Sometimes I wish I could go back to the time when I was young. I miss that precious time. Only one of my sons is married and I have a grandson. All I want to do now is to play with him. He is 14 months old. These days I am still working 12 hours daily. My 4 sons are working just about the same. They building their lives. When each one of my sons became a teenager, they all thought that I had become senile. And thought that I didn’t know or understand anything. As each became a man, they begin to understand that I wasn’t dumb after all. Now when they have a problem, they will come to talk to me about it. You know what is funny, I did the same thing with my dad. My dad and I became close as father and son and as friends when I became an adult. I miss him and he has been gone for 33 years. My youngest son, who was in the military, cuts his hair military fashion. It is called a high and tight haircut. He convinced me to cut my hair the same way. When he finished and I put on my glasses and looked in the mirror, I saw my dad. I began researching my family history. I wanted to see who they were. I can now blame my ancestors for my bald head. I also can blame them for the set of 4 children in each generation. My family means to world to me. The view from the cheap seats is where you can see most everything but not always clearly. The End.

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I learned how to work from my mom and dad. When my dad graduated from high school, he went to work for Western Electric (AT&T) as a lineman. He was making so much money, he was able to buy a new car. He also bought silk suits from the best men’s shop in his town. He did well. Then WWII came along. He met mom before the war, but they decided to wait until he returned from the war. Just in case. When he returned, AT&T gave him his old job back. They wanted him to go to Bermuda. They were setting up their phone system. Mom wanted to go. But dad had traveled the world fighting for freedom. All he wanted to do was stay home. Mom agreed with dad. He went to work for the post office. Then 4 sons came along. Dad worked from sunrise until almost sunset. Mom was a school teacher. They were able to send us to the best high school and to college. Once we, the sons, were finished with school and married, they both retired. Then they bought a motorhome and traveled across the US and Canada. Both of my parents are gone, but I still hear them. They weren’t perfect, but gave their lives to my brothers and I. Their actions taught me how to raise my 4 sons. And how to give my life for them. The view from the cheap seats is where you can see most everything but not always clearly. To Be Continued.

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I get off from work about 6pm each night. It takes about 30 minutes to drive home. One of the jobs I had before, it took an hour to drive one way. Those were long days. I have worked a 12 hour day most of my life. I am not afraid of work. I have been working since I was 13 years old. And in the meantime, graduate from high school and went to college. My college career was interrupted by a national war. I served 6 years in the military. When I came back it was hard to go back to school. I tried but I just wasn’t as young and eager to go to school. Within 6 years, I was married and working. I tried off and on to go back. When I was 42 years old, I went to school to become an EMT. I thought I was brain dead. It was one of the hardest things I ever did. I passed the National Board exam by the skin of my teeth and became a Basic EMT. All the ambulance companies wanted me to work for them. I declined their offers because I didn’t want to pick up dead bodies on the side of the road. I was a teacher for the American Red Cross. And took the course to teach for them. I literally taught every course they offered. I have worked in so many jobs to make ends meet. I have always done what was necessary for my family. I never complained about it because I love my family. The view from the cheap seats is where you can see most everything but not always clearly. To Be Continued.

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It is the funniest thing that people are taught to strive to better than anyone else. We are schooled with this mantra all of our lives. And that if you can’t win honestly, do it any way you can. This has led to many hurt feelings and hatred, not only from others but of ourselves. Well I can’t say that I didn’t do that because I did. And it led to hatred of myself and others. It took a long time for me to get to the place where I would even consider living another way. I had to come to the end of myself. And realize that there is more to life than what I have. I was glad to see another way and hoping that I could live this way. Do you know what happens to a person who doesn’t like or hates themselves? They don’t care what happens to themselves or others. This is where criminal activity comes in. You wonder why they won’t stop. Because they have no hope that anything will change for the better. They are the trash and will do whatever to prove it. And all they needed was someone to tell and show them that they are worth something. I have seen it many times how a kind word or gesture struck with the person all of their life. I couldn’t do this before I met God. He showed me I was worth something. And hope came into my life. I began changing into the person God saw in me. The bible says it this way. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”

“Do all things without murmurings and disputings:” (Philippians 2:3&14, KJV).

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What do you do when no one is looking? We were all raised with families and taught values. Some were good and some were not. But our mothers and fathers tried to show us what was right and real. They wanted our lives to be as good as possible. There is a story I learned of just recently. A 15 year old boy who was taking care of his mother who was disabled. He approached a person in the grocery store and asked them if he could help them in exchange for food. His mother couldn’t work and they didn’t have food in the house. The young boy would work for food to feed themselves. He was a straight A student in school. People responded to the need of this family. This boy on his own went out and did this for his mother and himself. What would you do if no one was looking? What do you believe and does it show in your life? The US Army began teaching values, loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. They did this because they found that these values weren’t being taught at home. And as a whole our society was moving away from these values. The need in our lives has always been for living a purpose driven life with values. We all want our lives to mean something. We want our life to have value. The bible says it this way. “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;” Philippians 1:27, KJV. So what do you do when no one is looking?

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It means you pay your money and you take your chances. It is the way of doing business today. Nothing is sacrosanct. Everything is open to everyone’s interpretation. There are no more hard and fast rules that govern people’s behavior. It is also called Situational Ethics. People change jobs at least 7 times in their lives. The stability and security of life styles are no longer there. Everything is changing and shifting sideways. The most immediate effect is to destabilize the vast majority of people’s lives. What is being played on TV and at the movies? TV has more food, sports and horror shows. Nothing on family values. If it shows anything, it shows that no one is staying true to their mates. And the sad part of it is that fornication and adultery are being promoted as it is ok. There has never been more lies portrayed as the true. It is nothing but lies. And unfortunately it is being believe. Do you know why great civilizations fell? It was because of immorality. Civilization has always been based upon the family. When the family is torn down, then the civilization follows. This country isn’t immune to this tragedy. This country if it doesn’t correct itself will fall into the history books as a sad footnote. You need to take all that is being said on TV, radio, newspapers or the internet with a grain of salt. Only believe what you can prove and throw the rest away. You need to remember that it is buyer beware.

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I have seen many people do good works. People give from their hearts to people less fortunate. I know of one man who was very wealthy and gave half of his income to charity. I have seen my parents reach out to needy people with money or food or clothes. It is heartwarming to see people help other people. I have seen it in the strangest places with a person who wouldn’t be caught dead helping another person. There is something about seeing a need in other people. You see the need because you have been there and understand what is going on. A friend of mine picked up 2 hitchhikers and gave them a ride to Baton Rouge. They were going to rob her, when she offered them a coke and some food. The 2 hitchhikers had a change of heart and told her that she shouldn’t pick up hitchhikers. It was resolved because she reached out to them with her heart. But what comes first, the chicken or the egg? Does the compassion to help people come first or does faith or belief in God that you can make a difference? God is love and has compassion for man. He sent His only Son to die for our sins. So we could come back to God. Good works don’t get you into heaven. And just being a good person doesn’t make it either. God is very specific about how we can enter in. He says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph.2:8,9 KJV).

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Freedom is the cornerstone of our life in America. We will fuss and fight if we don’t have it. People from all over the world come to America just to have freedom. But it seems that most people just don’t want it. It seems strange to say that but it is the truth of the matter. People trade freedom for security or health or for money. And all those things can’t give you the contentment of freedom. It was written into our constitution so that no one could change it. But our government has been changing our freedom to what they can control. So what is freedom? And why is it so precious to us? Our founding fathers began to define it. They wrote down what they thought was good for all the people. Lincoln said it this way, it is for the people, by the people and of the people. So what has changed? What I see is that people aren’t willing to live the life of freedom. I’ll tell you what it isn’t. It isn’t people rioting in the streets. It isn’t the killing of people to get what we want. It isn’t living a life of fear behind our doors. People came to this country and journeyed into the wilderness to secure a life for themselves and their families. They knew that they would probably be killed by whatever. But they went anyway. People who went to live their lives in a way of their choosing. They came to worship God in their own way. They saw an opportunity to live in the freedom that this country offered. So people came to this country with nothing. They didn’t care. They knew that hard work and faith would build a life. Freedom always has responsibilities. Responsibilities toward each other and this country. No one said that this country would be perfect. But with faith in God and hope for the future, you too can build a life of freedom.

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I have 4 sons. My wife and I have raised them to be good men. We have gone through many things with these boys, some good, and some bad. I love them and wouldn’t trade them for anything. Sometimes I wish them were little boys again. I look back at their lives and see that a most precious time was when they were little. When they were dependent upon my wife and I. And I could still shape their destiny. But I have to say they still come to me to talk about important events in their lives. I can remember when I thought my parents were clueless. It took time and hard knocks to convince me that they were really smart. The longer I live the more I believe that one of most grievous things in a parent’s life is bury one of their children. I buried my parents and my younger brother. That was hard enough to go through. All I want for my children is a good life. I don’t care what they do for a living, mostly. I want them to happy with their life. And not to get into trouble of their own making. It is my responsible for the lives of my children. They were given to me to raise and care for. I am accountable to God for my children. They are part of my inheritance from God. Did you know that children are given to you to teach you about life? You don’t become a whole person until you have children. That is why God says, train up a child in the way they should go and when they are older they will not depart from it.

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I have 2 dogs, Olivia and Marley. Olivia is Yorkshire mix. She is about 5 lbs. Marley is a Golden Retriever mix. She is about 50 lbs. And I have a cat named Calli. They all live in the house. Olivia is the mother of this crew. Whatever she says Marley and Calli do. I take the dogs outside between 5am and 6am. I do it just before I go to work. When I go outside it is absolutely silent. All that actually can be heard are the crickets. Olivia and Marley can hear better than I can. So when we are outside I watch them as they go about their business. They will stop and listen and look in the direction of the sound. But I can’t hear a thing. But if they start barking, I have to bring them inside. At that time of day, most people are asleep. It is still dark. But I walk outside and I can hear my own heartbeat. I usually don’t say anything. I can feel the darkness. It wraps me like a blanket. It is just me out there. I always can feel that I am not alone. There is no one out there that I can see. But there is an ever present being walking with me. The silence is so loud that everything is blocked out. I can think clearly. There is nothing to distract me. It is there that I come to myself and understand who I am. As my dogs go about their business, I cry out saying, O Lord, it is I standing here in need of prayer.

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