STAY IM SCHOOL

                                                                                          

A lot of the ongoing unrest between police and members of the black community is the end result of poverty problems facing our black communities. These are people that are frustrated with their place, in a society that seems to favor others over them. Although the problems are being portrayed as unfairness between the police and blacks, I am sure there would be far less problems, if the social standing of blacks was higher. This is something however that cannot happen, if you continue to not pursue an education. Not being educated breeds poverty. Poverty breeds a propensity to find other ways to make money, often in illegal ways. Hence, interaction with law enforcement. This is true no matter your ethnicity.

The preamble to the constitution states, “All men are born equal.” Black or white, we are born equal. From the day of your birth, when you were an equal, to the day of your death, what you do with your God given life is what defines you in society. Millions of black people have been successful in this country and they are overwhelmingly educated-- or born super talented such as singers and athletes. I do not believe for one minute that black people are inherently bad or not smart.

Education in turn becomes important to kids when parents make it an issue with them and work hard to encourage and foster an “education first attitude” in their lives. Our society has done a good job of providing the resources for all people to get a good education. The bolts and nuts are there, you only need to put them together. No one can be educated if they don’t want to participate in education and the results most often, will be a life filled with doing whatever you have to do to make a buck. Legal or not and it’s a hard way to make a living.

I grew up in poverty but I didn’t have to deal with racial biases on top of the poverty. For the black population I acknowledge this is a real and definite problem. But as a young boy in high school, if there was one thing I never wanted to be, it was poor again. I knew the only way around that was to get an education. Work hard and not hate those who had more then me. There are people all over this nation holding discussions on how to resolve the problems we have. They don’t seem to think that education is one of the answers or if they do, they’re not talking about it seriously. Instead they are talking about holding hands and love and caring. Yes we need some of that too but you can’t legislate it. It has to come from the hearts and minds of each of us and that’s a personal decision. You can’t legislate morality. Religion fosters morality but our government, that was formed, with religious values in mind, has done its best to sever that partnership, at a time when they need it the most.

We are a nation of immigrants’. Our differences have always existed when it comes to the color of our skins but most of the ethnicities have found their place in society by working hard and getting educated. It worked for them and it will work for all of the black community. As I stated there have been millions of successful black people who took the right path, so I know it will work for all people of that community.

DEFINE HAPPINESS

                                             

Kurt Vonnegut, the American Author once said and I quote, “I urge you to please notice when you are happy and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, if this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.” For most of us this is true but conflicting, because we feel in order to be happy we must have something to be happy about. And that something comes in so many different degrees for so many people.

I look at my dog and I think what a simple life you live and yet so often you are happy. I say,” lets go for a walk and you’re happy” or “how about a treat and you’re happy.” I go away for a while and you welcome me back and you’re happy and it doesn’t even have to be me. When anyone comes to our house you’re happy. You give everyone the benefit of the doubt and you’re going to be happy with him or her until they prove you wrong. Maybe happiness comes to you because you don’t micromanage your life and you just take things as they happen. Maybe its because you don’t care if you’re the leader of the pack or bringing up the rear, you’re happy to follow and almost to a fault. I know, I know, were not dogs but is there a lesson to be learned here? That being, don’t take life so seriously.

If my kids or close friends saw this they would say what a hypocrite. You’re not always happy. My answer is, “You’re right-- but I want to be.” Now there are things that make us sad that we have little control over. The death of a loved one for instance or the loss of your job or your health. But there are other things-- and I might say they are the majority of the things we run into-- that we can manage better by either avoiding them or just saying to ourselves, “Lets weather this storm and not let it rule us.” One of the things that old age does bring out, is the “been there and done that,” syndrome. For instance I have wronged people in my life and that is especially egregious, because the end result was, I made two people unhappy.

Life’s problems seem to be more manageable if we break them into more manageable pieces. I have learned to do this and believe me it helps. It also helps to not be afraid to ask for help. Not all of us are as inept as others at solving life’s problems and yes like it or not, we are our, brothers keepers. Life is this great journey we take and in all of the years I have lived in Crosslake, I have had the privilege of meeting so many wonderful people. Not only the privilege of meeting them but also worshiping with them, socializing and sharing some parts of our lives together. So much happiness comes from this interaction with others.

There comes a time for all of us when this journey ends and although it may mean the end of our physical life, it isn’t the end of our influence. It’s at this time when people really know if you lived your life in a meaningful way. Writers write stories and poems that live on after they are gone. Painters leave wonderful examples of how they saw this beautiful world and musicians leave their music. But the most wonderful and meaningful thing we can all leave, is a good and lasting impression and an example that others want to emulate. Let’s all live our lives in a manner that leaves a little bit of us to live on.

ANOTHER DAY. ANOTHER TIME.

                                              

In the top of my storage garage is an attic space. There are stairs going up there and for many years my wife used it to tuck away all of those things she just couldn’t part with but actually had no use for any more. As I have gotten older, it has been my quest to get rid of stuff I no longer use. So the other day I went up there and started sorting through things. A long and tedious process because there are things up there nobody wants or needs, but on the other hand there are some things up there that might still be useful to someone. Then there are things up there I do need and I didn’t even know I had. There are things too that make you sit down and smile and things that bring tears to your eyes, remembering another time and another place.

I know from experience my kids, who are now in their middle age, don’t want or need any of it. They have more junk of their own then they know what to do with. So to start with I am making three piles. Stuff to continue keeping because I can’t part with it and it would be a sacrilege to throw it away. Stuff for the trip to the landfill and things that the Goodwill store can use. I thought about a garage sale but it’s just too much work. They say one mans junk is another mans treasure and years ago people were much more willing to use somebody else’s castaways until you could afford something better. But speaking for my own grandchildren, who in some cases are just starting out keeping house, not so much anymore.

As a kid growing up in a poor family, I had a rich aunt who would send her sons used clothing down to our house. He lived in another town so I never minded. Her son and I were the same age but he was bigger then me. So mom would cut things down and make them fit for me and my sibling brother or I would wait a couple of years until I grew into them but I was always happy to get them. Shoes were a problem because my feet stayed small and some times I would stuff the toes with paper just to fill them out. I did put my foot down—no pun intended--- and refuse to wear some of them because I suspected I looked like Emmet Kelly, the Ringling Brothers clown. There is pride and there is foolish pride and I had a little of both.

My father had an old two-wheel trailer he kept in back of the house and when things wore out, or broke, he would just throw them in the trailer. When it got full we would go out to the town dump which was always a treat because we would bring dads 22 rifle along and shoot rats. I can see some of you squirming in your seats right now with a sick look on your faces but you had to be there. The biggest problem was trying to keep dad from filling the trailer back up with somebody else’s junk. One other thing that today’s kids would have a rough time with, was mealtime at our house. There were always lots of veggies because mom grew her own and when it came to meat our mom invented the petite cut. Leftovers just got recycled into the next meal and I remember asking mom. What is this?  She would just smile and say “Oh a little of this and a little of that.” Dad would scowl at you and say, “Eat it and shut up.” Sometimes he would give you the old story about kids in India starving. I always wanted to say, “Send this over to India. I hate the thought of anyone starving.” My better judgment said, “Eat it and shut up.”

WHAT DOES THE FOURTH OF JULY MEAN TO US TODAY?

            

I ask myself this question every year at this time and every year it changes because every year our country changes. I go back a long ways in this countries history. Back to before the start of W.W. II in fact. Back far enough to remember the pride that was instilled in this country, at the end of that terrible war. Not just pride in our military but pride in our citizens too, for the way they banded together and went without, so we could win. It wasn’t just a military victory it was a whole country victory. You see back then people really understood what fighting for our freedoms, was all about and they were proud that they had won. It was indeed a team effort.

I remember watching the Super Bowl many years ago and seeing and listening to Whitney Houston singing the Star Spangled banner. You had to be there and see the way the song was choreographed, the planes flying overhead with red, white and blue contrails trailing behind them. The flag presented by the armed forces moving with the breeze as if it was alive. But it was how beautiful Whitney sung that anthem that really brought it to me and made me understand what this is all about. I remember how I unashamedly cried and my friend asked me “What’s wrong Mike, why are you so sad?”

“Nothing” I said, “just tears of pride.”

“Pride?” she said.

 “Yes pride” I said, “and if I have to explain that to you, then that is, what is, so sad.”

It’s been the loss of that pride for our country that worries me so. It’s the fact that our pride has indeed turned to prejudice. Prejudice against our fellow Americans and our leaders. Prejudice against foreigners and other countries. In the book of Proverbs 16-18 in the Holy Bible it says “Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty sprit before the fall.” The ill-conceived prejudices we seem to have so many times are based more on arrogance then pride. Yes, they are a haughty spirit.

Today many things have watered down that pride. Politician’s wars that left our troops, with doubts about why they were fighting. A country tired of war and conflict. A country mired in debt from overseas spending while our own people suffer. I don’t like Donald Trump but I do like his slogan. “Make America Great Again.” Donald can’t do it. No one person can-- but together we can. We just need to regain that attitude that prevailed back in the early 1940’s. A time when we took insurmountable odds and turned them into victory.

So what does the 4^th mean to me? It means we had it once and we can have it again. Maybe we’ve taken a step backwards lately but we need to get it back. No one can live on his or her laurels forever. We need our country to be whole again and respected. The world needs our country to be a leader again. It’s a scary time indeed but 1941 was an even scarier time and we proved equal to the task. The men and women from that great conflict are fast disappearing. What we can’t let disappear is the pride they brought this country.-------God Bless America on this 4^th of July.

Submitted by Mike Holst 14042 Big Pine Trail Crosslake MN. 56442 218 692 2937