I recently switched schools for my MBA program. Instead of one six week class continuously except for two weeks off between Christmas and New Years, I am now taking two classes at a time, the classes go for 11 weeks at a time. My Mom asked me if I thought I bit off more than I can chew. I thought for a few seconds and then said 'I can do it.' She said 'ok, that's what I wanted to hear'. Then she quoted that well-known verse, you know the one, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' Philippians 4:13.
For one of my classes I was reading about some regulations that were implemented during Ronald Reagan's presidency. It got me to thinking how although he has been gone for a number of years, his time in the White House continues to resonate down through the years. Then I thought about how he added to the tapestry that makes up not only the United States of America, but to the world.
Not everyone will have the opportunity to have the impact Ronald Reagan did, but that is no excuse for us not to be the best we can be; to make the best contribution to humanity that we can in our corner of our world. As I thought this through, I realized that most people will make an impact upon the world by the way they raise their children and nurture their grand children. For those of us who do not and will not have children, there is still no excuse. What impact are we having on our nieces and nephews? What impact do we have on our family, friends, and co-workers? Whether we like it or not, whether we believe it or not, we too have an impact on the tapestry. Will it be a good impact or a bad impact? Will it be negative or positive?
I recall a conversation I had with my brother a number of years ago. He had to set me straight on my thinking process based on the conversation we were having. He's one of those people who talks to you without talking down to you. He's like a psychologist, asking you questions that make you think about what you are saying until the light bulb goes on in your head! The outcome of that conversation, like the many conversations we have had, has resonated with me down through the years. He makes me think outside the box, something I am not naturally prone to doing. The basic outcome of that conversation was that we are all here for a reason. We are all making a contribution to this planet.
What is your contribution? It can be as small as taking your kids to the park or going to a niece or nephew's game or recital. What I don't think many of us realize is one small thing can impact positively or negatively, another human being. When my Daddy was just a little pre-teen, he took the ferry from one island over to the island on which he lived. Unfortunately he got off at the wrong stop and found that he was lost. He stood there apparently looking lost. A lady noticed he was lost, that he was on the other side of the island from where he was supposed to be. She took him home, fed him and put him to bed with her kids. When he woke up the next morning she had one of her older children walk him home. Now I realize that would be a big risk in this day and age, but in his day, that was perfectly fine. I did not know that story until recently. Why did my Dad tell us the story? Because all of these years later, one of the woman's children was in the audience of a concert my sister and her husband were having at a church in a city in which she was visiting. Someone told her who my sister is. My Dad told us that from the time the lady rescued him, his aunts, who by the way raised him, sent fresh caught fish and other foods to the lady on a regular basis.
Are we perfect? No we're not, but we had better do the best we can by each other as much as possible. We never know where we will end up in life. Regardless, we will be adding to the tapestry. Why not make it a beautiful and positive addition?
