the other side. “It looks like the sniper shot the pistil with a small caliber round and it exploded the several of the rounds in the magazine.”

That would later prove to be the case. The original sniper round was found in his wallet and the damage to his leg and buttocks was mostly due to his 9mm rounds exploding and the metal of the pistil grip and magazine exploding into his leg.

“It really does not hurt that bad.” Said the specialist still in good spirits.

I handed the Israeli field dressing to my assistant to open and she handed me a freshly opened sterile gauze. There was too much blood and I could not see where it was coming from. I started to wipe some of the blood away to see where we should place the dressing. Several lesions fairly close together on the fleshy part of the upper leg and the buttocks were now distinguishable.

“Ow…damn! What are you doing chaplain? Now it hurts. No, it feels more like my ass is on fire.”

“Just a little direct pressure to where your leaking.” I answered as PFC Warren and I wrapped the dressing around his leg. We secured the dressing the best we could and handed him off to the others in his truck. The battalion had called the east gate of the FOB and informed them we would be coming in fast, skipping the regular clearing protocol.

I tore off the bloody gloves and observed that the blood had made its way to my sleeves. No time to worry about that now. We still had to get back to our truck and get to the clinic on FOB Taji.

The gate guard waved us through and we made our way as quickly as possible to the TMC. But FOB Taji is big and the seven minutes from the gate seemed longer today.

They were prepared for us as we drove up. In typical Soldier fashion, our wounded comrade did not want to be brought in on a stretcher. We helped him hobble inside and into the exam room.

The medical crew was ready and quickly went to work preparing him for transport to the Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad. A quick X-ray revealed several peaces of shrapnel that a surgical team would have to work on in an OR.

“He is going to be OK,” The doctor said taking off his surgical gloves and looking at the X-ray. “The helo is on its way and he should be back here in a day or two.”

“Great news!” The CA captain said. “Chaplain, are you ready? Unfortunately we do not have time to stop for lunch. Our day is just beginning… MREs anyone?”

Off we go again.  The rest of the missions still awaited our attention. Only now some of our Soldiers were a little miffed. It would prove to be another long, long, hot and intense day. Day 206^th of the deployment; only another 155 days until a day off.

Apparently I have enough time to update my post tag list, nothing new in the land of N yet, trying to figure out how I’m going to interlink all of my story’s into movuies and stuff.

Coach Bob Starkey, LSU Associate Head women's basketball coach

The following is from Coach Bob Starkey’s blog: http://hoopthoughts.blogspot.com. He shared Brian Tracy’s thoughts on discipline and persistence and I share them with YOU! I have already mentioned how great Coach Starkey’s blog is (more info on ALL his blogs below)…so read and apply to your life:

Many thanks to Coach Starkey!

Persistence is Self-Discipline in Action
Perhaps the greatest display of self-discipline is persisting when the going gets tough. Persistence is self-discipline in action. Persistence is the great measure of individual human character. Your persistence is, in fact, the true measure of your belief in yourself and your ability to succeed. Each time that you persist in the face of adversity and disappointment, you build the habit of persistence. You build pride, power, and self-esteem in your character and your personality. You become stronger and more resolute. By persisting, you become more self-disciplined. You develop within yourself the iron quality of success, the one quality that will carry you forward and over any obstacle that life can throw in your path.

Get Going and Keep Going
Orison Swett Marden wrote in his book, “There are two essential requirements for success. The first is ‘go-at-it-iveness’ and the second is ’stick-to-it-iveness’” Referring to the quality of persistence he wrote, “There is no failure for the man who realizes his power, who never knows when he is beaten; there is no failure for the determined endeavor, the conquerable will. There is no failure for the man who gets up every time he falls, who rebounds like a rubber ball, who persists when everyone else gives up, who pushes on when everyone else turns back.”

Persistence is Your Greatest Asset
Perhaps your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay at a task longer than anyone else. B.C. Forbes, who founded Forbes magazine and built it into a major publication during the darkest days of the Depression, wrote, “History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeat.”

Adversity is What Tests Us
Throughout history, great thinkers have reflected on this paradox and have concluded that adversity is the test that you must pass on the path to accomplishing anything worthwhile. Herodotus, the Greek philosopher, said, “Adversity has the effect of drawing out strength and qualities of a man that would have lain dormant in its absence.” The very best qualities of strength, courage, character, and persistence are brought out in you when you face your greatest challenges and when you respond to them positively and constructively.

For more from Brian Tracy visit:

http://briantracy.com

http://briantracy.com/blog

A teacher afflicted with kidney disease and another who devoted her life to teaching the poor have been honored with the Vo Truong Toan Prize 2009 for their outstanding contributions to education.

Mathematics teacher Luong Anh Van

Math teacher Luong Anh Van of Nguyen Gia Thieu Secondary School in Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Binh District, who undergoes medical treatment three times a week for kidney disease, has more than 25 years of teaching experience.

He was also granted the Vo Truong Toan Prize in 2005.

Mr. Van started teaching in Cu Chi District 20 years ago, a poor rural area in HCM City. He has faced many difficulties over the years but never thought about quitting.

Most of his students came from poor families and were often forced to cut class to help their families, especially during the harvest season.

Under a flickering oil lamp, Mr. Van and his colleagues held night classes at the students’ houses in the hope of lightening the burden on their young shoulders and helping them continue to study.

Even after 20 years, teachers and students still recall unforgettable memories about Mr. Van’s dedication to his students. He says that teaching is like an invaluable spiritual medicine for him to overcome the difficulties of life and disease.

Biology teacher Nguyen Thi Kim Loan is instructing students to carry out an experiment.

Also honored with the Vo Truong Toan Prize 2009 award is biology teacher Nguyen Thi Kim Loan of Nguyen Huu Tho Secondary School in HCM City’s District 7.

Ms. Loan has spent over 30 years teaching. She began her career in a remote and disadvantaged commune in the former Mekong Delta province of Cuu Long, which was split into Vinh Long and Tra Vinh provinces in 1991.

Despite having to ride a long distance on a rickety bicycle to reach her students each day, Ms. Loan never faltered.

Her first-ever present on Teacher’s day, November 20, was a grapefruit that a student had picked in his garden. The young teacher was moved by the gesture and felt indebted to the disadvantaged students in the poor rural area. When she would leave for the city, her students eyes would fill with tears and it was that image that inspired her to keep teaching.

“Teacher Kim Loan gives all her heart to the students and teaching. She has many interesting innovative teaching methods,” said Ms. Cao Thi Long, Principal of Nguyen Huu Tho Secondary School.

The Vo Truong Toan Prize 2009 award ceremony honoring 30 teachers in HCM City will be held at the Opera House and broadcast live on HCMC Television on November 18.
 

Related article:
SGGP to confer Vo Truong Toan Prize on 30 teachers

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The fullest confidence is available to believers in their suffering because of God’s immutable covenant promise by which He has obliged Himself to believers.

But the inspired writer, calling to remembrance the promises by which God had declared that he would make the Church the object of his special care, and particularly that remarkable article of the covenant, “I will dwell in the midst of you” (Exodus xxv. 8), and, trusting to that sacred and indissoluble bond, has no hesitation in representing all the godly languishing, though they were in a state of suffering and wretchedness, as partakers of this celestial glory in which God dwells. . . . What advantage would we derive from this eternity and immutability of God’s being, unless we had in our hearts the knowledge of him, which, produced by his gracious covenant, begets in us the confidence arising from a mutual relationship between him and us? The meaning then is, “We are like withered grass, we are decaying every moment, we are not far from death, yea rather, we are, as it were, already dwelling in the grave; but since thou, O God! hast made a covenant with us, by which thou hast promised to protect and defend thine own people, and hast brought thyself into a gracious relation to us, giving us the fullest assurance that thou wilt always dwell in the midst of us, instead of desponding, we must be of good courage; and although we may see only ground for despair if we depend upon ourselves, we ought nevertheless to lift up our minds to the heavenly throne, from which thou wilt at length stretch forth thy hand to help us.” . . . . As God continues unchangeably the same — “without variableness or shadow of turning” — nothing can hinder him from aiding us; and this he will do, because we have his word, by which he has laid himself under obligation to us, and because he has deposited with us his own memorial, which contains in it a sacred and indissoluble bond of fellowship.

There is always hope, even in the adversities of life, because “the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, to confirm His covenant towards them by watching for their safety.”

– Peter Lillback, quoting Calvin in The Binding of God, pp. 270-271.

Riley feels like a loser, especially when it comes to sports.  Dad was an all-star — good at every sport, and feels Riley should be the same. Sports are so problematic for him, that one misstep causes an accident in which a dog is hurt so badly his leg must be amputated.  When Mrs. Lerner, the dog’s owner, decides to put him down since he can no longer be a show dog, Riley steps in and takes on the responsibility of caring for him.

Riley learns that Champ, a border collie, requires a lot of attention and energy, despite only having three legs. His neighbor, Mr. Douglas finds a way to help, not only the boy and the dog, but also himself.  Champ needs challenge despite his disability, and Riley learns through perseverance that you can succeed.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Lerner swoops in to take Champ away once she learns others still think he’s worthwhile.  In the end, Riley proves his worth, both to himself and his father.  Winning isn’t everything.

I started this book with low expectations based on my previous experience with Thornton Jones’ Bailey School kids series.  However, in this book, she proves she is a very good writer, tapping into the feelings of the main character and his family.  So many points in this book will resonate with both boys and girls, and being a quick read, it will be one of the more popular Surrey Schools Book of the Year Nominees.

Highly recommended:  Gr. 3 – 6

For more information:  www.marciatjones.com

My favorite holiday movie is “Home For the Holidays” with Holly Hunter. It’s a classic peek into the trainwreck we call the American family. I’ve often wondered if the same thing happens all over the world. People are, after all, just people.

The movie shows what happens when people leave home and pursue their own lives: we become influenced by our new surroundings; we expand our perspective; we change. The ones that never left have a hard time grappling with the changes in the ones who left. And the romantic “homecoming” of greeting cards and old time movies melts down into a wreck worthy of its own Reality Show.

The key word here is CHANGE. People change. Your relatives aren’t who you think they are. Your sister isn’t who she was when she lived at home 30 years ago with you. Your mother and dad actually DO have lives, and always have had lives, unbeknownst to you when you were a kid.

In truth, we have never really known our siblings, our parents, or even our own children. We know a piece of them, the piece that interacted with us. And that piece is only one tiny facet of their life experience. You know this is true, because it is true for you with your own family. They have expectations of you that puzzle you and leave you exasperated and frustrated.

So, how do you have a Happy Thanksgiving? How do you navigate the treacherous waters of the Holidays with most of your hair intact and your brain cells un-fried?

Get thee centered. Take a deep breath. Don’t impose your memories on anyone else, and deflect others when they try to impose old baggage on you. Have a plan. Have a set of things you want to talk about that are not inflammatory, accusatory, or incendiary. Be there with the overriding goal of celebrating who everyone is NOW.

You may not be able to avoid arguments, but if you play your cards right, they won’t be the relationship-ending, childhood-dredging, resentment-fostering nightmare that plagues many family gatherings.

Seven Phrases that will turn Thanksgiving into a Trainwreck:

1. Negating Accomplishments: “You have to be kidding me, you never [did that, said that, won that....]”
2. Devastating Confessional: “Mom, I’ve never told you this, but do you know what I did when….”
3. Insecurity: “You never [appreciated me; noticed me; loved me; gave me; told me....]
4. Resentment: “Why did/didn’t you…..”
5. The Take Down: “Remember when you [embarrassing moment recall...]”
6. Tattletale Tease: “Do you all know what [sister, brother, cousin, aunt, mom, dad] did way back when?”
7. Attack: “How Dare You.” “You always…”

It’s easy to tell you not to say those things, but what do you do when they say them to you? That’s frustrating, because we can get plugged into our siblings and relatives “stuff.”  I do what’s called “distract the baby” – I change the subject to something they enjoy. I just look at them calmly, don’t acknowledge the comment, and take them in another direction. Try these (assuming none of these are connected to disasters!)

• Ask about their favorite sport, movie, TV show
• Ask about the kids, dogs, cats
• Have a current event from their town and ask their take on it
• Tell them something you always appreciated about them
• See the angle here? Get them talking about something that makes them happy. Never mind bragging about your accomplishments. Families never really appreciate that. Save it for your friends.

Sometimes a calm smile and a shake of the head without any verbal response is the best response. A friend of mine will wave her hand and say, “You’re so funny.” And walk away. That often works better than lecturing them. Making the comment irrelevant has the effect of neutralizing it, and the comment will drop to the floor where you can sweep it into the trash later.

The reality is this: Humans are awkward, weird, uncomfortable, and nervous about the holidays. We have romantic hopes and expectations, and often those are smashed against the rocks of reality known as our family. Because they think they know our history, they bring out insecurities and memories of family moments long past.

People who attack are saying, “I’m Insecure!” They want to pull you down so they can mask that.  Showing a little appreciation, reminding them about the good times, and taking the conversation down a safer road is a good choice. We are all capable of warm and loving interactions. The ones attacking just don’t know you anymore and they don’t know what to say. If you take the lead and keep conversations safe, everyone will have a better Thanksgiving.

Think of it as self-preservation. You are eating a heavy meal, don’t stress your heart any more than you have to. And Relax. At the end of the day, you are still you. They are still themselves. Nothing changes. And life is just too short to waste precious family time dredging up disasters.

Most importantly, when someone says “Thank You” – just say “You are welcome.” Don’t take away from their sincere appreciation of you by saying, “It was nothing.” Or “No biggie.”  To them, it was something. It’s OK to just smile and nod and accept it.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

© 2009 Beth Terry Seminars, Inc.