Burial of a Statesman and Superstar

Senator Edward Kennedy is being buried today next to his famous brothers John & Bobby in Arlington National Cemetary. He died of brain cancer on August 25, 2009 at 77. I believe with the death of Senator Kennedy the period of bipartisan politics will leave with him. The party in power will no longer need to compromise because it will not be the public interest that will drive them. When I say public, I mean the nation's best interest. Corporate interests are now more important because there is big money to be made. Granted, many of these politicians years ago went at each other's throats but they accepted and respected each other for whom they were. But they had the people's interest in mine. With the age of technology, they don't have to talk to each other face to face, they can just tweet. How personal can that be? Many people will find fault with the Senator's past. How many of us don't have a past? How many of have a clean slate? But, in the end, the Senator and his brothers risked it all to have a better life for all in this country. May the statesman and superstar rest in peace.

Michael Jackson was will be buried on his birthday, August 31st. Sorry, it was cancelled. It may now be September 3, 2009. Michael died June 25th. He was out so long due to the autopsy which found that Michael died due to drugs. The Coroner ruled death by homicide. Some doctors are in major trouble, even though they did it for the money. There is obviously some neglect and moral issues here.

Love This Time

I am convinced that a family that prays together stays together! I don’t just mean participating in church services, I mean praying to God together. What is even more important is praying for each other. Look, we all have individual problems. As couples, it becomes a group problem. At times, the problem seems so overwhelming that it affects the one and the other can’t understand why. That’s why, to me, it’s more important to pray for the other than yourself. Sometimes when we pray for ourselves, we believe we know what to ask for. We don’t. Our individual prayers can be selfish, even though we do have good intentions. When someone else prays for you, they either know or see our weakness. They won’t sugarcoat, but their prayers will be true. What makes them true, you ask? Their love for you will want the best for you. Of course, you are praying the same for your mate. This is not easy, but for better or worse, or whatever joined you in love just really come forward. Fake prayers get fake results. They are like bandaids, they hold the wound together for a while, they cover it up. Eventually, you have to take the cover off and see what’s underneath. Not all wounds heal, the same with relationships. Chip, chip, scratch, scratch and eventually you’ll crack or split. We all start off with the right reason but end up leaving for the wrong reasons. We appreciate God’s blessing and we are grateful for His divine blessings. But if we don’t let him lead our lives, regardless of what we have, we still don’t have a thing! Real love isn’t easy. It requires a lot of hard work. Forgive and move on but don’t harbor resentment. We believed that love brought us together and it could have been. But love didn’t keep you together and it definitely wasn’t the reason you left. But know this, nothing in life is guaranteed! You can make your own assessments. We don't know what the future holds for us. What I do know is wherever you go, whatever you do, if you let God into your life, His love will prevail through any hardship.

Humility

Today was an interesting day. It was a media kick-off campaign for Sober or Slammer for Labor Day at our state fairgrounds. We had few highway safety dignitaries present such as the Director of SC Truckers Association, the Colonels of Highway Patrol, State Transport Police and Department of Natural Resources. We also had the state director of Federal Motor Carriers and a representative from the Department of Transportation from Atlanta, too! Our own Public Safety Director, Deputy & Assistant Director of the Office of Highway Safety was on hand to meet and greet. There was also a good representation of law enforcement there to show support for this great cause. It might not be for those arrested for DUI, but it will definitely help to keep them and others safe on the roadways. Finally, we had our state governor to drop by to say a few words! Yes, he made time for us. Don’t worry I’m going somewhere with this. One, you drink and drive, you will get caught and go to jail. When after everything is said and done, it will cost you more than you think. Two, these are the most humble group of individuals you will ever meet. From the Feds on down, we had some casual and off the wall conversations. Yes, we had just plain and simple talk with regular men and women who worked hard and earned positions to lead and help others. After the event was over, the colonel of HP, a LT, and me went to a local eatery and had lunch. These were just down-to-earth guys, who put in the years and time in patrol and got recognized by somebody that they can get the job done! But, what has humility go to do with this? Ask the question, how can you be a leader if you’re not willing to follow? How can you make decisions that will affect your command, your staff, and your co-workers if you’re not willing to listen to silent cries for help and direction? At the same time, you must be strong enough to make decisions that will not always be accepted by your subordinates but have the common sense to make those necessary changes. But, let’s not forget anyone that works in law enforcement. They are public servants who are underpaid, work in a thankless job, and risk their lives every day, but doing it because they want to make a difference. These men and women deal with surprises everyday! If you had to meet them up close and personal, don’t take it personally. They are working and doing their best to keep you and others safe. So next time if you see them in line somewhere, tell them thanks for the great job they are doing! I know the DPS Staff won’t keep them employed if they don’t!

Thoughts

Have you ever felt that you have so much to say, but don’t? Knowing that you have so much on your mind and want to share your thoughts with someone, anyone. But, who would even care to hear the organized madness of a sane, but irrational man? Haven’t you felt the need to be honest but was afraid of being misunderstood? Sometimes being honest could cause more problems than its worth? More than anything you hate to be responsible for future problems and misunderstandings. But that’s what too much love can do. I will always believe that you can love too hard that it can cause unbearable pain. It can cloud your judgment. It doesn’t matter what stage in the relationship you’re in, starting, married, ending, or divorcing, or dying, there will always be a part of you left behind. Because in all of actuality, love is temporary. No one starts with a conclusion that this love won’t last. But somewhere, somehow, something is seriously wrong with our society. It is accepted to have extramarital relationships from the outside, people who are always willing to forgive. How about the people involved? Loss of trust, betrayal, and denials. What about the wife who finds out the man she loved, the father of her children, the guy she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, is more than just her lover? He’s also the lover of many other women, who quite possibly, might bring more than the other woman home but STDs, too! There are documented cases where women have left their men over more rivial matters than adultery, abuse, financial and other serious cases. They have left their men over snoring, not putting their clothes in the laundry hamper, even not taking care of regular household duties. I’m not excusing women on this. Some of you are no better! So, "For Better or Worse" is just a statement. Is it a belief to be taken seriously. What happened to that person that you fell in love with? This is not the movies we see that have happy endings. To me, that’s why God and faith play a major role in my life. The devil does his best to turn cracks into valleys. Anything to take away your joy, which is also your strength!

Crack In My Windshield

Picture yourself driving along the interstate minding your own business, keeping an eye out for careless drivers, speeders, and tailgaters. You’re buckled in, not texting, and not on the cell phone. The tractor trailer in front of you kicked up some small gravel and it hits your windshield. It didn’t break it, but the sound got your attention. In fact, you heard it hit but don’t know where it. You soon forget about it and don’t think anymore about it. A couple of weeks later, while cleaning your car and windows, you notice a small crack on the passenger side in the lower right hand corner. You remembered when it happened and hope that the crack won’t get any larger. Since we don’t have car inspections in this state, you continue to drive regardless how big that crack isbecoming. It’s now unsafe to drive but you’re willing to take the risk. Hopefully, you don’t hurt yourself or any of your passengers if the windshield breaks.

When we’re hurt emotionally by someone or ourselves, we let the cracks grow until it’s unsafe for us. We know that it will have a negative effect on us but we continue. We just pack it up and carry it with us to the next person. Either we get it fixed, face the facts that something is very wrong, or find somebody we can talk to who knows how to care of the "cracks in our windshields."

The Two Wolves

One evening a wise, old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

"One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his Grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The wise, old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

This email is circulating the internet. I thought it was appropriate to our discussion. Which wolf do we feed? One will grow in size and strength to overpower the other. I hope you make the right choice. Either one will affect the outcome of a relationship.

The Onion Test

Let’s do the onion test. You must be honest, truthful and candid with yourself. This is a test that only you and you only need to know. I believe we all are all like the onion with its many layers. We have many personalities, idiosyncrasies, moods, and characters. Unfortunately, a lot of us have some pains inside of us that make us unhappy. We refuse to accept these weaknesses or simply ignore them. So we hide them and concentrate on other people’s weaknesses. We do our best to make others unhappy, too. Are you starting to cut through your layers? Don’t dwell on the negatives, confront them, work on them, and change them. This will take time and should exercise a great deal of patience, tolerance, and understanding towards others. We are not perfect, but there is always room for improvement. Before we start finding the wrongs in others, let’s look at our own personal challenges. Take a real good look at yourself. How would you like to be treated? Do you treat others with respect and dignity? Or do you judge by first impressions? By how the person looks? What they say? Material gains? Maybe, their attitude? Could there be something else associated with it, like jealousy? Are you selfish? Self-centered? Moody? Quick-tempered? Insecure? Afraid? Arrogant? Tempermental? Doubtful? Only you will know when you cut through the layers and face yourself. Now when you recognized your faults and start to work on them, see if others will notice a difference in you. Don’t give up on yourself, even if others already have. Trudge through this journey we call life. We all have something to contribute. Don’t measure by the quantity, but the quality! Remember, the widow's mite? You may not have much but you still got a lot to give!