I Met a Man on a Plane Today

I fly a lot and my usual routine is to find my seat get comfortable and occupy myself with something.  Continental now has Direct TV on most flights and I can rely on that, if nothing else, to keep me occupied.  On today’s flight a very polite man sat next to me.  I say polite because he called me sir and said please and thank you in virtually every sentence that came out of his mouth.  He was a studious guy first checking the news and markets on his iPAD and then on Direct TV.   He mentioned he was going to the Corporate Headquarters of his employer that happens to be near my home.  When I asked how long his stay would be he told me he was on a flight back home tonight.  A quick turn like that begged a question, why?  My tendency is to ask questions sometimes without thinking.  He said he had to return home because he had lost his brother on 9/11/01 and this weekend marked the tenth anniversary of this horrible tragedy and he needed to be home with his family and friends. 

Words vs Actions

When I was trained to run I was taught that the faster I moved my arms the faster my legs would move.  You see your arm movement facilitates your leg movement and if you speed up your arms your legs will follow.  Until that was brought to my attention I never even considered using my arms to run faster.  It works give it a try.  There was a clear cause and effect relationship between my arms and legs.  I wonder if the same is true for the words you choose and your subsequent actions. 

Memorial Day or Thanksgiving

The following are my jounal entries from a trip to Hombourg, Belgium.  I traveled with my wife Sue and her Mother Barbara to visit the grave of Barbara's Father who was killed in World War II and buried on European soil.  You may never look at Memorial Day the same again.  You may look at it more like Thanksgiving.

The Irony of Pain

I am sure all of us do not like pain and regard it as something we try to avoid.  You could say our hypothesis about pain is that it is NOT good.  One of the reasons I am writing this is that my 15 year old niece told me recently that she doesn’t do anything that causes her pain. 

Jazz

I am not much of a music guy.  Don’t get me wrong I like music and I can appreciate the role it plays in our society as well as history, I just never really paid much attention.    As far as I was concerned a conductor of an orchestra just waived a wand around and a group of people plucking strings, blowing horns, pushing buttons, and banging things did just that.  And somehow music was made.   For all I knew a C sharp was some type of cheese.  This was obviously my simple mind at work.

Grand Canyon

I completed a 16 mile hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up yesterday, it was one of the toughest things I have done in a long time.  Unlike my aching muscles and dehydrated body which are temporary results of the hike, the canyon itself and completing the hike will leave a lasting impression. I am not sure what name I would have chosen for the canyon but GRAND seems

What is your favorite word?

Have you ever asked yourself; what is your favorite word or what is the most meaningful word in your vocabulary?  If you had one word of advice what would it be? 

Proper Perspective

During a difficult time in my life God showed me the value of a proper perspective.  Our perspective is just that, ours.  What God has planed for us, comes from his unique perspective. 

My Family

My sister and I often joke that we have such a unique family story we should write a book.  Why don’t you be the judge?