Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Common Courtesy

Something has been bothering me a lot over the years and it has come to a head lately as I look around me in life, and that is common courtesy. Somethings I can see being a little more relaxed at, but others I still believe is common courtesy to others. What brought this to a head for me was two separate events over the weekend. On Saturday evening my Mother in Law took my family out to a bean supper. I was wearing my ball cap to the supper as I usually do when I am outside, and upon entering the fellowship room of the church I removed my hat and with lack of space around the table I clipped my hat to my belt loop and proceeded to sit down at the table. Down the table from me sat two men I would say in their 3's or early 40's both wearing their ball caps during the meal. Then the other stark contrast was my 19 year old daughter was asking people to please pass the beans or other meal items,and thanking them for it when she received it. The older couple across the table made the comment about her politeness,and it made me feel very good about the way I tried to raise my girls. The second event that irritated me this weekend was the next day at church they had the seating arranged in a circle around the communion table which I enjoyed, and a benefit to this is you could see more people around you during the service, instead of just the back of a bunch of heads. I looked over during the service and there was this one young man about the same age as my middle daughter and that s 19, and he was wearing his hat during church, not only wearing his hat but wearing it sideways in that ridiculous "gangstah" style that the young kids seem to want to emulate today. I can tolerate the relaxed style of dress prevelant at church today even though I was brought up that you wore your Sunday Best to church Sunday morning, and I even enjoy being able to go to church in a more relaxed style, but I also feel that this relaxed style should not override common courtesy.

A contrast in this was several weeks ago I went to a concert at the church in Union by two very talented musicians. After this concert I was talking to a young lady who happens to be the mother of a classmate of my youngest daughters. This lady kept calling me sir and Mr. Bartoswicz. When I made the comment that I wished sh would call me by my first name she responded back that she did not feel comfortable doing so for two reasons, first I was an officer in the military and she was enlisted and second I am substantially older than she and she was taught at a young age that you showed respect to those older than you by calling them Ma'am or sir and by the title Mr. or Mrs..

We have lost so much of this courtesy in our society today, our children call our friends by their first names, we walk by people struggling with packages without offering to help or even hold the door for them. Men do not treat ladies with respect or dignity, nor do women expect it anymore, sometimes even degrading a man for doing it. It is common courtesy to hold a door for any person. I tell my daughters that if they have a date pick them up at the house and the young man just sits in the driveway and honks the horn they are not going out for them, for if the young man can not get out of the car and come to the door to escort them out of the house, he is not worth the effort of your being seen with him., But I would expect them to do the same thing if they were picking the young man up at his house to go somewhere, because it is common courtesy.

I say it is time to make a difference and let's bring back some courtesy and manners back into society. Let us make this a more sociable place to live where we express gratitude when people do things for us, and we help others in our day to day lives rather than just being selfish and expecting the world to do for us all the time. We are connected to each other in more ways than we know, and the more we do for others, and the more we treat others with dignity, the more we are doing for ourselves, and treating ourselves with dignity.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

From Gale Farm Ministries Web Site blog

This is a repost of my blog page from my ministry website that I feel compelled to post here today

I have been trying very hard not to get political on this website, because I firmly believe that republican, democrat, independent, libretarian, all believers are still brothers and sisters in Christ, and I will not expound on my political stance beyond to say I vote in every election because I believe it is not only the right thing to do, but part of our duties as American Citizens.

However a quote I heard on the news this morning deeply saddened me. President Obama stood there and called those that disagree with him as the enemy. I found and thought what was great about this country was that we could disagree politically, go out an vote out conscience for the candidate we thought best represented us, and still be friends of those who we disagree with politically. A statement like the one that President Obama made goes a long way into driving a wedge between the political parties I thought one if his campaign promises was to find a way to work together with those who disagree with him and reach a common ground. A statement such as calling those that oppose you as the enemy does not reach across the aisle but builds a wall in that aisle that many would not want to take down. In this tme of economic crisis and national turmoil the president should be trying to find a way to build up relations and not tear them down. I even had a "friend" tell me a couple of months ago that he couldn't consider our realtionship a "friendship" anymore because of our political differences, I should inject here that we have many other things in common like our love for the state we live in, our love for the community, our interest in the trades and many other things but because we disagree fundamentally on the direction of the country as a whole we should no longer relate as friends. Is this really the direction we want this country to take to deepen that divide between red and blue as the news has dubbed it, or are we to be a country that works through our problems with a common discourse, and some give and take. what would happen if we heard..."Gee Harry I never looked at it that way, maybe there is some merit to that argument" or "You know Judd, now that you put it on paper and show me how this works I may not agree with everything you say, but this idea does have merit." Instead all we hear is how the Republicans want our seniors to eat pet food, and the democrats want to spend us into oblivion.

Let's get real folks, and think about the true question...and I am going to use a new slant to this becasue this is a Christian Website and look at this from a Christian perspective, let us ask ourselves in this case...."what would Jesus Do?" we have a tendency to look tot he government for answers, but we should really be looking inward, to the spirit that resides within us as Christians a part of the Holy Spirit. We have the power to change this mess the country is in, we have the power to make things right...we just need to focus on hwo to do it rather than pointing blame at everyone as to how we got into the mess. Let's get real folks God is our power God is our walking stick, we have to rely on Him to be our support in times of crisis, adn find common ground with those we disagree and find a way to fix the problem rather than be a part of it.

I'll come down off my soap box now and go out and cut wood to help keep my family warm during the winter, and think about the answeres to the questions I just raised. What will you do to help make the situation better.?

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Let Go and Let God

Let Go and Let God



How do you live life

My dear friend?

Are you spiritual

And a person of faith?

Do you live a life

That exhibits that belief?

For a man who believes,

But does not put into action,

Is like a hollow shell,

Without filling substance.

Are you developing

My dear friend,

By becoming more gentle and a humble self?

To become more

Like God Above?

For life my friend,

is a constant transition,

From our Ego self,

to our Spiritual self.

As you live your life,

You must change and grow.

We need to develop,

Just as a flower grows.

We cannot rely,

On the wisdom of our fellow man.

For that wisdom is folly,

The way of a foolish Man.

It is the way

Of selfish enhancement.

Earthly wisdom,

Grows heavy with envious thoughts.

It is on our lives,

That we cannot deny.

But instead give up

Your sensual pleasures.

And strive instead,

For the Spiritual pleasure.

Practice the art,

Of lifting up,

The lives of

Your fellow man.

Become a man

Of peace and love.

Stay clear my friend

Of the earthly hazard.

Don't weigh yourself down,

With a heavy Heart.

Don't fret my friend,

Of the earthly desires,

For the fruit

Of God's true wisdom,

Will purify your heart,

And lighten the feeling.

He will bless you

With a sense of desire and peace.

He will make you

Considerate of your fellow man,

And bestow upon you

A feeling of submission,

To God's desires..

He will fill you with mercy,

And make the fruit

Of your labor good.

You will look at your fellow man

With an eye of impartiality,

And finally bestow

unto you a new life.

A true blessing

Of sincerity in all that you do.

So go forth my dear friend,

Transition your life,

From understanding,

Based here on earth.

To an understanding,

Based in Heaven above.

And let God

Work Wonders in your life.



Paul H. Bartoswicz 6/27/2010

Based partly on James 3: 13-18


Are we truly trusting Good to direct our lives by opening our hearts and letting the Spirit guide us on our daily walk and putting our faith in action on a daily basis? Or ae we letting our EGO take over and deciding we know more about how to live our lives than God does, not believing there is a design for our lives and a path for us to exhibit His divine love and guidance. I have found in my life when I rely on myself for my guidance I really mess up my life and my relationships, but when I rely on the guidance of the Spirit, my creative juices flow and I end up being a lot happier in everyhting I do. For when we rely on EGO we Edge God Out of our lives and we determine we should be in control, but when we rely on Him we learn to trust totally and accept the blessings He is willing to bestow on us on a daily basis. So my friend, LET GO AND LET GOD direct us on our daily walk by trusting in Him and talking with Him as we woul talak to a friend for He is our Divine friend.

Friday, October 1, 2010

What do you sow in Life

God will nurture what ever seeds you sow in your life. If you fail to sow the seeds how can you expect to reap a harvest wether it be happiness, financial freedom, or what ever you desire. Just as the farmer can not expect to reap any crops if he failed to preapre the soil, plant the seeds, and nurture the plants. In the same vein if the farmer plants peas, he can not expect to reap corn from those plants, it just doesn't happen.


The same is true in our lives. If the seeds we plant are misery, and unahppiness, how can we expect God to bless us with crops of happiness, and plenty. If we desire happiness in our lives we have to sow seeds of happiness in those around us, not only those we know, but those we just meet in passing. If we desire to reap a harvest of plentiness in our lives, we have to help others acieve their dreams of plenty in their lives, if you can't afford to help them monetarily achieve their dreams, you can help them by the gift of time, maybe it is time to help them ge ttheir plans off the ground, or guidance in writing a business plan. Just as Jesus never turned people in need away, we should not either. It is up to us to use the gifts that God has given us, to help others achieve the gifts meant for them.


Now go forth and plant your seeds, so that you may harvest your dreams that God will bless you with.



Have a Blessed Day

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Be a Positive Influence

I am posting a challenge here today. I hope you joined the group because you want to be a positive influence in the world. I challenge you to make up a card stating "I have performed a random act of kindness for you, I ask that each day for 30 days you perform a random act of kindness for someone else, and give them a card like this."

Now if each person we do a random act of kindness for performs a random act as we ask for the next 30 days, think of the impact we would have on the world...just on our acts we would have initiated over 536 million random acts of kindness on the 30th day for a total after the first 30 days of over 1 billion acts being performed. Now suppose there are 100 members in a group undertaking this, if we all participate after 30 days the group would be responsible for over 107 billion random acts of kindness, can you imagine that 107 billion random acts of kindness. being performed. Would you like to be a part of that?

Come back here and post some of the acts you performed and the impact they seemed to have...It could be something very simple, or something a little more intense, help someone load their groceries into a car, Pay for someones coffee, hold a door, the options are limitless....Now go forth and make a difference

Why Not You

Today I choose to have you reflect on this piece by Steve Maraboli...think about it

Why Not You? By Steve Maraboli
Today, many will awaken with a fresh sense of inspiration. Why not you?

Today, many will open their eyes to the beauty that surrounds them. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to leave the ghost of yesterday behind and seize the immeasurable power of today. Why not you?

Today, many will break through the barriers of the past by looking at the blessings of the present. Why not you?

Today, for many the burden of self doubt and insecurity will be lifted by the security and confidence of empowerment. Why not you?

Today, many will rise above their believed limitations and make contact with their powerful innate strength. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to live in such a manner that they will be a positive role model for their children. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to free themselves from the personal imprisonment of their bad habits. Why not you?

Today, many will choose to live free of conditions and rules governing their own happiness. Why not you?

Today, many will find abundance in simplicity. Why not you?

Today, many will be confronted by difficult moral choices and they will choose to do what is right instead of what is beneficial. Why not you?

Today, many will decide to no longer sit back with a victim mentality, but to take charge of their lives and make positive changes. Why not you?

Today, many will take the action necessary to make a difference. Why not you?

Today, many will make the commitment to be a better mother, father, son, daughter, student, teacher, worker, boss, brother, sister, & so much more. Why not you?

Today is a new day!
Many will seize this day.
Many will live it to the fullest.

Why not you?

Monday, September 27, 2010

Revamping our Education System

I just viewed a video on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8limRtHZPs which I learned about through Sharon Rose of Channel 6 News in Portland Maine through my facebook account. I will make the same disclaimer that she did about the video, I don't know anything about the group that posted the video, but I do like the video, as it makes you think about our educational system in this country. We expect our kids to learn in cookie cutter fashion everyone being the same, however no two children are exactly alike, they have their strengths and their weaknesses. We have to learn to play up those strengths and figure out how to strengthen the weaknesses within the child's interest level in order to keep them engaged and interested. If we tell a fish it has to learn how to climb a tree because all the other animals have to know how to climb a tree the fish is going to become frustrated and discouraged. We also have to learn how to let the child reach the desired goal in their own way. It may not be the same way everyone else learns how to do, but it may be the way the child is most comfortable in doing it. If the objective is to get to the top of a tree, the raccoon, the cat, and the squirrel are going to use their claws and climb to the top by going up the trunk, however the eagle is going to use his wings and fly into the sky and then perch at the top. If the subject is swimming the duck and the fish are going to excel in the subject, but the cat is going to rebel like crazy. It is the same with our children, I see it in all three of mine, they learn differently and all have different ways of getting there. They rebel at different subjects, Anya hates math but she enjoyed more social group types of learning, Khrys hates to write just to write but excels in business related classes, and computer related subjects. Grace says she hates math but she is the one her classmates used to call to explain how to do the homework. We have a tendency to put labels on kids because they are slow in this subject or that, or they excel overall. I know kids I went to school with that were tremendous in book smarts and learned just about everything you put in front of them, but I wouldn't trust them to build a house for me. Just as I know carpenters that could take a pile of lumber and create a work of art, but I wouldn't give them my taxes to do.
If you look at sporting events, what does a coach do, he takes the strengths of the players he has and designs his play book around those strengths. He downplays the weakness and tries not to focus on those. You make the team as strong as you can by getting every one to play to the best of their ability. If Johnny couldn't kick a field goal to save his life, you don't have him kick the field goal, you have him block which he is good at. If Susan can't throw a pitch and make it over the plate, it would do no good to require her to be the pitcher but maybe she has a nack for knowing exactly where the fly ball is going to come down and the speed to get her there, then you play Susan in the outfield. It is the same with learning Joey can write very creatively but is totally lost in algebra is it going to do any good to require him to learn trig. Play to his strengths get him immersed in creative writing, and teach him enough math so he can be functional but does he have to be conversant in mathematical theory to be an effective person in society?

I think it is time to revamp our educational system and make it useful for everyone. What do you think?

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Giving

I am currently reading a self -help book, (even though I hate that description) about recreating your life. The pages I am on right now talk about giving. God created us to be very giving beings, however we have made ourselves into being a very selfish being where we seem to want everything for ourselves. We hear excuses that I don't make enough I can't give money, I work to many hours I can't give time, I am having a terrible day I can't give a smile, on and on. However the reality is, and I can honestly say I have experienced this in my own day to day life, the more we give, the more we get back.


I have raised my children this way, and through the example of their grandparents they have seen it form that perspective also. They give very freely of themselves. As I sit here writing this my oldest and youngest are at the Ossipee Concerned Citizens Fall Fair helping thier grandmother man the tents and assist people who come to buy things at the whitle elephant table. My mother in law, wife, and I were talking about how early on in Anya's life the joke was for people who signed on to deliver meals on wheels for any specific day in Effingham, all they had to do was bring Anya with them to learn the route, because almost from the day she was born she would ride the route with her grandfather up until she was in school full time. All my girls have aprticipated in roadside clean up day,and have ebcome fixtures at all the fundraisers for the Ossipee Concerned Citizens, as wella s many for the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) as well as many others. They don't come away with frowns on their faces, they come home tired but with smiles. When they go to the store in town or any activities around the area, everyone knows them and greets them, they receive back this way. They have also been very succesful in establishing reputations as hardworkers that will help them later in life when they are looking for jobs, or references of one sort or another, so many people know them and are willing to speak for them. My daughter Khrys is not immune from this either, even though she is away at college in Johnson Vermont, she is very active in the SERVE office there which is a community outreach program, and she is learning a great deal form her volunteering in many different places. On the 24th of September they went an started building a ramp for an elderly lady in the area that needed one, she wrote on her Facebook status that not only was she satisfied in the job they had done for the day, it also marked the commencement of her construction career. She even proudly joked on her uncle's page that she used a screw gun. I am so proud of these girls because they so freely give of themselves to help make the world a little better place, whether it is spending the day helping at a fall fair, or just as simple as giving someone a pat on the back, and a sincere smile. They strive to treat everyone fairly and look for the best in all they meet. They have truly learned the value in giving of themselves, just as my wife and I have. You can be amazed at what happens, we just have to be the change we want to see, and be willing to give freely of ourselves all the time.


Have a Blessed day

Friday, September 24, 2010

Lean Not On Your Own Understanding

Psalms 35 tells us to

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;


This is very sage advice, and something that most humans can not get their hands or their heads around. Sigmund Freud spent a good amount of his professional career studying the effects and ramifications of the parts of the human psyche one of whic is commonly called the EGO. I think this is a very appropriately named part of the psyche because wehn we rely on our EGO instead of relying and leaning on God we

Edge

God

Out

of our lives. We rly and lean on ourselves rather than relying on the divine love of God to provide for us.


Let's face it , when we rely on our own understaning rather than leaning on God we have a tendency to really mess things up. We make decisions that are not always in our best interest in the long run, we jump at the immediately attractive, not thinking of the long term results. In retrospect many of the problems we find ourselves in todays economy is the result of us Edging God Out of our lives and not trusting in God. We bought houses that were way out of our means, aided by mrtgage brokers that made it very attractive to be able to do by offering interest only loans for a period of time, not worrying about what was going to happen when the principle kicked in, or taking variable rate loans that they knew were low and not thinking about the ramifications when the interest rate kicked up a notch and you were already stretching the budget to make the payment on the low interest rate. We have a tendency to be a greedy society always wanting more than we can really afford, but if we wait on the Lord all the things we need will come to us at the appropriate time.


Leaning Not on our own understanding is also one of the inspriations for my walking stick, with the inspirational engravings, they are to remind us to trust in God and lean on soemthing in times of trouble and uncertainty rather than leaning on ourselves. I am struggling at times with this myself in this time of extreme transition in my life. Having been out of work for going on thirteen months I am really trying to lean on God and His tming for my life and understand the lessons I need to learn form the ordeal. He has blessed me with a renewed creativity in my writing as well as other opportunities, but I have to admit it can be very hard to give yourself over and not Edge God Out of my life and try to force things in my own time rather than His.



Have Blessed Day

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Agricultural Commission Meeting June 23, 2010

My opening comments as Chair of the Agricultural Commission for the meeting of June 23. I was nervous about them but they were very well recieved

Agriculture in Effingham is at a crossroads in its future. The town has granted us the ability to form this commission to advise the town as a whole and the various boards in particular as to issues relating to general agriculture. In turn the selectmen have appointed the five regular and the five alternate members as directed by the town.. As a town we have not been blessed with a major body of water with which to attract tourists and many summer residents, we are not situated in a major highway with which to attract more industrial type of development. In some areas many services are not offered unless we have a concentration of industry to utilize those services, and industry will not locate here unless we are able to offer those services. I see the future of this town as being in the area of agriculture, and agricultural related businesses. We can make a name for ourselves in promoting ourselves as an agriculturally friendly town. New Hampshire as a whole is becoming very agriculturally challenged, and we have to find a way to turn this tide. Development is encroaching on farm land and history has shown that once that land is lost it almost never reverts back to agricultural use, and the sprawl keeps on happening. Farmers also have to be able to coexist with more and more residential neighbors, and conservation issues.
Effingham has a rich agricultural history, all you have to do is listen to landmarks, you have the Davis Farm, The Watson Farm, Gale Farm, Cloverleaf Farm, Meloon Farm, Washburn Farm, and Farm by the River to name a few. The problem being is many people are moving to the area because of the “rural character”, but not knowing what that entails. They come to places like Effingham because of the wide open spaces, yet complain about the noise of the frogs at night, or the rooster crowing at dawn. They complain about the smell of manure in the spring or the cows that invariably get out and roam the area.
On Tuesday June first the Union Leader ran an article based on a report exploring the economic impact of New Hampshire’s local food. It was found that only thirty percent of New Hampshire’s farms had positive income while forty seven percent nationwide do. Maine has forty percent and Vermont forty four percent. Granted Northern States will have a lower percentage than southern states because of challenges in climate and land type. Farmers in New Hampshire could only feed six percent of our population compared to forty percent for Maine and Vermont. While both other states have less population density than New Hampshire, it is imperative that agriculture in New Hampshire close the gap.
One of the problems in New Hampshire as I have stated before is the sprawl factor that is happening, and looking at farmland lost in the southern tier of the state and moving northward. To combat this sprawl we have to make regulations more agriculturally friendly. We also have to make our farms more efficient to help make up for lost lands. I have been skimming the best management practices put out by the state, and they have guidelines to help with that as well as helping to protect the environment.
It behooths those involved in agriculture to be good stewards of the land. I don’t care what your religious beliefs are, but if you look at the Bible, it gives good sound management practices like rotating crops, and letting land lay fallow to recharge itself. I for one am very interested in the pasture management plan being put into use by the Klotz’s at the Farm by the River, as it works in just that type of philosophy. As farmers we must be good stewards of the land and our environment to help promote a healthy environment and a healthy population. We look at the large Agri-businesses and cringe as they utilize every square inch of their land, deplete the nutrients in the soil, then treat the land with chemicals to build those nutrients up artificially. One just has to wonder what the health connections are as we look at risks like ADD, ADHD, Autism, Cancer, High Blood Pressure, just to name a few. Face it many environmentalists cringe when they hear the word farm today because they equate farms with the huge agri-businesses. It is up to us to work with groups like the planning board, Conservation Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, Board of Selectmen, and Green Mountain Conservation Group, to educate that farms can co-exist with residential uses, conservation uses, as well as other uses. Mush of our richest farmland borders lakes, rivers, ponds, and other wetlands. But by utilizing best management practices we can coexist. It is in the agriculturist’s best interest to protect surface water, ground water, and deep water, as well as properly maintain open spaces, and forest land. We want to protect Steep slopes because of what we see happening in California with mud slides. Proper forest management can help preclude forest fires. We all know the importance of water sources for irrigation and watering of animals. If we pollute those sources we taint the quality of our crops and our animals.
My challenge to all in this room is to keep this in mind as we continue on with our planning and evaluations of regulations and resources. Work with our counterparts on other boards and commissions to come up with recommendations to protect everyone. This is not about personal agendas; it is about the best interest and development of the town of Effingham and the agricultural community, and development of agricultural related businesses.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Taming the tongue

Yesterday in church Pastor Dan Mitchum preached on James 3:1-13, the title of the Sermon was Taming the Tongue. The crux of the sermon was to think before you speak and to choose your words carefully, as words hurt. We are taught at a young age the saying Sticks and Stones can break my bones, but words can not hurt me. The contrary is actually true, words do hurt and they hurt deeply. In some cases worse than the sticks and stones, as the broken bones can heal and we get on with our lives, however the injuries that are caused by words can last a lifetime.

An example of this is a girl I knew growing up. She went to a different school, but I knew her through her family and some work I did for their family with my then brother in law. She was a smart very beautiful young lady, popular in her circle and very well thought of. Her parents went through a messy divorce, and in anguish her mother, who had found out her husband had been having numerous affairs, and supporting a mistress secretly yelled, in front of this beautiful young lady, "I should never have married that (expletive deleted)(expletive deleted), it was the biggest mistake of my life." What this beautiful young girl heard was I should never have married that man, and everything that happened with him was a big mistake. This translated to the girl that she was a huge mistake, even though she and her mother had had a pretty close relationship. She turned to sleeping around with whoever would have her, she started using drugs, and ignoring her schoolwork. This was in her senior year of high school, and she had already been accepted into the college of her choice. I lost touch with her when I went into college, and then the service, but did look her up at her mothers home in 1984 when I was stationed in South Weymouth Mass. She was a mess, smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day, hooked on drugs, and mother of a 4 year old with no father around (she said she wasn't even sure of who the father was). I am sorry to say I left her house that day and lost contact with her in spite of saying I would be in touch, as her lifestyle was not what conducive to mine. I don't know what ever happened to Lisa.

After hearing that sermon though and remembering this story, I can relate as to how words do hurt. Here was a bright promising young lady, who heard in a moment of rage and betrayal that her life was a mistake and that she should never have been. He promising life was sent into a spiraling downturn, until she was in a morass of drugs, promiscuity, and depression. I am sure her mother truly loved her and would not have changed having her in a moment, but those words uttered made such an impact that they erased years of relationship that the two had together. Words that if had been held in check, and not uttered at all in front of such an impressionable girl, would have had such a different result in this ladies life.

So think before you utter words, they may have very different results than you intended them to have. Are the legacy you wish to be known by?

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Declutter your life

I was struck by a fact the other day, it had actually been there buried in the back of my mind for some time, and something my daughter Grace has been doing brought it to the forefront and cased me to reflect on it more and more.
Since Khrys came home from college she has been nagging Grace to clean her room and organize. Khrys has always been a clutter free type of person, at least in her own room (don't ask e about the rest of the house.) Through this verbal sparring, Grace finally started the decluttering process. Last Sunday, Janet and I went through a utility closet in Grace's room and disposed of several boxes of "important" stuff that we hadn't looked at in probably fifteen years, and ended up taking a truck load to the transfer station (ie. dump). Grace has continued on and produced about eight bags of trash for me to dispose of on Saturday. When I asked where it all came from, she responded it was stuff important to her when she was little, and that she was not little anymore, so it was time go. There were toys that were broken, games missing pieces that hadn't been played in years, but up until now she just couldn't bring herself to part with. She has books she has outgrown she wants to give away to someone who would enjoy them. When she said this I felt hit up the side of the head with a two by four. Out of the mouth of babes, and she is so wise beyond her twelve years.
We spend so much of our time in our lives cluttered by the junk of the past, and it seems like the older we get, the more we are cluttered, because more has accumulated to clutter us all up. I look into my office and I see the stuff I just can't live without. I haven't used it in years, but just can't do without it. My bedroom is the same way, pants I haven't worn in years have to stay there because I may fit in them again (yeah right).
Don't get me wrong, memories of the past are a great thing and do have a place in our lives, but not all the junk we tend to collect as humans. We must remember our past, for it is a part of what has brought us to where we are today, and it is important to remember. A famous quote warns us that if we do not remember history we are condemned to repeat it. The danger my friend is when we dwell in the past, pining for the "good old days". When we do this we have a tendency to lose the future and all of its possibilities. We cling to what was and seem to miss the the possibilities of what is and what could be. We tend to cling so tightly to what we think is important that we miss the path to what is so truly important.
An analogy I was thinking of, is a driver on the freeway. Where he is at any given moment is the now, anything behind the car is the past and anything in front of the car is the future. He is looking for a particular exit, one that he knows will get him to his destination. To do this he must be looking forward, facing the future. If he spends to much time looking in the rear view mirror watching where he has been, he can miss that most important sign telling him where he is to go.
The same thing is true in life. If we spend so much time looking to the past we miss the important signs for the future, and let us face it, the future is where we are going to spend the rest of our lives, regardless of how hard we try to block it, not in the past. is it time to get rid of the clutter in your life, so you can get out of the past and start your journey into the future. Loosen your bonds on the past, how many bags of trash can you get rid of, so you can journey boldly into the future.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

A mother's sharing

We have a lady in town who is sharing her son with the country. For the second time she is sending him overseas to serve his country in Afghanistan with an April deployment date scheduled. The first time he went overseas she was struggling with some problems of her own, but would like this time to travel to Virginia to see him in the deployment ceremony before he leaves. The problem is her husband who works in the construction industry has been out of work for the last two years only able to pick up small jobs here and there. We are trying to take up a collection to send her to Virginia to see her son off. If any of my followers out there would like to help in this endeavor please feel free to contact me at bartoswicz@roadrunner.com. No greater love hath a man than to lay down his life for others. We must remember we have many many and women who are willing to do just that every day of the year. May God bless and protect them all.