Thoughts in Autumn Moonshine

The moon shines high above in a cloudless sky as the cool hint of fall fills the air. Crickets chirp and distant horns proclaim the ebb and flow of east and west bound freight trains rumbling along on their journey towards Cleveland, Chicago and points far and wide. My thoughts converge on weighty issues of the past day and life in general.

I reflect upon words spoken and read that deal with healing broken hearts and dreams of the ideal life. I wonder if it is too late to bring back a withering vine neglected and left to die as a relationship does for want of love and attention. I begin to pray for a higher power to come down and refresh my soul in reassurance that “With God all things are possible.”

And like a warm blanket I pull up to my neck, the call of leadership sinks in to calm the shivering reality that all is not well in the household. Amidst this autumn eve I am challenged to believe and live up to the life giving assurance that commands my attention and ultimate action. Leadership: Leading others while following my heart. Educating myself with good information and acting “as a poser and not a faker; determined to make a difference. Emotionally intelligent enough to show compassion and serve others; responsible for actions taken and sharing what I have with others; time, talent and treasure. To honoring relationships, especially with my spouse and modeling integrity in how I live my life; and finally, placing all at the foot of the cross of Christ Jesus for the sake of others.

We are all in a position of leadership whether we believe it or not. We are leaders first at home with children and spouses and it carries over into our professional careers, relationships with friends and coworkers. And we are followers of whatever principles or beliefs we may hold; faith, attitude, self image, political affiliation and so on.

The quality of our leadership depends on our willingness to accept responsibility for our actions for the good of others; for true leadership is not self serving solely for personal gain or edification; true leadership is about community and caring for the good of all. The rest is icing on the cake.

To Rascals, To Love and the Wheel of Life

Short and sweet is sometimes better than going on and on in circles trying to make a point or tell a story.

To all of those Rascals out there like me who try our True Love's patience,
who buck the system and believe in another way.

To the love that keeps us going and reminds us to keep on the straight and narrow road.

To the faith that tells us we're not wrong in trying another way.

To freedom from want and not thinking we're entitled just because life has dealt us a tough blow.

To overcoming fears and the course ahead that saves...

if we just cling to the wheel of our faith, family and friends.

To following the way towards life's abundant end.

Amen.

 To Chris Brady: for the rascal leader I now see in me and to Joyce; the love of my life.


http://youtu.be/BW9zMSwKIdU

Hard Truths, Happy Memories and a Starry Sky

Back in July of this year I reached a milestone that is still giving me fits. You’ll know what I mean if you have ever gotten an AARP application in the mail and your hair is turning gray and you realize that mid-life has finally caught up with you. Well, turning fifty has presented itself with two major options, the optimist or the pessimist. Now, if you have ever met my Dad then you know what one of the two options looks like; at least I know anyways. My point is that by looking at the glass for hours and trying to decide which way the liquid inside moves you to think and act is a sheer waste of time. There is nothing like the present to say: “So what, I am going to move ahead and be the person I am and I am going to improve on this classic model to make it better than ever.” Henry Ford was no fool when he invented a better way to build cars, make them affordable to the masses and not let age slow him down.

Accepting ourselves as we go through life is an ongoing challenge, especially as we adjust to the many truths that hit us in the face. For me, getting older and realizing I have spun my tires for far longer than I should have is tough to accept. What I mean is that I have gotten stuck in a vicious cycle of doing the same old thing and getting the same results; all too often at great personal and financial distress. The problem is I have never honestly addressed the truths I learned as a child about myself. Whether true in reality or not, I finally had the revelation that very few if anyone has ever believed in me. When I struggled in school, there were tutors and special teacher aids that handed out flash cards and corrected my spelling. When I failed to make the little league team, I don’t remember anyone getting out and coaching me to make the team the next year. What I do remember is that I began to lower my standards and expect less of myself and from life. But the last thing I want to accomplish today is to blame anyone or make more excuses for not making my hidden dreams a reality. Another thing is that there were far more happy memories from my childhood than bad, and that is what I want to draw from rather than the negatives.

I remember camping trips, fishing on Lake Erie and earning my Cub Scout Arrow of Light. There were sunny days and snow storms that have yet to be outdone and sledding down hills of pure ice enough to scare the daylights out of you. I remember my first crush and the agony of realizing she did not feel the same about me, but they have shaped who I am today which is OK, but there is still room for improvement.

Last week we said farewell to an American hero and pioneer of the space age, Neil Armstrong. He was a self proclaimed “White sock, pocket protector wearing nerdy engineer,” yet he achieved a milestone of epic proportion in the annals of human history. I too have the opportunity to become more than the sum of my past and the quiet shy kid who clung to the fringe like a sad wall flower. I have a choice to make that keeps me comfortable where I am and secretly miserable, or I can dare to be more, do more and allow for dreams to become more than a mere starry sky of whim. I can make that sky tell a story of hope and promise just by rearranging the positions of those stars any way I choose. Just like children who sit on a grassy hill and turn clouds into dragons or puppy dogs, I can dream and make them real. My dream for you is all the same, but you have the power to turn water into wine if you so choose because miracles in life really do come true. God bless. Witt