Each Feb.14, St. Valentine’s Day continues to be the day to signify true love for every age.
It’s supposed to be when people in love send their significant other a small gift or token to mark their true feelings — the staples of the ancient tradition being cards, chocolates, flowers or a small piece of jewelry.
JAN. 30, 2019- Already packed with more momentous events than any other, the shortest month of the year may become even more significant with a possibly historic state of the union address that almost wasn’t; now scheduled for the first Tuesday in February.
President Trump is expected to tout a healthy economy with good if not record figures for job growth, low unemployment in all racial, ethnic and gender categories, slightly higher wages and lower taxes.
For three years in a row, years ago, I kept asking for a backscratcher, a bamboo one like my parents bought when we were in Korea. First I hinted, then I plainly stated, and then I outright demanded that I wanted one for Christmas. When I didn’t get it the third year, I went out finally found one in a dollar store. It had to be bamboo, you know; bamboo works best for scratching a back, I don’t know why. I’ve tried the plastic version with a clawed hand at a friend’s house, and it doesn’t provide the same “oh yeeeeeah” climax of soothing relief.
Many, many years ago a friend of mine started a one-meal-a-day diet. He only ate supper, and from the vague description he gave me it was a big meal. He also exercised three days a week, running four miles and doing pushups and situps and other things. We even started practicing fighting with wooden swords together in his garage, and eventually we developed a two-minute routine in which it really looked like we were trying to kill each other.
Life is filled with thoughts and ideas. Many spend their time trying to keep busy because they do not want to think about what God expects from them. The strategy is to live in a state of distraction so their conscience will never have the occasion to pause and ponder about the true meaning of life. Everyone is unique and that's what makes life interesting but I was thinking the other day about how many are always on the go and never sit still for a moment unless they are forced to stop.
Even though it rarely crosses our mind, there is always someone listening to what we are saying. Words are not just meaningless sounds but were created to communicate and most importantly to relay God’s thoughts. They contain the power to influence and persuade the listener which means those who speak are being held accountable for their intentions. Words that are presented from a negative attitude can cause much damage while words spoken from a heavenly influence are filled with life and can bring hope, faith, and encouragement.
The only thing I remember from my two years in Japan is an aroma. But it wasn’t until eleven years later, when I was fourteen, that I remembered I had a memory of it. My mother bought a local version of Cracker Jack that day, and I recall opening the bag on the couch in front of the TV in the living room, and suddenly the snoz part of my brain lit up.
I’m sure that most of us have dreamed about accomplishing something but discovered that our goal was not going to be easy. Some individuals, maybe yourself, became so determined to succeed that nothing could prevent them from achieving their vision. So, what causes a person to be so passionate and excited about what they love and where do we find this ability to focus and the internal drive to persevere even in the face of incredible resistance and seemingly impossible challenges? Can anyone develop a persistent never-give-up attitude?
My daughter, Ricochet, started accusing me of being a hoarder. I pointed out that I did not have stacks of newspapers and boxes and tubs of old junk sitting around on the floor of my house, but she insisted that I held on to too much stuff. How she knew what stuff I kept in my closets and drawers, I didn’t understand. But eventually I realized it was all a ruse. She was distracting me from catching on to the reality that she was hoarding her stuff in my garage. She is the hoarder. She just isn’t hoarding in her own house!
Growing older is like a train rolling down the track and no matter how many botox injections, vitamins, or hair plugs, we cannot stop the reality of our mortality. There is nothing wrong with trying to look young and we agree that dieting and exercise would surely be a healthy and positive lifestyle but the hourglass only contains so much sand. As the days keep ticking away, we are reminded to not put off until tomorrow what we can do today because we are not sure how many tomorrows we will have. If you want a big juicy steak for heaven's sake go have one.
