It's New Year's Eve (Day) and what would have been my Dad's 89th Birthday.
He has been gone for a long time, and I still miss him every day. Aside from teaching me which end of a gun is the dangerous one (no, it's not the one with the little hole in it, it's the one with the operator attached) he imparted a lot of wisdom about family and life in general. Any of you who know me have heard most of this before, but I thought I would impart a few gems, derived from the other things he taught me, as a way to ring out the old year.
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There are only three things you need to do to successfully raise children: Love them, love them, and love them. Of course, you will need to deal with the inevitable "You did what?!" moments, but one of the three things listed above will equip you.
A father's main job is to provide his family with a safe place to learn how to deal with all the crud that life will throw at them. His secondary job is to impart what his father taught him, and what he learned while coping with being an adult, to his children.
Girls will mature faster than boys. Actually, girls will mature, boys will remain 12 years old at the core until they die of old age. The inner Peter Pan keeps old men from being lousy grandfathers.
If you want to learn how to love your children or your spouse, listen to your dog. He does not know how to not love unconditionally. You may have to make a few course corrections, but unconditional love of your family will give you a map to a happy life.
Government is like a laxative. Unless you are really lucky, you will need it every once in a while, but you will be up to your neck in effluent if you rely on it too much.
God will not throw anything your way that you cannot ultimately deal with successfully. You might not enjoy the trip, but arriving at the end of the problem will be worth the grief.
Life is like the little kid who dove into the stable full of horse crap because he knew there was a pony in there someplace. It may be unpleasant, but there's a reward at the end.
Never trust a cat.
Never pet a stray dog. Make him your friend first, but keep your fingers away from his front end while you're doing it.
Engage brain before operating mouth.
Y'all get the general idea. Life is a blessing, and how you deal with its little "opportunities" is entirely up to your own outlook. You'll be happy if you look at the good side of events, and Ebeneezer Scrooge (pre-ghosts) if you don't. It's your choice.
Thanks, Dad. I think you taught me well, and I pray that I'm up to the task of passing it along.
Stay well, and make the best of your opportunities in the New Year.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas Wishes
Is 9:6 KJV
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:11-14 KJV
Just a quick note to wish all who see this a blessed Christmas full of wonder at the gift we celebrate on December 25. Do not forget the reason for the celebration. We are saved by the gift of Christ, entirely undeserved and given by a loving God. Isaiah foresaw it, Luke reported it, and I am blessed to have known it.
Merry Christmas from the Road Less Traveled
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Birthday Wishes
Happy Birthday, Mom. I hope this 44th anniversary of your 39th birthday is as good as they get. We miss you and always hope to see you soon. Stay warm.
And to my nephew Paul, who officially joins the rest of us who are the same age as Jack Benny today, make it the best one ever. We're proud of your nearly 20 years of service with the Navy. (...and mark the last weekend of March on your calendar for Mountain Madness 2010.)
And to my nephew Paul, who officially joins the rest of us who are the same age as Jack Benny today, make it the best one ever. We're proud of your nearly 20 years of service with the Navy. (...and mark the last weekend of March on your calendar for Mountain Madness 2010.)
The More Things Change...
...the more they stay the same.
Last year it was Gracie the kitten in the Christmas tree. This year, it's George the cat. Same cat, same tree, different name, compliments of the vet, who had more practice at determining the sex of a kitten than my wife.
Stay well, and Merry Christmas.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Climate Change
A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be. - Albert Einstein
It's been an interesting day on the Environmental Front. President Oh-Bummer is meeting with OwlGore to discuss climate change, the EPA has declared that CO2 is a threat to public health, and idiots are running around Washington like rats escaping a tenement fire.
Every time I hear a conversation about climate change, I hear the word "consensus", as in "Scientific consensus proves that mankind is contributing to climate change." 500 or so years ago, the "scientific consensus" was that the world was flat, and if you sailed too far, you would fall off the edge. The consensus was once that Earth was the center of the universe. The consensus once was that the proper way to treat a disease was to drain the "evil humors" out of the body with about half of the blood.
Scientific consensus is always wrong. Science is a search for the truth, and the truth is always unknown. Thomas Edison once said, "We don't know one millionth of one percent about anything." He was right. We will never truly understand all there is to know about anything. We have theories that seem to fit the way we observe things working, but the more we observe, the more we discover that our theories are lacking. One brilliant person will get a thought that leads to the discovery of a larger truth that proves the consensus wrong. He will be branded a heretic, denier, or worse, but eventually he will be proved correct.
I am more inclined to believe the one person who has a reasoned and researched objection to consensus, than to fall in line and blindly follow the dumb masses (say it aloud 3 times) who preach the party line. Historically, the heretics have usually been proven correct.
The fact that the EPA has made this "finding" is alarming. We're about to be slammed with regulations on everything that releases anything that might be considered a "greenhouse gas". Look for catalytic converters on cows. The alarming thing is that there is no check and balance mechanism in place that would allow us to modify this ruling. Congress is held in check by the threat of being voted out of office. The EPA can act like the Emperor of the Known Universe and ban things by fiat.
It is time to rise up and let our elected representatives know that we're tired of not being represented. It's time to unite and remind those in positions of power that this country was founded on the principle that "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed". It is time to remove our consent if common sense and freedom are not returned to the thought processes of those who rule us.
Take a look at the quote from Ayn Rand on the right of this page, and use it as a filter to examine this EPA ruling.
Stay well, and keep breathing, despite what the EPA says.
It's been an interesting day on the Environmental Front. President Oh-Bummer is meeting with OwlGore to discuss climate change, the EPA has declared that CO2 is a threat to public health, and idiots are running around Washington like rats escaping a tenement fire.
Every time I hear a conversation about climate change, I hear the word "consensus", as in "Scientific consensus proves that mankind is contributing to climate change." 500 or so years ago, the "scientific consensus" was that the world was flat, and if you sailed too far, you would fall off the edge. The consensus was once that Earth was the center of the universe. The consensus once was that the proper way to treat a disease was to drain the "evil humors" out of the body with about half of the blood.
Scientific consensus is always wrong. Science is a search for the truth, and the truth is always unknown. Thomas Edison once said, "We don't know one millionth of one percent about anything." He was right. We will never truly understand all there is to know about anything. We have theories that seem to fit the way we observe things working, but the more we observe, the more we discover that our theories are lacking. One brilliant person will get a thought that leads to the discovery of a larger truth that proves the consensus wrong. He will be branded a heretic, denier, or worse, but eventually he will be proved correct.
I am more inclined to believe the one person who has a reasoned and researched objection to consensus, than to fall in line and blindly follow the dumb masses (say it aloud 3 times) who preach the party line. Historically, the heretics have usually been proven correct.
The fact that the EPA has made this "finding" is alarming. We're about to be slammed with regulations on everything that releases anything that might be considered a "greenhouse gas". Look for catalytic converters on cows. The alarming thing is that there is no check and balance mechanism in place that would allow us to modify this ruling. Congress is held in check by the threat of being voted out of office. The EPA can act like the Emperor of the Known Universe and ban things by fiat.
It is time to rise up and let our elected representatives know that we're tired of not being represented. It's time to unite and remind those in positions of power that this country was founded on the principle that "Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed". It is time to remove our consent if common sense and freedom are not returned to the thought processes of those who rule us.
Take a look at the quote from Ayn Rand on the right of this page, and use it as a filter to examine this EPA ruling.
Stay well, and keep breathing, despite what the EPA says.
Friday, December 4, 2009
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