Be Grateful - it's good for you

“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.” 

Abraham Lincoln

 A big birthday (one ending in 0) came - and I was feeling a bit depressed!  I started the day off feeling sorry for myself.  All I could think of was that life was passing me by, and I wasn’t where I hoped I’d be at this age: I wasn’t a governor, a general, a millionaire, or business tycoon. 

Then I determined that I would force myself (I sure didn’t want to) to count my blessings one by one.  It was hard at first but I kept going.  You think you’ll just name a few things, or a dozen things - but if you try it - you can name hundreds.  Can I tell you, after you’ve named dozens and dozens of blessings, it’s almost impossible to continue to feel sorry for yourself!

Author Ann Voskamp dares us to make a list of “One Thousand Gifts.”  She encourages her readers to embrace a life of “radical gratitude.” In her book she describes how this discipline brought her out of depression.  Leadership guru Zig Ziglar says, “The healthiest of all human emotions is gratitude.”

I believe it’s important to try to set our minds on positive things, not the negative.  In our media dominant culture bad news is before us 24-7, 365 days a year. A toddler falling off a balcony in New York, an industrial accident in Texas, a tornado in Alabama, a senseless rash of gang shootings in Chicago.  There is always bad news!

I remember a while back talking to a friend on the phone and she was lamenting about how terrible the bear attacks were out in the national parks this year, and she was all concerned and troubled about it. Now mind you, she lived thousands of miles from this national park. While we definitely should care about everyone and want no harm to come to anyone, I don’t believe you should dwell on bear attacks in Yellowstone unless you’re planning a camping trip there in the near future.   If you dwell on all the problems and tragedies you hear about that are beyond your reach and maybe thousands of miles away you may soon develop Compassion Fatigue.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Philippians 4:8.  The verse basically tells us what we should set our minds on.  “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about these things.”

Dr. Karl Menninger said “The first step to good mental health is to look away from oneself to others.” He went on to say that if he were having problems he would go spend a day in a rest home helping others. It seems to me that happiness comes when you’re not looking for it.

I believe that each day we should try to greet others with a smile.  We should appreciate others and let them know it.  We can do that by giving them honest compliments and encouragement.  Be a friend. Be a giver.  Praise God and honor God. Thank God - no matter what. God is present where people are thankful.

I recently read an article by a man that worked in a hospice surrounded by people with terminal illnesses and facing the end of life.  He wrote about the “Top 5 Regrets of the Dying.”  He reported that not one said “I regret I didn’t make more money,” or “I wish I had worked harder.”  He said that a central theme for a majority was this: “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends, I wish I didn’t work so hard, I wish I had had the courage to express my feelings and, finally, I wish that I had let myself be happier.”

Take time today to count your blessings one by one, write them down.  Call an old friend. Remember that giving thanks is a way to joy. Choose to be happy.

Remembering Mom

Hard to believe seven years have passed so quickly.  Today I'm remembering my sweet mom , Rena Andrews Ennis, who passed away 7 years ago on this date.  She made thousands of pots of coffee in an old percolator. I fired it up today in her memory. It brought back so many memories of my boyhood out in the country of rural Harnett County, N.C.
A few of the basic things my mother taught me as I watched her live her simple life.
Be there for your children and those you love.
Use common sense.  If something or somebody doesn't seem right--it's probably not right. Trust your judgment.
Stand up for your family--Lord knows there are plenty of folks who stand ready to tear them down--don't you do it.
Hold your head up, be proud of who you are.  No one is better than you just because they have more money or a nicer home. You are God's child. Live with honor and dignity.

Mama didn't have a lot of education-but she was wise; didn't have a lot of money--but was rich in so many ways. I thank my mom for the greatest gift anyone can give you--unconditional love. We still miss you mom.  You were one of a kind!

A Legacy of Joy

For the past two days I had the great privilege of hanging out with and getting to know one of the great sports icons of America: Meadowlark Lemon, the “Clown Prince of Basketball.” Meadowlark (yes, that’s his real name - actually he is Meadowlark Lemon III) won international fame as the star of the Harlem Globetrotters, the most beloved sports team in history. He has played more than 16,000 games in some 90 countries around the world.

Meadowlark was in town to speak at the South Hampton Roads Leadership Prayer Breakfast, a large regional prayer breakfast attended by local mayors, leaders from the police, fire, legal and military communities, as well as many wonderful citizens. Meadowlark became an ordained minister in 1986 and now travels the world to spread not only laughter from his basketball antics but the joy that comes from his faith.

As I spent time with him in a variety of settings, I was amazed at how people reacted to Meadowlark upon seeing him. I saw 40, 50, 60 year old (and older)men and
women become almost childlike upon meeting him. The common greeting was, “I saw you and the Globetrotters play in (Norfolk, Raleigh, Charlotte, New York City, Newark, Las Vegas, Alabama, Georgia were a few of the places named) when I was young. What a pleasure to meet you!” There were no reservations, no holding back when people met him - just pure joy. He brought back happy memories of childhood, special outings with mom, dad and friends. He brought joy.

A verse that Meadowlark shared reflected the theme of his life. John 15:11 “... so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

In my career I’ve observed the personal interaction with the public of dozens of famous people: political leaders, entertainers, religious leaders, sports figures and high level CEO’s. And while people are often excited to meet these people because of their celebrity, it was different with Meadowlark - it was like seeing a dear friend from childhood that you hadn’t seen in 30 years. There was pure joy on the faces of nearly everyone he met.

Thank you Meadowlark for spreading joy wherever you’ve gone for more than 50 years. You truly have built, “A legacy of Joy.”

A Day of Hope for Virginia and America

This morning I had the privilege of attending the launch of the Virginia Commonwealth Prayer Caucus on the steps of the Capitol in Richmond. What a glorious day - dazzling sunshine and a bright blue sky.

Today was also a day of encouragement for so many who have prayed for our nation to turn back to God. It was heartening to hear the top leaders of the Commonwealth: Governor Bob McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli speak passionately about the need for a return to prayer by our nation. It was also inspiring to see a strong contingent of state senators and delegates there to participate in the signing of the Call to Prayer, "asking Virginians everywhere to pray that God will continue to bless this country and the freedom for which it stands; and that He will continue to bless the Commonwealth of Virginia."

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God told King Solomon: "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

Today I witnessed hundreds of God's people, led by the top three office holders in the state, humbling themselves, praying and seeking God's forgiveness and blessing. A great movement has begun in our nation, "A Call to Prayer" that is being led by Congressmen Randy Forbes (R-VA) and Mike McIntyre (D-NC), co-chairs of the Congressional Prayer Caucus. Already state legislators in Mississippi, Colorado, North Carolina and Kentucky are preparing to join Virginia with a prayer caucus in their states.

This is not a political movement or a social movement - but a spiritual movement fueled by people anxious to see our nation return to the Judeo-Christian heritage that helped us to become the greatest nation on the face of the earth.

(photo by Nancy Green)

Reflections on Selling the Old Home place

I recently ended the final chapter on the book of my youth. The time had come for me to sell the old home place in rural Harnett County, N.C. where I spent most of the days and nights of my growing up years. At the end, the old place wasn’t pretty. The old farm house hadn’t been occupied for years and it was rundown, paint chipping off, windows broken by vandals, the yard chest-high in weeds and the old barn out back ransacked by pillagers. The fields on either side of the house which had once been bountiful gardens were now thick with underbrush, briers and saplings.

As I made my final visit to the old place, memories of my boyhood flooded back. I remembered the sounds and feel of a hot summer’s night there. At night you could hear a cacophony of frogs, crickets, a distant hooting from an owl and whippoorwills singing in the trees close by. With no streetlights and the closest neighbors a quarter mile away—it was dark outside! You could look up and see a sky full of twinkling stars.

My dad had grown up on a farm and could grow anything. So not surprisingly our place had a big strawberry patch, several grapevines, as well as apple, plum, peach, fig and pecan trees. Our garden was always chock-full of tomatoes, corn, butter beans, snap beans, cucumbers, squash, okra, potatoes, peas, watermelons and cantaloupes. That garden served at least two purposes for my dad—it furnished our family (and others) with plenty of fresh vegetables-- and it provided plenty of hard work to keep a young boy busy. It also gave me a lifetime appreciation for watching things grow.

When I walked into the old kitchen I remembered my sweet mama making her famous (to the family anyways) chow-chow. When she made it—the pungent smell of onions, green and red peppers, green tomatoes, cabbage, and a vinegar base would permeate the whole house. I also recalled that Mama was a master at throwing together a meal from scratch or leftovers. If unexpected company showed up at meal time, and back in the old days they often did, she could produce a great meal in nothing flat. Every Saturday night she made a cake and every Sunday, she like many of the women of that time, cooked a full Sunday dinner with Southern fried chicken, homemade biscuits and all the fixings. I also realized that my mama cooked three full meals every day, that’s just the way things were in that place and time.

As I walked into the living room, I could see the huge old black and white TV where we regularly watched shows like “Gunsmoke” on Saturday nights and “Bonanza” and “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Sunday. We only got two channels which at the time seemed like plenty.

That last visit a few weeks ago to the house, the barn, the fields, brought back so many memories, most of them good. It’s sad to know that now the old home place is out of my life forever—except for that special place that exists in our hearts and minds, where our childhoods live forever.

Is There a Storm Coming?

You know how the bread, milk and water shelves are all bare at your local grocery store when a hurricane or snow storm is on the way? I experienced something of the sort this weekend when I went to some local stores—only I wasn’t looking for bread or milk.

I visited a couple of gun stores this past weekend and what I saw amazed me. At one store I was told they did not have a single box of pistol ammo of any type available—they were totally cleaned out! At a second gun store (much larger) the story was almost the same. All the popular types of handgun ammo were totally sold out—their very extensive ammunition shelves were bare.

Since Barack Obama’s election, gun and ammunition sales have skyrocketed. There is a tremendous shortage of ammunition all across the country, according to Lawrence Keane, senior vice president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Background checks required when people buy guns at gun stores have raised dramatically. The FBI reported more than 4.2 million background checks from November 2008 through January 2009—a 31 % increase from the prior year.

Why are law-abiding citizens buying up every bit of ammunition they can get their hands on? What has caused this dramatic increase in gun and ammunition sales? Is it feared that the Obama administration will take steps to significantly tax and regulate all ammunition and enact strict new gun control measures? Are Americans afraid that they are in danger of losing their Second Amendment Rights?

The people I saw at the gun stores on Saturday weren’t a bunch of crazy gun nuts.
The people I saw were a tapestry of America - white, black, Asian, Hispanic, men, women, young people, and older people. You could almost sense their panic as they looked upon the bare shelves.

Is there a storm coming?

Let Palin be Palin!

In the 1980 presidential campaign staffers and speechwriters for Ronald Reagan realized after the first debate that instead of over coaching him, the best practice was to “let Reagan be Reagan.”

Tonight, during the vice presidential debate in St. Louis we finally got to see “Palin be Palin.” After weeks of watching Sarah Palin being tentative and restrained during hostile interviews with Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson as she tried to remember her talking points, it was refreshing to see her turn on her charm and showcase her down-home values to score a significant victory!

America watched her up close and personal for 90 minutes—and they liked what they saw. She came across as a real person, a hockey mom who got involved in her home town of Wasilla, Alaska because she didn’t like the way things were being run in the city. She talked about middle –class family struggles to make ends meet—and it was believable. Untainted by Washington, D.C.’s political culture, she hasn’t learned how to lie smoothly (and we hope she never does) like Sen. Joe Biden who was caught in at least ten “misrepresentations” tonight according to Karl Rove.

Sarah Palin came across as a warm, humorous, down to earth person tonight. Yet she was able to go head to head with a veteran senator with 35 years of congressional experience. She connected with much of middle America and showed that she has what it takes to be a trustworthy leader.

Win or lose this election, we’re going to hear a lot more from Gov. Sarah Palin in the future. The McCain campaign handlers just need to step aside and “let Palin be Palin.” She is a winner!