Mom

Mom.  Three little letters that carry so much weight on my heart and soul that I honestly cannot think of another woman that has walked this earth that I would rather have play the part as my mother.  Her love is endless. 
She raised me with more grace and mercy than I could have ever imagined.  And I can only hope that one day I have as much patience with my own child that she has with me.
There has not been one moment that she has steered me wrong.  She always knew just what to say to build me up and make me feel better when I was down and out.  And her lessons made such an impression on my mind that I crave the opportunity to pass on the knowledge to my son.

She taught me to clean my room so that I would know how to clean and care for my home.

She taught me how to cook Mac-n-cheese, hamburgers and homemade pizza so that I would know who to cook a meal to place upon the dining room table.

She taught me how to care for a flower, when I was younger, so that as a grownup, I would know how to tend a garden.

She taught me how to be sweet and kind so that, when I grew into my own as a man, I would know how to run my home with a gentle and loving hand. 

She rocked and cuddled me as a child so that, when I had a boy of my own and he would bang his head hard, I would know the importance of comforting a child and making him smile again.

She taught me how to sing alto with a sharp ear for music, therefor, paving the path that would lead me to learn tenor and bass and the ability to switch between the four parts with precision timing and tone. 

She taught me how to run a budget so that when I had one of my own, I would have the stability my family would need and my wife would look for in the years to come.

She taught me, as a child, that I could do anything.  So, when life not only threw a curve ball, but threw a monkey wrench in my gears that brought everything to a gear-wrenching, grinding, smoky halt, I would do what needed to be done to put things back into working order again and stand on my own two feet.

She taught me that she believed in me and that I could do anything.  And, in doing so, she taught me to believe in myself.

She taught me Jesus.  She lived to me Jesus.  In doing so, she taught me to talk with Jesus, lean on Jesus and walk with Jesus.

Mom.  I called here “Mommy” when I was younger.  I tried ‘Ma’ once.  That didn’t go over so well.  And then I grew up, just a little, and began to call here “Mom”.   I told myself, “Self, you are growing up.  You’re becoming a man and calling your mother ‘Mommy’ is child’s play.  You need to be manly and tough.  Saying the word ‘Mommy’ just doesn’t reflect that.  It’s now ‘Mom’.”… I was eleven and in the fifth grade…  For, you see, she’s no ordinary mother.  She is Mom to a He Man. 
Truth be told, I’m thirty years old, now, and she can walk into any room I’m in and she puts me in the fifth grade again.  There she stands; my Mommy.  And the love for Mom will never change, say for growing stronger.
You can call me a ‘momma’s boy’ until you are blue in the face. 
She is my mother.  I her son.
Mom.

American Pride

I recently went to court for reasons I won't write about here. While I was sitting with my wife and waiting for the proceedings to begin, something hit me.
Just recently, I watched a documentary on WWII, and it was covering the bombing runs that the B-17 Flying Fortresses were conducting. And as I watched, I began to contemplate the sacrifice that these men made for people that they loved, knew and for those they didn't. For those, like myself, would never meet.
Their day would start prepping the plane, gear and themselves for the flight and the oncoming battle that they would have to endure. Only to be halted on the runway by thick fog and would be forced to wait there for which seemed to be a life time until they got the go-ahead to take off.
They would fly over, drop their belly full of bombs and, if they were lucky enough, limp a battered and beaten fortress to home base. Picture this: this flying multi-gun turret had seven guns on her all together. Starting at the nose, four were sticking out of the sides and the front of the nose which were manned by the two men in the nose. One, which rotated 360°, on the top, just behind the cockpit. Two guns hung from the middle of the belly, covering the sides. One sticking straight out of the tail of the plane. And, last, but not nearly the least, one man, who stood no taller than 5'4" was strapped into the ball turret.
The reason that these deadly works of art were dubbed, The Flying Fortress was because of the fact they could take everything that the enemy could throw at them and they would go on flying. But, of course, this didn't come without a price. Many brave solder were lost.
One position was the most deadly out of all ten positions; the ball turret gunner. Even thought as small a the solder was, he was not permitted a parachute because of lack of room, and was often shot up by enemy fighters taking a stab at the bomb-filled belly.
Often, if the belly was shot up bad enough that the electrical and hydraulic systems were damaged, the gunner would not be able to rotate into the correct positoion which was needed for exiting. Sometimes, both, the ball turret and landing gear systems, would be damaged causing the pilot and crew of the B-17 to make an emergency landing on the belly, crushing the ball turret gunner between the weight of the plane and the Earth. And this happened too often.
Now, I shall circle back around. WWII was fought to make sure we continued to speak english. These men made sacrifice after sacrifice serving our country to make sure our freedom stayed free. So that, if need be, I would have the freedom to walk into a courtroom of the law, which is under the protection and the provisions and the freedom of the United States of America, which these brave solders gave their lives and shed their blood to make sure we continued to live free in, and speak with a judge of said court of law about the case of which I will not speak of and ask of him anything which I see has to do with said case.
Call me crazy, but, after sitting there in said courtroom, pondering over that piece of American history, that any court of law which is governed by this wonderful country to which many solders gave their lives for, would deserve the upmost respect!
I am going to be quit blunt... It set my blood on fire to see people walk in wearing sweats, absurd t-shirts, hats or anything else that might have looked clean at the time. And, when the judge took roll call, hardly anyone of them responded with the proper, "yes sir." It was more often a, "Ya." Or, "I'm here." And I was the only one who stood when called apon. In fact, out of dress and the way I spoke to the judge, the only thing separating myself from the lawyers was the fact that I didn't have a jacket to go with my outfit. I was appalled and embarrassed by these people.
I am thankful that I have parents who took the time to teach my sisters and myself the downright important history of this God-blessed and God-created country and what our flag stands for.
That is why I was the ONLY American who walked into said courtroom with the upmost pride and respect for our country, wearing the proper attire. A nice white dress shirt, a tie (which I tied myself), slacks, dress shoes, a shaved face and a fresh haircut. And everything I spoke with the judge, I said, "Yes sir" and "No sir." And I gave him the respect that he and that courtroom deserved.

How Great is a Man?

There's a lot that can be said about a man when he leaves this spinning rock which we call
home. He will be remembered and maybe even judged on his accomplishments. His life will be celebrated and his friends and family will have been taken note of for times in the man's life.
First, it will be his wife and then his children. It will be talked about how his children, no matter the age, would become like children again every time the man would walk into a room. And his wife loved him like none other. It will be talked about how he raised and ran his family to the best of his ability with the help of God watching over him and Jesus right by his side. Will it have been perfect? Far from it. There will have been many, many bumps along the road up and down life's mountain.
Then will come friends and co-workers. They will talk about how the man influenced their lives and, if it wasn't for said man, they would not have been the same. They will talk of his accomplishments in the workplace and how the place won't be ran the same without him.
Church family will talk of the man's faith in God and our risen savior, Jesus. How, no mater what was going on, the man will be recognized for his unwaivering ability to stand firm to the faith that he professed and he carried out his God-given duties in accordance with God's word.
However, how great is a man that his opinion hold so much weight with his son that said son would be concerned with the man's opinion of said son's accomplishments when they meet again in Heaven?

2 Tim 1:7 One for the brothers...

2 Tim 1:7
7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
NIV

I would like to direct this passage to the men. Not to say that this one is not for women, but rather, I think men should pay close attention to it.

Read this a couple times. Time and time again, if you have to. I want this to sink into your spirit. If you want to know the reason I wanted to direct this passage to men, read it again, brothers. Pay close attention to all three characteristics that are described here and which are placed inside of us. Is this saying that we should not be timid, not by any means. But do not forget what kind of spirit God designed and built within you.

Self-esteem issues

If you are struggling with issues of low self-esteem, there is something to understand. When you have low self-esteem, you tell yourself, “I can’t…” or “I’m not able to…” What are you are actually doing is disrespecting yourself. So, the answer to the whole dilemma is to begin to respect yourself. Begin to tell yourself, “I can…” and “I’m able to…” and “I will…” Even when there are people trying to tell you the opposite, the most important person is saying you can. You! And you might be saying, “It’s not that easy.” Think about it. Then try it.