Back in the saddle again, sort of

Well I'm finally back to work although only for half days for a while. I feel extremely fortunate in that I like the work I do and look forward to it each day. Some of my coworkers couldn't believe that I was actually anxious to get back to my job. I have told all three of my sons that given a choice they are far better off doing work they enjoy for less money than to take a high paying job that you dread going to each day. Despite only a half day at work and a short evening nap I'm still tired. So I'm going to bed and look forward to tomorrow. I hope you are doing a job that you enjoy and one that makes a difference in other peoples lives. It is one of God's blessings. Good night..........

Things to ponder

I did not write this but I think it expresses a idea worth thinking about. A lot!


Think about the following:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for Best Actor and
Actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series Winners (by year).


How did you do?


The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They're the best in their fields.
But the applause dies.
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.


Now here's another quiz.
See how you do on this one:


1. List a few teachers who aided your
journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time in
your life.

3. Name five people who have taught you some worthwhile lesson.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.


5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

6. Name a half dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson?

The people who make a difference in your life aren't the ones with the
most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They're the ones
who care.

On the eve of September 11th

I had a conversation with a friend this afternoon about all of the news coverage of the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001. He thought that we should be more like the English and as he put it “keep a stiff upper lip” and just ignore the date treating it like any other day. He felt that making an event of the day would bring pleasure to those that attacked us and show that they had accomplished their objective of disrupting our lives.

I disagree feeling that we need to remember September 11th for a number of reasons. First and foremost I feel that we should honor those that lost their lives that day from the innocent workers trapped in the twin towers when they fell to the brave emergency personal that went into those buildings trying to save those that they could. The brave men and women of the armed services working in the Pentagon who died as the jet slammed into the building creating an inferno of metal and jet fuel that consumed all in its path. Many of them braved tremendous heat and smoke to save fallen comrades some sacrificing their own lives to save others. And finally the brave men and women of Flight 93 that fought the first battle in the war on terror for their country forcing the terrorists to plow the jet liner into an empty field in Shanksville Pennsylvania instead of its intended target saving untold numbers of lives in Washington DC. All of these should be remembered along with loved ones that they left behind who should be comforted by our thoughts, prayers and expressions of love and appreciation.

Much like December 7th 1941 we must never let September 11th pass as “just another day” in our lives. For if we do we will forget the sacrifice made by those on both dates. In the end we will repeat the mistakes and learn the hard lessons all over again. We shouldn't dwell on our losses but rather continue on with our lives while honoring our past.

Another question posed to me today concerned why these things had happened to the many good and decent people who suffered and died that awful day. The inevitable question was asked as to how God could let this happen. While I explained that the events of September 11th were not of God's doings I found words that express it much better than I could ever do. For the answer to the question “Why Suffering and Death?” I suggest that you follow the link to another to the entry at the “Ask the Pastor” blog. It is good and though provoking reading. In the meantime let us pray that our leaders stay one step ahead of the terrorists and do what needs to be done to keep our country and fellow citizens safe.

The waining days of summer

Those last hot days of summer remind me of my childhood and like most adults I tend to have somewhat “selective memory” choosing to remember the good things and times of my youth. I lived directly across the street from a municipal playground and base ball field so I needed only cross the street for access to swings, slides, sandboxes and a merry go round and a full sized base ball diamond. To make matters even better that field was used by the high school marching band for practice sessions in preparation for the fall football season. I remember many times waiting until the band was in formation on North Avenue behind the high school and following them to the field listening to the cadence of the drums as the marched to Hunter Field.


At the age of five it was what I considered an eternity before I was allowed to leave the back yard and go unattended to the play ground and ball field. Even then I was to be some where that I could be seen if my mother looked out the front windows of our house. If my dad would open a window and whistle I knew that was my signal to head for home. Likewise if I had not been called by the time the street lights came on in the evening I was to stop whatever I was doing and set my path for home. Funny the things that stay with you even years latter but like I said there is that selective memory.


I also lived in the last block on a street that ended in a dirt road that has once held tracks for a rail system for moving coal from a mine closed long ago. I could still see the rails and some of the ties in places where erosion had worn down the road over the years. This road ran through several hundred acres of wooded land that I would explore after I got older and enjoyed playing among the trees. There was also the remains of an old coal mine that could be entered after climbing a small hill along side the dirt road about a quarter mile from my house. Once in the mine tunnel you could go under ground to come out in an area that was to latter become the East Hills Shopping Center. I think if you wanted you could have gone all the way to Franks Town Road in Penn Hills. Now had my mother know about my exploration of that mine tunnel I would probably still be in my room to this day!

So now I reflect on those summer days of long ago as I build new memories from present times. Through God's grace I have three sons and two lovely grand daughters. Despite some health problems it has been a great summer in 2006. I look forward to the changing of the seasons although I have to admit that I am not now nor have I ever been a big fan of winter. For some reason snow and I just don't seem to get along the way green grass, sunshine and I do. Even when I was a kid I did not enjoy playing outside in the snow and the cold like others my age. I hope this has been a good summer for you and yours and that my musings have caused you to take pause and remember summers past from your childhood. If you have the same selective memory that I do I'm sure they were all good ones.

Lessons learned from Bob O'Connor

I do not live in the City of Pittsburgh nor do I often visit the down town area of the city choosing to avoid it when I can. I am however a life long Pittsburgh person who identifies with the city and calls it home. When I first heard that Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor had been diagnosed with brain cancer I felt compassion for the man and his family and I prayed daily that God would permit his body to fight off the disease and permit him to continue as the city's mayor. As I begin to write this it is the day after he lost his battle to the cancer in his brain I join the city in morning his loss. After several weeks of news coverage on television and in the news papers I have a profoundly different prospective of what the city and the Pittsburgh area has lost.

I have to admit that I was not a fan of Bob O'Connor and had I been a resident of the city and qualified to vote I would have voted against him in the election. I saw him as part of the old style of “politics as usual” that had brought the city to its financial knees with his predecessor, Tom Murphy, leading the down hill charge to depths not thought possible only a few decades ago. I am afraid that it will take many years to change the culture and policies that have brought the city to its current state along with some strong leadership from the mayors office and city council. What I read and heard about Bob O'Connor though indicated to me he was someone who was not willing to “bite the bullet” and take the strong measures that were needed, in my opinion, to put the city back on a path to a growing economy. The City of Pittsburgh, and it's suburbs, are already a great place to live despite some drawbacks not all of which are under the city's control. I hope that this situation will change both for my children and my grand children.

When Bob O'Connor was elected mayor one thing that I did notice was that there seemed to be a change in pulse and attitude of the city. People seemed to have a better outlook on where the city was headed and everyone that I heard comment on the election had positive things to say about Mr. O'Connor. There was no doubt in my mind that O'Connor had a “hard row to hoe” ahead of him especially with the city's financial woes. What impressed me was that every interview he gave to the press and the television people was filled with optimism that was almost palpable. It was not the same that I saw in Ronald Regan when he was elected President of the United States but in the same vein. So my attitude was lets give the man a chance and see what he can do for the city which would also translate into change for Allegheny County good or bad.

Mayor O'Connor's bout with cancer began in July and caught everyone off guard including the news media. He went into the hospital for what he thought was a case of the flu and was looking forward to only one or two days stay at most being back on his feet in time to attend the Major League All Star baseball series hosted here in Pittsburgh. He felt this was a real opportunity to showcase the city and PNC Park to the nation. Again his enthusiasm for the city was overwhelming and infectious something that I was to lean more about in the coming weeks. As we now know what he had was not the flu. From the very beginning however there was optimism from both the Mayor and his family and friends. All seemed to agree that if anyone could beat this rare form of cancer that it was Bob O'Connor because he was a fighter.

It was during the ensuing weeks that I learned much more about Bob O'Connor than I had know and this is where the lesson learned comes in. I do not know and have never met Bob O'Connor personally. I know him only through what I have learned through the news media and his actions on city counsel. I knew nothing of the father of three and grandfather of three. Of the shy boy who had grown up in Pittsburgh working in the steel mills after high school then going on to become a successful business man. One of those that is well liked by both management and employees. Or of the man who loved the city and its neighborhoods and its people. A man who was involved not only in politics but in serving his community in many other ways. Working with local charities he didn't just raise money as many men with his busy schedule would have done, rather he was hands on helping people on a one to one basis. A mayor of a major city yet still he found time to act as usher in his church.

My point in all of this is that I fell into the trap that many of us do in judging a “book by its cover” and a shallow judgment at that. It has made me stop and think how quick I am at times to render an opinion on the worth of another human being no matter what his or her station in life without learning more about the person. All my life I have tried not to stereotype people but rather to judge each person as an individual. Bob O'Connor has taught me that forgotten yet important principal of not making snap judgments about people. As I learned more about the man I experienced the same feeling that I had with the untimely death of Senator John Heinz. Another case of not really appreciating what we have until we loose it.

Bob O'Connor both the Mayor and the man will be missed by not only by the City of Pittsburgh but by the surrounding communities. His enthusiasm for our town and its future is something that I hope will be his legacy. I pray that God will grant his family comfort in their time of loss and also that he will help guide our new young mayor Luke Ravenstahl. With God's help he will carry on the work that Bob O'Connor had started and do his best to lead the city to a better future. I along with the rest of us will be learning more about our new mayor in the weeks ahead. Until then we can look back on what we have lost.

Small world

I had lunch yesterday with a new friend named Sam Dillon. This in and of its self is not unusual as I had lunch with some friends just last week. What is unusual about lunch with Sam is how I came to know him and that fact that he is from Iowa and what we have in common.

A little over a year ago I was reading messages on one of the many mailing lists that I belong to and I spotted one with a question for which I happened to have the answer. I think it was concerning the hobby of rail fans but I'm not exactly sure at this point. I sent a reply to the list and copied the email to the original sender as well. Shortly there after I received a reply from the gentleman thanking me for responding and for my help.

He told me that another thing we had in common was amateur radio seeing my call sign in the “From:” field of my email. He said that while he had a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering he had never managed to master the Morse code required for a license but when the FCC dropped the requirement he had passed the written exam easily and was now a license “ham” radio operator KC0TKF. As we continued to compare notes I told him that I was in a little town along the Allegheny River called Oakmont. At this point in time he informed me that his parents had lived in Oakmont for a number of years until they had moved into an assisted living community. As the conversation went on I talked about my other hobbies like reading and computers and how I was again becoming active with my church Redeemer Lutheran. At this point the world got just a little smaller as Sam told me that until moving the the retirement community his parents had been member at Redeemer and that when his mother had passed away that Pastor Schafer had conducted the services. Seems like no matter where I go in the country I run into someone who is from Pittsburgh. Other people here have made the same observation but have yet to realize that this is not a good thing. This phenomenon is fueled by the fact that so many people who wanted to stay in the Pittsburgh area have left because of a lack of jobs, high taxes or both. Some day, at least I hope, leaders and politicians will figure out that these conditions are interrelated. (High taxes = Loss of business = (loss of jobs and population))

I told Sam that if he was ever back in the Pittsburgh area that he should give me a call on one of the local repeaters so that we might meet in person. To my surprise one evening this week the phone rang and I found myself speaking with Sam. Sadly he was in Pittsburgh because he father had passed away and he was going to be here for a little over a week for the funeral and taking care of some necessary matters for the family. I did not want to intrude on what I knew would be a sad yet busy time for him so I suggested that if he could get on one of the local repeaters we might chat as he drove around taking care of business. He told me that in his haste he had left home without bringing a radio something that he regretted. I offered to loan him a radio to use while here in town and he accepted which is how we wound up at lunch together yesterday. It never ceases to amaze me how small the world is getting, for me a world made much smaller by amateur radio and the Internet. You just never know where the next friend or fellow believer in Christ will appear from.