Being Seen and Heard

I spent a lot of time in my younger days just trying to fit in with the crowd. In grade school it seemed like I was the prey and a particular group of boys in my class a pack of wolves. There were days on the playground that were like a living hell. The pack quite literally surrounded me and persecuted me for whatever reason they could think of and then there were days when it was like I did not exist at all. By the time junior high school came around, I had learned how to camouflage myself by joining in with the pack as they turned to other ways to amuse themselves. I don’t know if it was because we lived in such a small town that boredom was the cause or the wonder lust of youth that tempted us to break the rules. Even my days as a Boy Scout there were moments when we really did not live by the Scout Oath or Law. In fact, thinking back, I am quite ashamed of some of the things I saw or participated in while away at camp. The point is that choices matter and now that I am older, people really do not change that much over time; they just change the rules of the game.



The challenge I face today is changing the perception I took so long to build as a young man. The wall of security that I thought would keep me from being devoured by the pack now threatens to undo the new me as a man in search of personal integrity. I don’t want to be that fly on the wall any more or the follower who goes along with the current trend. What I have found since becoming a Scout leader is that just because I stand up in front of a crowd does not mean that people see me or listen to what I have to say. In fact, it is like the sound of my voice goes in, rattles around for a bit and then gets lost in the background noise of daily distraction. This is especially true of my two sons, but then they are like I was back when and in search of their own identities. The problem now seems to be how to address the adults who seem to lose very quickly the message I am trying to get out. The problem is being seen and heard.



Some people might say that because I have been unemployed for such a long time begs that I get back to reality and get a life. Yes, it is true, scouting has taken up a lot of my time these past months and years, but it does not say how much I have learned about the person I am and that I might just be on to something that will change the world. Now that seems worth the effort! And so, today I pray for continued patience as I struggle to be seen and heard. To become the man I was meant to be and to challenge others to be more than another rat in the race of life. That it truly matters to stand out front and break the silence in a world so caught up in itself. And so, if any of this makes sense at all to you please go out and challenge what has become acceptable in your own corner of the universe. After all, change can be a good thing.

In Pursuit of Happiness

Last evening my wife and I attended a dinner for scout volunteers and leaders. We have been involved for over five years now and it never ceases to amaze me how much people are willing to volunteer and commit themselves to such a cause like Boy Scouts. For us, this past year has been a whirlwind of activity that has included incalculable hours giving of ourselves for the sake of our boys and the causes that mean so much to us outside our family home. It would have been much easier to focus purely on the everyday business of paying bills, taking care of the kids and going about fulfilling our own needs. In these tough economic times it is a wonder so many people have given so generously to the tragedy in Haiti, sharing a meal with a stranger in need right here at home and serving others in their communities. One thing about tough times, it truly does bring people together; which brings me to a fundamental principle that sets our nation apart; the pursuit of happiness.



If you were to define the concept of happiness you might find something in the dictionary that describes a condition in the mind that generates a feeling of ease or lack of mental stress. Now, mind you, I did not look it up but I can relate to it as most people can. For many it is an elusory concept that only the privileged can attain. Fortunately, we know from the celebrity hungry society in which we live, even the “well off” find happiness to be just out of reach. I do not need to site the scandals of idolized professional sports figures or high profile politicians to make my point. The fact is we can all be happy if we truly want to. It is through the yes of others and the need for action to serve that we can do this. I know what they say, “too much of a good thing is not good for you.” That may be true for modern medicine or government entitlements, but volunteering is something that there is never enough of and always a need for wherever you may look.



Today, I look into my own heart and pray for those whom I love and for those I do not even know. I realize the lesson about “what good does it to only care for those who are closest, for would they not also care for you?” The challenge and the true purpose are to give beyond you for the greater good. For me, the greater good is not always the focus of my thoughts, but I try. My hope is that more people can realize the intended purpose of the line inscribed into our national fiber of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” It is more than a state of mind, it is active and alive in our hands as well.

A Conglamoration of Thoughts

  This past week brings to mind many personal thoughts about issues, concerns and tragedy that I could be easily overwhelmed. What I think it means is that I’m in tune with what is going on around me. The challenge is in the choice as to which course of action to take on any one or multiple combination of things or the choice to simply do nothing. From the den meeting on Monday night, the committee meetings on Tuesday, the open hearing on Wednesday night or the roundtable meeting on Thursday, I have been bombarded with information, personal commitment, challenge and choice. The obvious thought is “Man I don’t need all of this extra stuff rattling around in my head, it’s tough enough dealing with a teenager and issues right here at home. Bills need paid, the house needs repair and the kids need money in their lunch accounts at school. What else do I need to concern myself with?"


Lord knows the people of Haiti need our help and the assistance of relief organizations to rescue and treat the injured, house the homeless, bury the dead and attend to the numerous issues of getting resources to a country so beset by poverty. Youth need to be given the opportunity to participate and contribute to society and our nation needs concerned citizens who care enough to speak their own minds. We all need to be engaged in the practice of prayer so that our hearts and souls can ease the tensions building in our minds and bodies.


This is the source of my lectio divina or “sacred reading” for today. From the gospels I can see the paralytic being lowered into the building where Jesus stood teaching the word of God. From that I can imagine rescue workers removing debris from a pile of rubble in hopes of saving a trapped survivor; the Boy Scout removing brush from a cluttered trail or the Cub Scout becoming aware of the needs of others. I am heartened by the voice of strangers who are impassioned by the idea of liberty and justice for all. These are the things that make life worth living!


How many times have we heard ourselves or perhaps another parent say to our kids that “Life isn’t fair.” I wonder what things would be like if it was and no one ever got lost or if people simply got along. The fact is we humans need a challenge and a goal to give life a meaning and purpose; otherwise what would we do but sit around waiting for god knows what. We need to be actively engaged in our world and in our spiritual selves if any of this is to make sense and the final outcome worth the efforts of our labor. So, go forth and be a light unto the world! And for my Dad, don’t worry so much, pray more.

Heat of the Moment

I look back today on a time in my life that held little direction, though I thought I was going forward. It was the year 1982 and I found myself in a foreign land. I had carefully boxed up my old life and put it on a shelf for safe keeping knowing that two years was really not all that long a time to be far from home.

And what brought this memory up you ask? Well, I was surfing the net this morning when I came across some old eighties songs on YouTube. I was curious if there were videos to go along with such hits as "Heat of the Moment" by Asia. Sure enough, I found a treasure trove of songs I had partied to and never took much thought as to what they meant to me. As I tried to put things into perspective, I could not help but offer a little prayer to help get my creative juices flowing. The following is the result as I contemplated the changes just over the horizon in my life today. Hope you like it. Witt.


Silent is the morning
Snow falls gently outside
While a fire gathers in my heart
Heat of the moment
When I want more of you
Than what my mind’s eye can conjure
Grace is seeing your face
Hearing your voice
Telling me what I believe
What is truth?
When I lived so many lies
Trying to be something I was not
And all I had was a prayer
To hold on to.

Faith is more than a feeling
Heat of the moment
Passing me by
Like a storm
Clouds will disappear
There you appear
More than a figment
Of my imagination
A hand to hold on to.

Daybreak calling
Dreams of falling
End with a sigh of relief
You are near
Making it clear
You are not far away
But I want more
Beset with a chore
To gather something tangible
Not a reflection
A story or lecture
To keep me holding on.


Faith is more than a feeling
Heat of the moment
Passing me by
Like a storm
Clouds disappear
There you appear
More than a figment
Of my imagination
A hand to hold on to.

Faith,
More than a feeling
Eye of the storm
Tears falling down
Washing all my fears away
And I see clearly
Grace of the moment
Not heat of my inner battles
Knocking on the door
For you were here all along
And all I needed was to believe.

Standing Still

I watched the Kennedy Center Honors tonight on television. It was like a walk through my past as three of the honorees; Robert DeNiro, Mel Brooks and Bruce Springsteen all reminded me of when I was growing up during the nineteen seventies and early eighties. Who could ever forget movies like "The Deer Hunter" "Blazing Saddles" or songs like "Born In The USA"

I think Springsteen's tribute got to me the most as John Stewart of "The Daily Show" gave a surprising personal narrative about the essence of Bruce Springsteen's music. Later came tributes by John Cougar Mellencamp, Melissa Etheridge and Sting. The following is my own story done in a style I tried to capture like Springsteen would. It is a little down but don't take it too seriously. If life on earth is a roller coaster then heaven must be a rock concert! Here goes...

Standing Still

I was an old eighteen
Coming straight out of high school
Friends were on their way
They made plans like I was supposed to
But I found myself standing still
Nowhere in particular to go
Clueless as could be
Living in that small farm town
Facing those same foundry gates
That stole my daddy away
Twelve hours a day and then some
Lost child in a crowd of friendly’s
That’s what I became.

Standing still
Nothing but the sound of life
Passing me by
Silent rhythm of a follower
Disciple of the popular crowd.

Signed the dotted line
Uncle Sam wanted me
So I went into that Missouri country side
Hoping I’d made the right decision
Amnesty at midnight or a nightmare
I did not know then but I know now
How the world preys on the ignorant child
Loose as a canon pointed at my head
Late night drunk or high again
Cold cobblestone still haunts my bed
That boy has faded like the weeds of Hindenburg.

Standing still
Nothing but the sound of life
Passing me by
Silent rhythm of a follower
Disciple of the popular crowd.

Today I’m trapped inside this body
Kids are growing and life is flowing
So far from my home town now
An hour seems an eternity
Still the one in the middle
Man on the outside
Meets boy who dreams of tomorrow
Like a golden ticket that never comes
Hopes held high in mediocrity
Only the words can set me free
From standing still forever now.

Oh Lord, where have the years gone?
Still feels like I’m standing here
Nothing but the sound of life
Passing me by
Silent rhythm of my heart beat
Drowning out the popular crowd.

To Wonderings Past and Present

Today I would like to share something that came to me out of the blue after purchasing a Christmas gift for a good friend of mine. He has been a counselor and friend to me for more than a decade now and I felt the time was right to show him how much he has meant to me on this journey of self discovery. And so, here's to R. C.; a true companion on the journey.

To wonderings past and present
On paths or trails I spent
Traversing hill or dale
In search of meaning went
With staff in hand a true companion
To clear the weeds or test the depths
Of streams I longed to cross
Through fields of morning vale
In hopes of greater meaning there
Amidst the journeys grander scale
Return to tell the tale
In kind a gestured gift
Reminiscent of the climb
Which took me there
A higher plain on which to tread
Where no doubt could arise
And break familiar ties
That ruled my life
And left for dead
The dreams of freedom in my head
That stood the test of time.

Plainly Spoken, Pefectly Understood

I was clicking through the channels on my television the other night and came across the film, “Evan Almighty.” Now, granted, most people probably had enough from the first installment with Jim Carrie; a bitter man who blames God for abandoning him and causing his bubble to be burst because someone else got the promotion he should have gotten and the ensuing chain of unfortunate events that followed. Then, as if God had had enough of the tantrum, comes to the man personally as a lowly janitor and proceeds to give him the “keys to the kingdom” as it were. The whole idea of God having a tough job to do and putting the lowly egotistical human in his place by putting him in his shoes washes with some but really irks countless others. While I see the entertainment value of the story, I can also see how humans flock to the things they know like bodily functions and sex as a way to try and distract themselves or their attempts to relate to a higher consciousness. This brings me back to the latter.

Evan is a man who has seemingly come full circle in life and has found no satisfaction in trying to make a difference in the world. No matter how hard he tries, the human condition always seems to supersede his efforts and nothing gets accomplished; the “status quo” prevails. It is then that God arrives and provides the opportunity for Evan to really get the attention of people by doing something as outlandish as building an ark. The ensuing events evoke a few laughs, but there is one scene in the movie that really struck me. As Evan is busy putting together the ark, his family sits at a table at a restaurant or bar eating fried food and being quite bewildered. His wife orders a refill on her meal and in walks God posing as a waiter and offers advice on the situation.

What strikes me is the truth in what he says. “When someone prays to God for courage, does he give them courage or does he provide an opportunity to show courage?” When a person prays for patience and understanding, does he give them or does he provide opportunities for a person to show them?” I guess you could say God is more plainly spoken than we think some times and we could be more understanding if we see life in terms of problems as opportunities rather than afflictions. He gave us all we need to survive and he gives us the wisdom to overcome if we simply choose to. I’ll have to get back with you when this starts working for me as I am still struggling with a few of my own issues. That is what I mean by my life as “A work in progress.”