Tag Archives: family

Having a Merry Christmas…

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For most of my life, I have worked in retail. I liked the work because I came in contact with people. All throughout the year I would see people shop for sporting goods or food. One year they decided that I would be a door greeter around the Christmas holidays. It was interesting to interact and watch people as the holidays got closer. First was Thanksgiving. People began to shop for food and decorations for Thanksgiving and Christmas. People smiled and greeted me warmly. There wasn’t a grumpy person among them. People would ask about Black Friday deals. I usually had flyers about the deals. Thanksgiving was about food, family and friends and also football. It was a happy time of year.

Then came Black Friday. I was there at the front of the store were everything was stacked up on pallets. One year when they opened the doors at 6am, people came in like a stampeded herd. Then they started throwing TV and other large boxed items at each other to get whatever they wanted. I jumped up on the register counter just to get out of the way. Today is different. You have to get a ticket to get an item or buy it online.

From Black Friday on the mood changed. People were not smiling any more. They came into the store grumbling. I greeted them with a smile and they mumbled under their breath. Only one time did they actually curse at me. But the smiles were gone. The mood had changed. Because you can literally go bankrupt buying gifts for every person in sight. We, our family, decided the we would pull names to buy a gift for the adults. Anyone could buy gifts for the children. This saved a lot of money. We also made pastries and pies for neighbors and other people.

Christmas is a special time of year. It is a time to think about family present and past. It can be a very lonely time if you aren’t surrounded by people who love and appreciate you. And of course, there is Santa Clause. He actually was a real person. Nicholas of Myra, Turkey. He would give food and clothes to poor people in his parish. He was Bishop Nicholas of Myra and Bari, Turkey. He lived in the 4th century. Saint Nicholas is a patron saint in the Roman Catholic and the Russian Orthodox churches. His example of caring for people is a goal we should have not only in this time of year, but whenever the need arises. You want to get out of the Christmas slump. Start giving to people who can’t return the favor. Help someone in need and watch what happens in your life.

I want to wish you and your family a very blessed and joyous Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Christmas Season 2025…

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We are in the Christmas Season. That time of year where we begin to think about different things. What we think about depends on how old you are. We all look forward to presents, but if you are a child, less than 12 years old, it is toys and more toys. Today is my birthday and being 15 days before Christmas, my parents decided to make my birthday about clothes. Christmas would be reserved for toys. My younger brother’s birthday was on December 5th. I can remember some of the toys. One Christmas I received a set of pistols and holster from the TV show “Have Gun will Travel”. I still have one of the pistols.

As I grew older, Christmas became about family. All my family, parents, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents would gather at our home for the Christmas meal and fellowship. All the men were in the front room watching football. All the ladies were in the kitchen cooking the meal and talking. All the cousins were outside playing. All my first cousins are boys. Growing up we played on the same football and baseball teams. Of the 9 first cousins on my mother’s side, there are only 6 of us left. With most families, my family lives across the country. My sons and there families join us for Christmas. But I miss 30 to 40 members of my family filling my home. My grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles are all gone. We are now the older generation.

I miss my family terribly. What we did for Christmas was to make memories that would last a life time. Make sure that you and your family make memories that last. Because once the time slips by and you don’t, you can’t go back.

I pray that you and your family have a blessed Christmas.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joeseph1637.com

Who is in Control?

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If you look around yourself and the world, you will see people trying to control their lives and the world around them. People are scurrying to control their destiny or reality. To shape what happens to them by being in control. Except that control is an illusion. When the Covid pandemic started in 2020, what little control people had disappeared in a cloud of smoke. It is not to say that we don’t have some control. We do, but the real control over our lives is not ours. There is always something larger that controls our destiny.

We chose our paths when we are young. We are influenced by our circumstances and situations are we grow up. Even if we had the perfect circumstances in our lives, there is always something that will skew our lives in a different direction. My dad, after he came home from WWII, wanted to go to college to be an engineer. He married my mom and settled down and was attending university. Then my mom became pregnant with my older brother. Dad quit college and began to work to provide for his family. As I got older and began reading our evening newspaper, I would see engineering problem written on the newspaper. Dad never returned to college.

The bible says that when we are young, we can go where we want. But when you are old, you are led where you don’t want. Understanding who we are and where we belong in the universe is the questions we have to solve in our lives. Everyone knows from the beginning of our lives who is in control of the universe. It has been written in our hearts and minds. I see many people struggle against this knowledge over their lifetime. You see there is only one person who is in control of our lives and the universe and His name is Jesus.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Not Remembering the Past.

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There is a saying by George Santayana from The Life of Reason. It says, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” King Solomon said the same thing in the book of Ecclesiastes about 3000 years ago. He said, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” The difference is what we choose to remember and do. It is so easy to forget about this detail or that one. Life crowds in on us and we just forget. But time has a way of catching up with us.

Everyone knows what due diligence is. It is being mindful of what is going on around us. It is being particularly aware of what we have to do and how it is going to be accomplished. Sometimes that acute awareness starts when we are young. But sometimes people remain clueless as their life drifts into the void.

I have studied my families history. How 4 families over 400 years have come together in my family. You know what I have seen over those 400 years? I have watched them grown up, be educated, marry, have children and eventually die. They build a life for their immediate family and around their extended family. Some were farmers, some merchants, some pirates, some doctors, but all believing that they were providing for their family. One thing struck me is that they all learned from their previous family, whether good, bad or indifferent.

And in that remembering, we can not only see our ancestors, but we see ourselves and our children and grandchildren. It is because there is nothing new under the sun.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

Life is it’s own Reality show.

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Life starts out the same for most people. We grow up going to school and learn what we can do in this life. If life hasn’t beaten you down by the time you graduate from high school. There is a chance that you will be able to accomplish your dreams. There was a big fade 25 years ago, to begin teaching your children at 4 or 5 years old. Wanting them to have an advantage over the other children in school. What happened is that all the children seem to catch up to each other at age 7. In Texas, every child must be 7 years old to start 1st grade. Their high school graduation rate is 90%. Then 62% go on to college. College diploma doesn’t mean that you will be successful. There are plenty of examples of people with a high school diploma that went into technical work that have succeeded. Did you know that Caterpillar Equipment company is paying 6 figures for high school entry jobs. It’s not about your education that counts. It’s is about what you want in life and are willing to pursue it.

I look at the news and it hasn’t changed since I was a kid. Someone is always threatening to go to war over something or other. This restaurant has a bigger, better burger than any one else. Everything is always to expensive and prices are going up. And the President of the US, that we elected, isn’t worth anything. The strange thing about all that is that life goes on. People are being born, growing up, going to school, getting married, having kids and getting old. It doesn’t stop for anyone. Life in every generation repeats itself. And if you astute enough to recognize this, you can take advantage of it.

You know what the sad part of this whole drama, is that with all the getting, education, money, things and power, people still don’t know what they are looking for. We have heard the saying, that being rich is never enough. The answer is very simple. It isn’t always easy, but it is simple. And simple isn’t stupid. There is a hole in us that can’t be filled with education, money, things or power. There is only one thing that will fill that void in us. It is the love of one man, Jesus Christ. With that love, we can live our lives because it will have meaning. Then when we are through with this life, we can go home to heaven with a grateful heart. This is the reality of life.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

When your Son goes to War.

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My older brother and I went to war, but I never thought about what our parents felt. When my son’s unit was called to war, Iraqi Freedom, my wife and I joined the Family Support Group for his company. My son didn’t know anything about war. Their training was intense for the type of combat they would experience. The US military trains troops to be able to fight a war. But the impact of war can only experienced first hand. All the troops were 18 to 30 years old and none had ever experienced the string of battle. Their bravado was strong, but I saw the fear of the unknown in their faces. You can’t teach how you will react in the middle of battle. All you can do is train and let muscle memory take over in combat.

While our son was deployed, my wife and I stayed busy with supporting troops with care packages of food and any other needs. We live in southwest Louisiana. The number one request for food items was Tony Chachere seasoning in the individual packets. The second request was Community Coffee, dark roast. We sent individual packages for each birthday in the company. We stayed busy because it was a shooting war. Out of the 150 members of the company, 36 were killed in Iraq and there were more wounded. While he was there, we were able to live video link with our son on Facebook. When I saw him, he had lost weight and had a serious look to him. He came home on his two week vacation during 4th of July. We went to the park to see the fireworks and every time an overhead bomb went off, he would jump. It was the ravages of war.

Before he was deployed, we had a serious discussion about death. Not only were we concerned for his safety, but that he would be seeing death up close and personal. My wife and I had to place him in the hands of God for his safety and our own sanity. While he was there, his best friend was killed. That morning his captain allowed him to call home. I answered and the first thing I asked was are you wounded. He said no, it is worst. He couldn’t tell me over the phone, but I figured it out. He took it hard and began to feel guilty for surviving. The effects of war are not only on the soldier, but on his family. It took a while for our son to transition from combat to regular life. The effects of war.

We survived and he came home. 2 more sons served in the military, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. It has been 20 years since they served and we are still feeling the effects of the war, but thank God not as much. I was watching soldier’s family reunions on Youtube and it all came flooding back.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

The 4th of July.

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As an American, I celebrated the founding of our country. I marvel at the efforts put for by our founding fathers to create this nation. Our nation is not so different than many others that were founded throughout the ages. Mankind has not changed since the beginning of time. Technology has come a long way, but who we are has not. We live longer because of discoveries, but people are people. All you have to do is to read the history of anybody throughout the ages. And the pattern of who we are will emerge.

The first thing that comes to mind is family. It is the very first institution ever invented, both in mankind and animals. Then there is work to feed yourself and your family, then there is shelter and last but not least is clothing. Our basic needs have never changed. There is an old saying that is true, history repeats itself. Since the beginning, how many times has fathers worried about caring for their family? How many times have mothers been concerned about their families safety?

My son was being deployed to Iraq several years ago. As our family gather with others to see their sons and daughters off to war, I started watching people. Some were laughing, some were crying, some soldiers held their children as I wondered how many times has this gathering occur since this country was founded. As I was watching all the people, a song kept playing in my head. The song was “Johnny has gone for a soldier”. It is a song from the American Revolution.

We may all speak differently, have different origins, believe in different religions and are culturally different. But as a people we are the same. We all have the same desires for family, freedom, being able to provide and protect our families. So, I celebrate this 4th of July by remembering who we are and what was started in this country 400 years.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

To Life and Perspective

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This happened about 10 years ago. A young friend of mine married for the first time. The father of the bride asked his daughter what she wanted to do. He was going to give her a set amount of money and she could spend like she wanted. She and her Fiance and Parents sat down and planned a modest wedding, by some accounts. She didn’t want an ostentatious wedding. She was going to have a nice wedding and keep some of the money for their future. She didn’t spend thousands of dollars on a wedding dress, but it was beautiful. The groom wore a suit and looked handsome.

Her mother fell off a ladder the Monday before the wedding and broke her foot and took 7 stitches in her head. She said she was going to the wedding come hell or high water. She look good and her sons helped her to her place in church. They have 6 six kids, 4 girls and 2 boys. The wedding was lovely. It wasn’t over the top. The daughter used her money wisely and planned everything. Even the 86 year old grandmother looked good. Grandma was going to her granddaughter’s wedding to celebrate life. She got up and danced several times. She had to be assisted to the dance floor by 2 men. But she was going to dance at her granddaughter’s wedding. The mother with the broken foot hardly left the dance floor. The dad talked to everyone and danced with his wife and everyone that asked him. The food was good and party was fun. They all came to celebrate life itself. Everyone had a smile on their face. They didn’t throw rice when the couple left which is traditional. They blew bubbles. In all it was a really sweet time for the family and all the guest. This is about what God gives to us on this earth. Life is hard enough as it is, but God wants to enjoy and celebrate our lives. As it says in the bible: Ecclesiastes 8:15 “Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.”

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

It’s Christmas Season again.

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Black Friday is today and Cyber Monday is to come. In my many years in retail, my favorite time of year has always been Thanksgiving. People would come into the store with a smile. It is because Thanksgiving as apposed to Christmas, is a time about friends, family and food. There is always too much food and discussions about anything and everything. Unfortunately, Christmas has become commercial. Tis the season to spend all the money you have to try and stay up with your family or neighbors expectations. The real reason for Christmas seems to be shoved aside. Usually for unnecessary things that don’t last more than a few months. I know that businesses have been trying to recover from the Covid pandemic. It seems that the thought of the gift is not as important as the price. Which makes it very hard to give to people. As I have gotten older, I see the value in the thought of the gift, than the price.

My maternal grandmother, after granddaddy died, lived on Social Security. She lived on $125/month. My mom and her two sister’s helped her with the bills. When it came to Christmas, my grandmother had this inner sense of what to get her grandchildren. Her gifts were never expensive, but she knew what to get for us. She would give gifts that were tailor made for us. She was always amazing. She could make cookies faster than anyone I knew. Yes, I loved my grandmother. She was a real blessing in my life. And I miss her very much. I miss my whole family.

Christmas started as a point in time to celebrate the birth of Jesus. He really was born in the springtime, right before Passover. In Israel, winter is the rainy season and no one can travel around the countryside with any ease. Caesar called for the taxation in the springtime allowing everyone to travel to the cities of their birth. When Jesus was born, there was much celebration. Western culture chose December 25th as the date of Jesus’ birth. Saint Nicholas lived in the 3rd and 4th century. His was a bishop of Patara in Asia Minor. He would give food and gifts to the children. This is where the custom of Christmas began. In Holland, Saint Nicholas day in celebrated. He is called Sinterklaas. Translated into English, it is Santa Claus.

Christmas has never been about gift giving. It has always been about giving of yourself to others, your time, your attention and yes your money. Saint Nicholas never sought gifts in return. He did it out of the love in his heart for Jesus. This is what Christmas is about. Find someone that you know that can’t return a gift and give yourself instead. And be blessed in this season of giving love to one another.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com

There are Good and Bad Conseqences.

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Consequences, most people think about bad ones instead of good ones. There are both good and bad consequences. Sometimes making a bad choice turns into a good one. Those are few and far between. For the most part, we think that our decisions are the right ones. The bible says that man thinks he is right in his own eyes. Until everything goes south quickly. Then we are in fix it mode and try not to tell anyone about. Unless it is monumental and we can’t get out of it. I am not saying that everything we choose is bad. The good is mixed in there with the bad. Unfortunately there is more bad than good. And you know that this is true.

I am writing this because my mother in law died last Saturday. Her life, as far as I saw was that mixture of good and bad. I have plenty of good memories about her, but the bad memories have influenced her family far greater than the good ones. My wife would go to her aunt for advice and comfort, knowing that she could not or would not talk to her mother about whatever. My mother in law had progressive dementia the last few years of her life. My father in law is a decent man, but he also made good and bad choices. Everyone has. There is no getting out of them, unless God changes the circumstances. Both my father and mother in law are Christians. I have seen them live a life for Jesus. So I know where my mother in law is, in heaven. Her trials and tribulations are over. I am grieving for my mother in law. Not only for her absence, but for our family and the legacy that she left behind.

When we think that we are completely right, that is when we need to look at what we have done in this world. To see whether or not it was right. Or whether we need to change our ways. We need to stop and consider what our decisions have done to our family and in general the world around us. And if we judge rightly with the wisdom of God then we can be satisfied with the decisions we have made. God bless and keep you wherever you go.

Crain Blanchard.

Joseph1637@juno.com

Joseph1637.com