Noah Webster Was Wrong

Peter Marshall

Peter Marshall was one of the most famous pastors of his day.  He'd been asked to speak at the Naval Academy, and was displeased with the sermon over which he'd toiled the entire week.  The Academy's chaplain told Marshall to speak what was in his heart, and Marshall wound up delivering what is considered to be one of his greatest sermons.

He told of a terminally ill boy who calmly asked his mother, "What is it like to die?"  She left the room to gather herself, then came back, knowing of the decision her son had made earlier in his life, and told him it was merely going to sleep and awakening on the other side.  About a week later, the boy let his mother know he wasn't afraid . . . and went to sleep. 

Dr. Marshall let the cadets know that to him, that was what death was like.  Merely going to sleep for the final time and crossing over into the Promised Land.  Dying was merely a transition for Christians.  After his sermon, he didn't know why he'd preached on death, but felt that he'd had to.  On the way home, he heard on the car radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed.  It was December 7, 1941 and Dr. Marshall realized that within a short time, many of those cadets would no longer be among the living.

If you look up death in Webster's Dictionary, Noah Webster has defined it as "The end of life."  If Webster's definition is correct, then we're in a lot of trouble.  It also means the Bible is wrong.  But to a Christian, death is merely a transition to a far, better place and we need not mourn for those who've passed.  We can celebrate their lives, which is what they'd prefer, but if we're going to mourn, then do so for ourselves.  And keep it short . . . those who've passed would detest long wakes.

We all have lost someone we hold dear.  But they have left us precious memories and someday we'll be reunited with them.  Remember them and cherish the time we had with them.  Our mementos can be lost, but our memories of these people?  Never.

                                                                                                  

Whatever Happened to Thanksgiving?

November is upon us.  And we know what that means.

Oh, forget about Thanksgiving.  The stores have.  Haven't you heard the Christmas music playing?  Noticed the decorations?  It's Christmas time and we're in the first week of November!

Anyone feel sick yet?

Don't get me wrong.  I love Christmas.  It's my favorite holiday.  I enjoy sitting around with the family, celebrating the birth of our Savior, but you know, I don't think it's supposed to be a two-month wingding for the stores.  Those who start putting out their Christmas specials in June are truly beyond me.  (I once had a customer ask me where the Christmas decorations were, and it was March.  She chewed me out when she learned she had to wait another three months.)

While I confess my Christmas shopping is already done - - - I admit to brilliant planning and a good amount of use of the Internet - - - I merely want to know . . . have we forgotten about Thanksgiving?  In today's time, it's mainly turkey, football, and the beginning of Christmas sales.  But let's look at the word.  Do we remember to give thanks anymore, or is it just another day off for some of us?

We need to note the history of this day, as the Pilgrims gave thanks for their bounty, and that is what we should do.  While it's a restful day for some, and generally a chaotic day for the ladies, for the most part we are with those that we love.  Stop and remember why you're with these people, and even if you do so silently, give a prayer of gratitude. Pray for the country you live in and acknowledge the freedoms that you have.  You have a lot to be grateful for, and give thanks for it.  It only takes a fleeting moment and is painless.  It doesn't cost anything either, unlike your Christmas shopping.

So as we enter the holidays, enjoy them.  But take it slowly, and remember that these are times to savor.  And to give thanks for.

Silver and Gold



The Hoster and Fisher kids

 As kids, we're taught the ditty, "Make new friends, but keep the old.  One is silver and the other's gold."  It's a nice little rhyme, and the teachers or parents make sure we learn it, as it's easy.

When we hear kids singing it, we have a tendency to realize yeah, there's more than a bit of truth to those words.  Some of the friends we haven't seen in ages we ponder about, and wonder if they've even thought about us in thirty years.  Other times, we'll bump into someone from school, and say something about lunch - which of course never happens. 

But there are some friendships that maintain the course.  Some that last throughout the decades, although you may not see or hear from those individuals that often.  There's that tie, that bond.  You know that if you were in a jam, all you'd have to do is contact them.  They wouldn't say, "Well, gee, I had plans . . ." or "Sorry, but I can't do anything."  No, they'll simply say, "I'm on my way."

Friends such as these are rare, and I've been blessed to have several.  They know who they are, so I'm not going to embarrass them by naming them.  Suffice to say, they know the meaning of true friendship, and over the years have taught it to me, as have my parents.  What these individuals have shown me is that in order to have friends, one must be a friend.

Every year around the holidays, I get together with my buddies from college.  It's one of the highlights of the season for me.  We talk about the past year, living in the dorm, and we all remember people the others didn't.  (Getting older is really a downer.)  I don't know what it means to the others, but I look forward to it throughout the year.  Last year, the first from our group passed away.  It hurt, but we knew that he would want our meetings to continue.  Paul died, but our friendship didn't.

With the passing of time, we'll continue to add more friends, but maintain the ones we have.  Some friendships we'll let fall by the wayside and wonder as time passes what happened to them.  Don't do this.  Friendships are gifts we should treasure and nurture.  Keep them always and let your friends know just how special they are to you.  Don't let one be silver, another gold:  They should all be platinum.

It's All In the Game

When I was a kid, I used to play board games with my cousin Larry all the time.  We had a consistent pattern in that I rarely won.  In college, I met my best friend Ron via a love of Monopoly.  Whenever we get together, the board games come out.  Ron's visits are the only time I can be sure my nephew will come to see me, as he always wants to beat Ron.  My college roommate Paul and I decided to room together in order that we could play Strat-O-Matic Baseball.  After college, we would get together every Christmas for a tournament, which he won with regularity.

Yes, I like games.  Some of them I'm good at.  Others . . . well, I won't say I stink, but there's an aroma permeating from the area when I play them.  But I try.  I have several versions of Monopoly, ranging from Chicago Cubs to Batman and Robin.  (The Mega Monoply is a blast.)  As a matter of fact, we're in the midst of creating two different board games.

But the most interesting game that we play is life.  Yes, it is a game.  In O.B. Rozell's "Of Winners, Losers, and Games," we observe how people are pawns in this game.  Good and Evil battle it out, with their minions aching to be used.  Good has Peace, Patience, Love, and Joy.  Evil has Hate, Anger, Greed and War.  Whoever gets their minions used first in our daily battles first is the winner of the game.

Now, merely because Rozell's work is a one-act play doesn't mean one shouldn't take it seriously.  While this thirty-minute play is entertaining, it reminds us of how we should act during our trails.  Which four are we going to choose?  Sometimes we choose a few from each side.  But which of the sides are we going to allow to emerge victorious? 

The winner of the game is up to us, and no one else.

Henry Ford Was Wrong

Sometime ago, P.T. Barnum came up with the infamous quote, "There's a sucker born every minute, and it takes two to take him."  With the passage of time, we've whittled that down to merely, "There's a sucker born every minute," due to the fact it no longer takes two to 'take' them.

The dumbing down of American began with the end of World War Two.  We figured that as long as we were on top, we'd just take it easy.  Things started creeping into the schools that weren't necessarily true, and those who were being slandered couldn't do much about it, as they'd been dead for decades.  Over the course of time, a good portion of our Founding Fathers have come to be forgotten, while in some history books, Michael Jackson gets more ink than George Washington.



Thomas Jefferson

 John F. Kennedy, an icon to many, appreciated history.  During a dinner where he hosted all the Nobel Prize winners at the White House, he stated, "There has not been this much intelligence in this room . . . since Jefferson dined alone."  No one has ever been recorded as arguing the statement.  Over the years, instead of his accomplishments, Jefferson seems to be noted more for his sex life than the fact that he expaned this nation and was one of the great geniuses.  The same goes for Benjamin Franklin.  With Dwight Eisenhower, it's a 'did he or didn't he' with Kay Sommersby.

What we seem to forget is the fact that were these not men of greatness, we wouldn't give a hoot about their personal lives.  But in delving into the possibilities of the 'dirt', we've forgotten what the men have done for this nation.  In this National Enquirer age, we tend to look for the bad in everyone - - after all, it's a juicier read - - and look at the things such as honor, character, and heroism as 'bland.'  In short, we've become lost.

We need to forget the National Enquier history education we've been given and start again.  Read up on these people who established our nation.  It makes for a fascinating read, and gives one a sense of not only awe, but thankfulness.

Henry Ford said, "History is bunk."  He forgot that he made history, so he disproved his statement.  History is a rich study of the past, and what we live in now is the history of tomorrow.