Children of Haiti

Quote of the Day:  There are those who have little and give it all.  These are the believers in life and the bounty of life and their coffers are never empty. Kahlil Gibran

I had the privilege of interviewing Jean Kruger for an article for Her Voice magazine, a local publication that has global appeal. Her Voice recently celebrated 10 years of publishing success. I am so grateful to be part of this inspiring magazine. Jean started going on mission trips to Haiti in January 2008. There she met and fell in love with a little girl named Naomie, whom she sponsors. Jean was there when the earthquake hit, and has returned many times since. To read her story go to Her Voice on the Brainerd Dispatch website. The story starts on p. 18.

Thanks, Jean, for all you do for the children of Haiti and to make the world a better place.

Thanks to all those who have served in the military and to their families who waited and worried. And, most of all remember why we have a Memorial Day. My Boy Scouts are helping the VFW hang flags at the cemetery this morning.

This photo appeared in the Brainerd Dispatch, May 2010.

Me with my Boy/Cub Scouts

Go. Create. Inspire!
And, remember to spend time with those you love.

Journaling Prompt:  Write about someone you know who helps to make the world a better place.

Saving Lives

Quote of the Day:  I truly believe that when people face death, when they face the loss of all the trivia of modern day society and are face to face with the "bare essentials" of what is human, that they are the happiest, with less to gripe over and less to worry about.  I think people are people only when they suffer! Chaplain Ray Stubbe in a letter home from Vietnam, 25 November 1967. From the book Grace Under Fire - Letters of Faith in Times of War

We arrived a bit late for the Memorial Day service.  They were saying the prayers as we walked closer.  I regretted missing the message from the speaker, hearing the band, and yet, I was glad I'd taken the time to pick up my boys and bring them here.  We heard the 21 gun salute.  We saw the soldiers pause and reflect.  We were reminded of the extreme sacrifice of many so that we could enjoy living in freedom.

The boys noticed new things this year - all the flags for the soldiers, the larger headstones for families who lived and died here, and how large the cemetery is.  I explained that not everyone buried here is a soldier.  It's a community cemetery that goes back about 100 years.

I felt grateful to be walking around above ground, to have my boys at my side, and to watch them play.  We stopped at a playground where I soaked in the sun and the joy of the day, took pictures, and wondered how long they'd still like playing at playgrounds.

How long will they feel the carefree life of being a kid?

And, I felt grateful that my home has not experienced disaster, especially after reading Doris' blog, "Hold my Hand" a social worker's blog, which has a moving story of how the medical community responded to the disaster in Joplin, MO.  Dr. Kevin Kikta wrote about the chaos and the care during the first hours of the devastation.  He writes, "Tragedy has a way of revealing human goodness."

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  What are you feeling grateful for today?

Pray for Peace

Quote of the Day:   from Matthew 24:6-7 (The Message)
Jesus said, "Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, 'I am Christ, the Messiah.' They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming.




News of the end of the world took me by surprise.  I didn't know it was coming until sometime late on Friday when a facebook friend linked an ad. for dog care after the rapture.  Huh? Doesn't the end of the world mean the end for everyone and every living thing?


The passage above is a modern translation of the Bible. I love the clarity in the language.  When I was a kid, I thought that "wars and rumors of wars" and earthquakes, and "nation rising against nation" were signs that the end was near.  Then, I thought, people who were living in times of the great wars, especially WWII, must have thought, this is the end.  But, it wasn't.  Generations were born and grew up and fought more wars, new wars, old wars, wars that never cease.


Instead of spending our energy and resources figuring out how to most efficiently kill each other, we could be using our wonderful minds and talents to determine when the next natural disaster will occur.  We can give out warnings, and have aid available.  We could concentrate on preserving life and saving people, on beauty and creativity and lifting each other up.


We don't need an army of people to stop one power-crazed man.  We need an army of people to stop his army of followers.


What does Memorial Day mean to me?  planting flowers at gravesites, a somber parade followed by a meaningful service.  It's families taking time to be together and making the Earth a more beautiful place.  They're planting flowers, mowing lawns, doing projects, and remembering.


Thank you to all the people who have sacrificed for freedom.  We salute you.

John Lennon's song Imagine is probably the most brilliant song ever written. imagine all the people, living life in peace...

Blogger has been quirky lately, making it hard to leave comments. I found that horribly frustrating. I mean, how will you know I've stopped by for a visit, if I can't leave a note? Here's a suggestion I read in the comments of a fellow blogger:



"Sarah Ahiers (Falen) said... the way around the blogger commenting error is to sign out of blogger and then sign back in, but to UNCLICK the "stay signed in" box. Worked for me" 

It also worked for me.  Thanks, Sarah!

Go. Create. Inspire!  And, remember the reason for the holiday.

Journaling Prompt:  Write your reflections on Memorial Day.

Scout Salute

Quote of the Day:  A conversation with my boys.
Me:  What do you remember best about the Memorial Day ceremony?
Eric (left):  The Star Spangled Banner
Charlie (right):  The National Anthem
And, it was captured on Steve Kohl's camera and printed on the front page of our local newspaper, The Brainerd Dispatch.  (Zach is standing next to me, behind the twins and their scout mate Aaron.)

Some of the scouts marched in the parade.  My boys handed out programs at the Memorial Day service at the cemetery.

They did their jobs with patriotic spirit and observed the importance of this day.

Thank you to the men and women who served and sacrificed.  Thank you to their loved ones who waited and worried.  Thank you for living and giving beyond yourselves.

When I was in the 7th grade, I read In Flanders Field for the Memorial Day service in my home town.  The author of that poem, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD, Canadian Army, wrote this poem in the spring of 1915 after spending 17 days treating injured men.  He never intended to publish it.  He even threw it away, but it was retrieved by his comrades and sent to a newspaper. The first paper rejected it, but it was published in Punch, and is still read today.

In Flanders Field

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Journaling Prompt:  Write about someone you are remembering, or about people you know and love who have served their country.