Earth Day and Family

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans demonstrated in streets, parks, and auditoriums all across the country. The demonstrators were concerned about toxins in the air and water.  No legal or regulatory mechanisms were in place to protect our environment. Supporters of this effort came from almost every walk of life. The result of that first Earth Day was the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

I was only three and a half years old, so I do not remember any of this. Nor was I ever really concerned about the environment. Of course, I would prefer clean air and water, but that was a concern for others.

Nearly 48 years later, I find myself caring a lot more. I am not an extremist about it, but I do what I can including recycling. It is not a political issue for me. I merely want to leave this world in better shape than I found it.

Let us go back a few thousand years. (Depending on your theology, it may be a few million years, but that is another topic of discussion.) The original Earth Day was a week-long demonstration of God’s power. It is when he created the Earth. In Genesis 1, it says the earth was formless and void.  God decided to do something about it. In six days, he shaped it into what he wanted, and then he rested.

Seven times in the chapter, God looked at what he made and saw that “it was good.” He also placed man in the Garden of Eden to “work it and take care of it.”  From the beginning, we were supposed to take care of what God made. From that point until 1970, we fell short of keeping this planet in the shape God created it. People have made progress, but the responsibility that God gave us is ongoing.

I, personally, cannot create a world. I am no god, apparently. However, with the help of God and my wife, I have been able to create a family. Each step of the way, I looked at it and thought it was good.

That does not mean I have not made mistakes because I have made plenty. I can only work and care for it to help it stay right. That is my responsibility.

Too many people look at the families they created and see no good in them. Some tell their children regularly that they are bad. Some say to their children they will probably end up in jail or dead. Negative thoughts and words are not the way we are to care for our children. We need to nurture them and raise them into people with hope and a future.

We become more like our parents as we get older than we would like to admit. Your children will grow to be more like you. Raise them up to be positive. See the good that is in them. Mold them into happy, respectful, and productive individuals.

They are the world that you created. Work it, care for it, nurture it, and watch it grow into something good.

The Draft

Various sports around the world hold drafts that allow them to choose which players they will sign contracts. The earlier a player is drafted usually corresponds to the amount they will be paid. This is similar to children picking captains to choose who will be on their team. The captains normally select the better players first, while the other children just do not want to be the last one.  

Sometimes the teams making the choices are fortunate to find a hidden gem that works out better than expected. Too many times, someone selected too soon is cause for heartbreak. Drafts are highly unpredictable. You really do not know what you have until you have worked with them.

Many instances of life are similar to drafts. In politics, we vote for someone we do not really know to keep the promises they make. Sometimes they do, but for a variety of reasons, they more often do not. 

Job interviews are also like this. Some people interview well and get the job unable to fulfill the demands. Those not selected may exceed the job requirements, but they are unable to master the interview.

Fixing missed opportunities can be a lengthy and costly process. 

We can choose our friends, as well. Sometimes we choose well. Then we have those times when we wonder how we got involved with some of them. I have been very fortunate. I have great friends. I may not see them all as often as I like. This is largely because of where everyone lives these days. However, with technology, it is easier to stay in contact. 

The one thing we cannot choose is our family members. I would also like to say, that I would still draft everyone in my family. From siblings to cousins and even my in-laws, they all have been a blessing in one way or the other. There are some with whose opinions I may never agree. Some make decisions that I do not understand. What difference do things make? They are still some of the greatest people I have ever met. 

If I had to draft family members, I would miss some things that make me who I am. No family is perfect. Nevertheless, my family is perfect for me.

I hear people complain about their families. Bad relationships have ruined the mere concept of family for some. Some of the reasons they have are understandable, but my heart goes out to these people. I think they are missing out. 

I wish everyone could have the large, loud, and possibly obnoxious family and friends that I do. I think family is important. Fortunately, some friends are more like family. For those that do not think they have a great family, find a few good friends. Some do not know how to make friends. The best way to make a friend is to be friendly.  

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” At least, that is how the song goes. Usually, the holiday season is full of excitement and anticipation. The end of the years brings us Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve. In my immediate family, it also brings three birthdays and two wedding anniversaries. This year also brought a college graduation. It is normally a great ending to the year. The season is full of good times, but it also has its issues. This year has had its share of the good, bad and ugly.

THE GOOD: Getting to celebrate anything with family is a wonderful time for me. I love my immediate family and my extended family. Not everyone can say that! We celebrate the holidays when our schedules will allow. Celebrating Christmas/Thanksgiving on a weekend before the actual holiday does not take away from the season for me. It is not about the food, the gifts, or the traveling. It is about being together.

THE BAD:  We can always find something about which to complain. While shopping, people shopping can be rude. Traffic becomes a problem. Stress can get to elevated levels. Waiting until the last minute to shop and not being able to get the one gift that would make the holiday better for someone can leave us feeling unaccomplished. We must take the bad with the good. The bad makes the good seem even better. Try to remain calm in any situation. Remember that everyone else around you are trying to accomplish the same thing as you. Treat others, as you want to be treated.

THE UGLY: This year’s Christmas week was not great.  Four days before Christmas, my dad passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. Four days later, my stepmom had a major stroke. The holidays brought many tears. My dad was my hero. I loved him dearly. He was funny, smart, always prepared, generous and loving. He was a great man and a better dad. We cry not for the dead, but because we will miss him.

The good that comes from the ugly is that you find out that people really do care about you.

Life does not end. Death is just a part of life. Life continues. The day that my dad died, a baby was born to someone I know from work. The new baby, Claire will never replace my dad. I may never meet her. However, we will remember his life story. Her story is just beginning.

Let us continue to look to the future. Do not be stuck in the past. Celebrate what you have. Remember what matters. Focus on the good even in the ugly times.

May you all have a Happy New Year!

Bah Humbug and Jingle Bells

It is the most wonderful time of the year. People seem to be in a holly jolly mood. Some are dreaming of a white Christmas. Some focus on the spirit of giving with baking and shopping for loved ones. Some like the weather while building snowmen and making snow angels. (People can only dream about these in the heat where I live.) Some are planning Christmas menus to share meals with their extended families. Some are volunteering to help those less fortunate themselves. Some are decorating their homes. 

Over the years, my mood during December has swung from one extreme to the other and back to somewhere in the middle. Some years, I despised Christmas for the commercialism that starts in October; the greed of people focused more on getting than giving, and the overextension of my budget. In other years, I toss all cynicism aside and go all out on decorating the tree, watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music on the radio, and focus on giving the best I can to the ones I love.

This year, I find myself somewhere in the middle. I was excited to put up my Christmas village and had it up in just a couple of hours. Then I put up the tree. The tree has been up for over a week, and I finally put lights on it yesterday. As of writing this, it still only has lights on it. My wife and I have completed most of our Christmas shopping, mostly thanks to her. I take off most of December from one job but work more hours at my second one.

I am not sure why my December moods change so frequently. To tell the truth, the reason does not matter. I love my family and my friends. I love seeing them happy and smiling. My coworkers make working during the holidays better. Like my family and friends, they can put a smile on my face.

People matter.

It is because of this that I do not want to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas. It is not just the spirit of giving. Some may not believe this, but I do. The meaning is specifically about what God has given to us. He wants us to have a relationship with Him just as I want with those I love. The thing he gave us was His son, Jesus, to take care of the business that we ourselves cannot do. That business is to pay for our sins by being born into this world, dying, and resurrecting so that we may live with Him. Sin kept us away, but “if you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Christmas is about God’s love for us. Let us celebrate by returning that love to Him and to those around us. 

BLACK THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. It is a time to get together with family and enjoy a delicious meal together. I love eating the turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and many more things. Most of the time, the men would wash the dishes. I believe this was to express their appreciation for the meals the women had prepared (at least that is my recollection.) Living in the south, the weather normally allowed us to play outside in shorts. I even remembered playing volleyball with some of the older family members.

Thanksgiving is a day when we should think about all the things for which we are thankful. Some are thankful for family. Some are thankful for their health or their jobs. Some are thankful that they have enough to feed themselves and maybe a few others.

Some people even spend time on Thanksgiving helping to feed others. I remember years ago separating food baskets by areas and including maps so that willing drivers could bring them to those in need.

Following Thanksgiving is Black Friday. It is a day when many retailers have big sales and millions of people shopping for the perfect deal. I do not recall ever participating in Black Friday; though it is possible, my parents left home me to play. I probably got the better end of that deal.

Black Friday got its name in the 1950’s in Philadelphia because of shoppers and tourists flooded the city prior to the night’s Army-Navy game held annually on that Friday. Police would not be able to take off and would work extended hours to try to control the crowds and the traffic. In the late 1980’s Black Friday was reinvented by retailers to make it appear more positive, and it has become more widespread over our nation. It is supposedly the day when stores finally make a profit.

Slowly, but surely, retailers have let greed creep into the holiday. No longer does Black Friday happen on Friday. It begins on Thanksgiving (Thursday). What once used to be a holiday of thanks turns quickly into a day many retail-workers dread. Some never get to see their families on this day.

One thing that I am thankful for is the retail job that I have.  It is a second job, but it helps me to pay the bills, and I enjoy many of the people with which I work and the experience of Black Friday itself.

I understand that first responders and utility workers (my other job) have to work on holidays in case of emergencies. However, I would love to see retail workers that are not saving anyone’s life be able to celebrate the full national holiday of Thanksgiving to be with family. Even if the stores opened at midnight, the employees could enjoy a non-rushed Thanksgiving meal with the ones they love.

I have much for which I am thankful. I am now fifty years old. This has been my fourth Black Friday to work. I do not shop on these days, but I am thankful for the ones that take a moment to thank me for being there so they can save money. I wish everyone showed appreciation rather than treating others like you owe them.

Remember when you shop this year to enjoy the moment, but also to treat everyone with kindness.