The Heart of a Leader

 We all have creative & talented abilities….it’s just a matter of identifying them, nourishing them & utilizing them.  I can do a lot of things, some were very hard to realize, others were more easy & natural but in either case  I never knew I could do anything until I tried.

It’s true our lives are trial & error, but our lives are also hard work & accomplishment.  I play golf recreationally & have always been amazed at the ability of the professionals.  We see them in competition making awesome shots, but what we don’t see is the hours & hours of practice everyday to make that shot.  Throwing & kicking is somewhat natural, swinging a golf club at a small ball is not.  Such is life, it’s what you identify & work at that defines your talents.

But there’s another aspect of being creative & talented at something you do….it’s called heart.   It’s not just the want to create or succeed, it’s the desire to create or do something you love.  We’ve all heard the phrase, “he’s got real heart” when talking about athletes, well the same is true for artists, writers & musicians.

Another example, a sovereign nation being attacked by a foreign invader.  The invaders look at it as a job, the ones under attack look at it as survival.  Both may have the same abilities but whose heart is really in the fight? Not the invaders & that’s why they lose so often.  The heart drives the will & the will to survive is strong in all of us when pressed.  The invaders just wanna go back to their homes, while they destroy someone else’s.

In this world there are two types of leaders…Commanders & Conquerers.  Commanders utilize their best assets to accomplish a better life for their nation.  Conquerers just wanna make their life & legacy better regardless of the pain & suffering they cause.

So I ask you, what good does it do to conquer a nation just to have them hate you & conspire against you?  I can tell you…it does no good.  On the other hand a leader who commands with compassion will work to form allies & strengthen their charge.

Today as we watch a golf match on TV, we also see war on our screens.  Our country is blessed to not be at all out war right now with another nation.  But it seems as though we are at some kinda war internally, which emboldens our enemies.  You can not win a war against anybody….if you’re at war with yourself.

I have a simple request…identify & utilize your talents to better yourself & the world you live in.  You know why I requested that?  Because I was requested the same thing many years ago.  I have tried to accomplish this request & feel I have certainly bettered myself, but the world around me still lies in tatters.  

This blog is part of my efforts to better the world around me…I hope & pray I’ve wrote something somewhere that speaks to you, encourages you, uplifts you spiritually & calms you emotionally.  If I have done that for someone at sometime than I have accomplished the request asked of me.  

But, the watch never stops & the watch never ends, so the request is more of a challenge to be a Commander, rather than a Conquerer.  To lead from the front, rally those in the trenches & take the ultimate risk….rather than bark orders from the back, sip unwarranted champagne & sit in relative comfort.

True leadership is not always found with those who have  the most to gain, but rather the most to lose.  True leaders are not always the smartest or the strongest in any lot….but they always are the ones with the biggest heart.   ✨

Psalm 65 

Slums in Paradise

 

Ever had only five dollars to your name with no other sure outcome of income coming your way?  Ever been so hungry you’d eat sticks & grass? Ever been so tired you could fall asleep under a busy overpass?  Ever been so thirsty you didn’t care what the water looked like?  Ever been so hot & sweaty you couldn’t stand your own stench? Ever been down to your last meal, but you split it with your buddy? Ever been so close to death all you could think about was one more breath?  I wonder, I really wonder how many in their privileged & pampered world could answer yes to even one of those questions.  

There are quite a few new readers to this blog & I thank you for spending some time here.  Those that know me know I have been homeless several times in my life, some by choice, some by chance & some for cause, but every time I learned something that even though I couldn’t understand then….I’m grateful for now.

I left home at 16, the first, but certainly not the last time I hit the hi-way for greener destinations.  At this stage of my life I am far, far from that feeling of uneasiness & unknowing.  Because thru all those trials & tribulations, thru all the tears & triumph’s, I realize they had purpose.  

I can answer yes to all those questions in the 1st paragraph, some with multiple yes’s.  But, I am far, far from those early days of feeling homeless, hungry, thirsty, tired & out of breath.  You see for even if I find myself in troubled times again…..I will never feel hapless, hopeless & homeless because I have confidence, extreme confidence in my faith in God, my knowledge & abilities as well as the kindness & generosity of most of my fellow man kind.

The homeless situation in this country has gotten way outta hand.  And my opinions & knowledge born of experience & research are documented thruout various posts in this blog, but those thoughts & feelings changed a bit yesterday as I saw a side of homelessness I hadn’t seen before.

I went for a walk & found several homeless camps, all unoccupied at the time, but none the less every bit active encampments.  One in particular was one of the main camps.  Set back off the road a bit in the woods there were 6 tents and so much trash it looked more like a dump site rather than a camp site.  I will have to go back & get some pics to justify my “dump site” comment but you’ve seen the news reports, videos & pictures….this was a site I never seen when I was on my solitary travels.

Today many of the homeless are homeless cause they wanna be.  There’s a segment of useless, ungrateful, lazy, theiving, drug & alcohol abusing scum bags that dominate the news cycles & what we see, hear & think about the homeless.  And then there’s the silent majority who are just trying to find their way & survive another night.

The degenerates that are wreaking havoc on the streets of the homeless today are however a product of our society.  We cannot cast blame on someone who has been exposed to our own shameless greed & deeds. But, we all make our choices in life & just like the privileged businessman who throws out his Starbucks cup on the side of the road, so the ungrateful vagabond sleeps in his dump site.  They are both the same internally only the external perception is different…both contribute to the fasad of our Nation.

There are simple explanations & solutions to our most misunderstood & complex issues.  But keep this thought in mind in your daily quests & life’s journey… Before you cast ridicule on the less fortunate, take heed of your own fortune & don’t take it for granted, your life can change in so many ways in an instant & it may be you out there one day scraping for your next meal.

But just as important….to those less fortunate out there…don’t give the privileged the ability & the reason to despise you…take care of what little house you have even if it’s just a back pack…clean up yourself & clean up after yourself.  Don’t expect me to give you food for your belly & then clean up your crap afterwards.  

Let’s work this out & work together to strengthen & clean up  our Nation….from the classiest country clubs to the meanest darkest streets…so different, yet so same. What good does it do to drive to the Hollywood Hills when you gotta go through slums to get there?  The whole drive should be safe & clean, but we gotta lotta work to do….and it’s more than any one person can possibly do alone.

The goodness in our country will prevail if we hold to Gods teachings, our faith in a better world to come & approach our issues from compassion & understanding.  The evil in this world will be destroyed & fade into distant memory so it can not pollute our recent thoughts.  It’s just a matter of when, not if.

I pray for a better world, I know it is at hand & I hope you’re along for its glorious ride.  Be safe & be grateful.  🙏✝️🇺🇸🦅😎🐝

Ezekiel 34:17-31  }…… Book of Titus 

Wildflowers

If you got a moment, which I assume you do cuz you’re here, I’d like to discuss my feelings on a controversial word (of sorts) in our society today.

That word is…..prayer.

What do you think of when you hear, read or say the word prayer?  Until today I thought prayer was reserved for my personal conversation with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit….the Holy Trinity.  But in, and as part of my conversations….I ask questions.

Rarely, really rarely….have I ever got immediate responses to my questions.  But as you know…patience is a virtue.  So answers develop and some have yet to be or may never be answered.  But today I got one and I cried about it during & afterwards a bit & maybe you’ll understand why if I can explain this properly….I will certainly try.

Prayer can & should be more than religious ceremony.  Prayer can & should be shared & joined in togetherness to strengthen its resolve. So we bow our heads & pray to the Trinity….but what do we do if we wanna talk to someone besides the Holy Trinity, say our deceased grand-father…is that prayer?  What is it then? It’s not a séance, I just wanna talk to gramps…let ‘em know I’m thinking about him & need some advice….even if it takes years to get it.   Its not prayer in the strict sense of course, you’re not worshipping gramps, you’re not idolizing him, he’s just another soul your spirit can reach out to….so what is it?   I call it spiritual meditation.   I guess in a sense you’re praying to gramps cuz he’s passed from this Earth, but the word prayer, I feel, should be reserved for the Trinity.

So why the controversy?  Well if I told you that I talk to spirits & souls you’d roll your eyes.  If I said, I’m praying to Jesus & my gramps, you’d think that’s cool (I hope).  

So the answer moment…..Mid day I’m putting some CD’s on to listen to and I put in disk 2 of Tom Pettys The Best of Everything & the first track is “Wildflowers”.   I have numerous issues & reasons to pray as we all do & many blessings to be thankful for, but as the words to that song played out in that moment…. I looked to the sky and said in my meditation…..Hey Tom, thanks for a wonderful song & by the way…what would you do about???...I checked myself….& thru my tear filled eyes I wondered, was that wrong?  And instantly a word popped in my head…..No.

He didn’t answer me, the lyrics & his song did…from His Spirit thru his spirit.  In that moment I realized it’s ok to ask for help, it doesn’t always have to involve the Trinity.  Hey, they need a break now & then from all those prayer requests.  So spread the spiritual wealth a bit thru spiritual meditation & the strict religious zealots that think it’s a sacrilege….well, they’re just wrong about that.

So here’s the real point I’m trying to make.  How much time do you spend a day in prayer?  How much time do you spend in spiritual meditation?  I’ll hazard a guess that a few minutes a day in prayer be bout average, I dunno.  Ok, how bout you expand your quiet moments a bit more and pick out 2 or 3 role models in your life, alive or dead, famous or not & just have a personal private conversation, you’re not worshipping….you’re talking.

If I tell someone I prayed for 2 hours today, they’d think man that dudes got issues.  If I say I meditated for 2 hours today they’d think, man where do you find the time, wish I could do that, good for you.

Thus the controversy….prayer is meditation to the Trinity, meditation can be a spiritual tool you can use to guide you on your life’s journey.  Jesus is not the only one who can help you, there’s lots of Guardian Angels out there…& there’s no controversy in reaching out to them in good or bad times, or anytime in your private moments.  

If you spend an extra few minutes a day reaching out to your heroes thru spiritual meditation I believe you’ll find it can have both emotional & calming benefits & there is no sacrilege cuz there’s no idolization.

Tom Petty is one of my heroes, his lyrics & music are prophetic & I know his spirit touched millions of his fans…so why not say Howdy now & then….I know he’d appreciate it…he’s not learning to fly anymore, he’s got his wings for sure.  But…it gets lonely sometimes just cruising the clouds.

Thank you Tom & the Heartbreaker band members & back stagers who brought his music to us….it’s part of our history & I for one am grateful I was alive & could share in a bit of his story.

As the moon rises on another night, I long to be free in a mountain side full of wildflowers, looking out to sea.

Have a spectacular day, say a prayer for Love. ✝️

Ecclesiastes Chapters 3.4 & 5

Familiar Faces

 Are you, who you are? Am I, who I am?

Are we, who is? Are they, who we think they are?

Do you see, what I see?  If you don’t, I can help.

Maybe if you see, like I see….

You can be, all you wanna be.

Conversation…face to face.  It seems to be a lost art with some folks.  So many have retreated into a safe zone physically, personally & spiritually because of the looming perceived & realistic threats out there.  The explosion of available media out there adds to the hysteria caused by non stop violence & misdeeds.

Be that as it is, when was the last time you talked for more than 2 minutes with a total stranger?  Not the check out guy at the auto parts store, or the clerk at the supermarket, but a total stranger in a less than controlled environment, like a parking lot or sidewalk.

Many of you can’t & that’s understandable with all the stuff we see on the news going on.  But you know….there is a world out there bigger & better than the television, computer screen or phone.

So conversation….what would make you comfortable if approached by a perceived total stranger?  Here’s a few possible answers:

1) Facial recognition   2) Voice familiarity

3) perceived as friendly  4) Dressed ok

5) not smelling like booze 6) Clear eyed & well spoken

The first two are most important & key to any….any conversation.  Facial expressions & vocal tone set the stage for the whole interaction, given the other 4 are acceptable.

I had 5 such interactions today & neither myself or the other 5 folks ever felt threatened or anything like that….and I was the stranger.  We all learned a bit about each other & our unique situations and if we ever meet again, we may forget a name, but faces & voices seem to stick in our memories.

So I ask you….again….what makes you comfortable with a stranger?

Here’s a possible answer…..you don’t know, you can’t explain or express it.  It’s  just a feeling, a gut check, a mental note of easiness with this other person, or something that clicks your friend or foe sensors in a good friendly way.  That’s a great answer really.  Because all those answers & there’s seven listed, are good answers.  But the 1st answer really sums up the other 6….you just don’t really know.

May I introduce a foreign concept to you?  You don’t need to know….that’s right you don’t know what you don’t know, so don’t fake it.  If it is destined for you to meet & spend time with someone, even for 2 minutes, & you felt at ease…..how cool is that!  You know why…because it was meant to be & was possibly set in motion long before you ever thought about it….consciously.  Really you say….how’s that?

Well, if you frequent this blog you will know my feelings, thoughts & dare I say facts….about our dreams & what happens or can happen in the deepness of the night, when your mind is free to wander, as well as being wandered into.  Think about it, if you dreamt meeting someone, then that familiar face/voice shows up for unknown reasons, you may “subconsciously” be at ease with the person.  The same holds true when we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory….anything of familiarity can bring comfort to a troubled mind.

And….if you can connect with the mind of anybody thru real face to face conversation maybe, just maybe, you can share a piece of each others soul & spirit.  Brings a whole new meaning to “Deja Vu” doesn’t it…thanks CSN&Y for a great album & classic rock song bout that by the way.  

You see God doesn’t always work in mysterious ways….sometimes it’s just a harmless dream about a conversation.

Have a great evening, should be a nice moon along with other things to help guide even the hungry & homeless to a comfortable destination. Bee safe 🐝

Oh, that’s my pet dragon…we’ll talk later 🦎

Psalm 19 

A Rough Day

 I don’t ever question my faith…..but I certainly question my ability to live up to what I have faith in.  We all have our ups & downs, good & bad days, today was a rough day.  It doesn’t matter who, what, where, or why…all I know is I had a wonderful day yesterday & today not so much.

So what do I do about it….I can’t change the past, but I can try to make each minute better as I strive for a better future.  Often hard to do when we dwell on the past.  So how to make tomorrow better?

Strengthen your faith. Remember your past, live in the present & strive for a better future with faith in God.

I don’t know where my faith is going to take me, but this day is over & tomorrow is Sonday & I for one look forward to a better day, 

As I write with no one to talk to but distant thoughts & recent memories I remember my own words that said in the Lord there’s always someone to talk to.  So I shut my eyes & talk to God, I open my eyes & read His Words, then I look & listen to understand the deeper meanings.

As my attitude changes for the better, my spirit feels stronger, my outlook on things changes & I realize my rough day was nothing, absolutely nothing compared to so many in this world.

We are so blessed to live in the U.S.A..  You talk to anyone…anyone with open eyes who has seen some of the world outside our borders & they will tell you this.

Talk to the right people who have been there & you’ll hear horror stories that are common place in some countries & cultures.  In this country some folks demand openly their right to self mutilization because of their gender confusion….in other countries you’d be hung or beheaded for being gay.  And yet these very same “oppressed” individuals in this country will cheer the very ideologicies of these world order dictators.

We are as a whole characterized by our words & actions.  We are as a whole a product of our environment.   The old saying “garbage in equals garbage out” has taken hold of a portion of our society.  

Yesterday was a rough day….because of the environment that was created by unscheduled events.  It set into motion a change in five different peoples plans for the day….which as you can imagine did not set the day off to a good start…which was around 7AM yesterday.  This strained environment lasted thru the day & eventually upset the day of a few other folks as well.  Fortunately no punches were thrown & we all got thru the day…..& now is the morning of a new day.

I am reminded of the promises of yesterday.

I am reminded of the lessons I learned long ago.

I am grateful to have traveled this far…..safely.

You are the key to your happiness.  No matter how scrambled your thoughts…prioritize & organize them….and you’ll begin to see what’s really important in this life.  God help us all if we ever as a whole lose our faith….Stand strong & proud America….there’s always a new day…..Have a spectacular SonDay🙏✝️

Freedom of Life

 The Soldier marches thru time

The Sailor sails unknown seas

The Airman watches from on high

The Marine stands the watch

The Merchant Marine carries a heavy load 

& the Coast Guard patrols the shallows

All to guard a sacred freedom.  A freedom that so many take for granted.  But the true cost of freedom lies in the lands, seas & skies of those forgotten by those same who take sacrifice for granted.

Those of us who cherish freedom, real freedom, know the difference.  For it’s not just freedom of choice….oh no it’s more than that….it’s freedom of life.  Too many in this country have not had their life, their basic freedom to live, ever challenged.  They are riding on the coat tails of American patriots & heroes as they put down the very ideals that formed, built & sustained this country.  Now as they chase their fantasy utopia they’re creating a realistic dystopia.

You see while some worry about trivial cultural nonsense & race baiting….real threats to our freedom of life are at stake.  To name  a     few….China/Taiwan….Russia/ Ukraine….Israel/ Iran….cartels/U.S. Borders….all of these issues can & do effect our national security, while our Congress passes bills to combat something we can’t control…the weather, instead of tax dollars to defend your real freedom of life as well as those threatened by world order dictators around the globe.  

Your freedom of life is dependent on those Soldiers, Sailors, Airman, Marines, Merchants & Guardsmen being able to properly defend that freedom.  Better wake up America & spend your precious dollars wisely or your freedom of life could disappear before your very eyes & in your lifetime.  🇺🇸