What If

What If . . .
such a debilitating phrase.


What If I fall?
What If you fly!


What If I fail?
What If you succeed!


What If I can't?
What If you can!


What If I'm sick?
What If you're not!


What If I'm bad?
What If you improve!


It is a stumbling block installed by only you.
Remove it!

Sail!

Loosely paraphrased from someone . . .


A ship, in port, is safe;
but that's not what ships are meant to do.


Get out there.
Mess stuff up.
Make mistakes.
Try again.
Fail.
Do it again.
Change course.
Hold on.


Sail, baby!
Sail!

Size does matter

Mr. Shakespeare offered this beautiful quip:


and though she be but little,
she is fierce.


I could ramble for most of the day about
the plethora of ways this could be construed,
or for which dear folks this could envelope.
Instead . . . let your own little mind wander.


You might even come back to your self.

Clarity

Sometimes,
when you remove yourself - if even briefly -
from a bad situation, you can see things more clearly.
You can filter the nonsense from the pertinent;
the negative from the positive;
the draining from the productive,
and what used to ball you up in anxious knots
will seem like nothing.


So take a moment,
dismiss yourself,
breathe,
and reexamine the issue.


Clarity is a beautiful thing.

Yes You Can

You think that hunger is far too big a problem for you to tackle.
You believe that homelessness is an issue you cannot begin to address.
You believe that hatred is far too massive for you to dent.


Can you ever make it better?


Yes You Can!


Can you donate a few cans of food to a church?
Can you cook for a sick neighbor?
Can you offer just a few dollars to a food bank?


Yes You Can!


Can you give some clothes to a shelter?
Can you offer up an unused blanket?
Can you support a business that aids those who are in need?


Yes You Can!


Can you listen?
Can you care?
Can you love?


Yes You Can!


You may not be able to solve the problem in its entirety,
but you can make a difference.
You can make your own little corner of the world a better place.
Your generosity creates ripples you know nothing about.
A giving, kind, and gracious heart
beats with a beautiful rhythm.


Yes You Can!

An Anthem of Awe

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and home of the brave


On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes
What is that which the breeze, o'ver the towering steep
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and home of the brave


And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave


O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Independence

As we approach our Independence Day,
first and foremost, we celebrate the military
that has allowed us that freedom.


Secondly,
independence is a privilege taken far too often for granted.
I am able to think as I choose.
Believe what I want.
Act, within the realm of the law, how I please.
This is because we are able to exercise our independence.
It is an honor and a privilege to do so.


So, while you may not always agree with me,
and I may not always agree with you,
it is that independence that makes this country grand.
Do not expect or attempt to squander that right
because you disagree with me.
And I, in turn, will allow you the rights and privileges
that you have as well.


Let us enjoy our independence.
Let us enjoy our freedom.
Let us respect it for ourselves;
and for one another.


Be safe. Be well.
Happy Independence Day!