This morning, We attended a graduation ceremony from the Detroit Police Academy. One of the graduates was one of my players when I was a high school football coach in Detroit. Although he had a difficult childhood, he always had a smile on his face and was one of our best players.

Now at age 24, he has decided to serve the people of Detroit as a police officer. It grieves me terribly to think of the things he’ll see and the difficult situations he’ll have to face.

Generation after generation, young people like him step forward into harms way in order to serve the common good. I hope you sleep well tonight knowing there are people like him out there standing guard all through the night!

I say, “Thanks for your service!”

If not today, when?

I have been very, very happily married for almost 55 years. One reason is that we had several classes on marriage before we got married and were told that we should get away, just the two of us for “Date Night” once a week.

This idea really resonated with me because I’ve always thought of marriage as a continuing courtship! Being in love is a spectacular, all consuming event that should not terminate at the altar. No, like every thing important to you, keeping your love alive requires effort and your personal attention.

“Date Night” doesn’t have to be expensive. It can be anything you decide to do that gets you out of the house together.

A decision to marry is the biggest decision of our lives with the biggest consequences. If it’s that important, it deserves your constant attention!

If not today, when?

As the years go by, we mustn’t succumb to some of the common behavior found in many older people. These may include bitterness, depression, a lack of enthusiasm, callousness, a short temper and a jaded way of looking at life.

O, all of us have had difficult life experiences that can affect us negatively, but must we let them linger in our memory year after year? Or, can we try to learn lessons that can serve us well in later life and perhaps enable us to pass on a little wisdom to those coming up after us?

At my present age of 77, everyday living still provides an opportunity to learn and experience new things.There once was TV show entitled, “Life is worth living.”

I couldn’t agree more!

If not today, when?

 

It’s an old cliche’, but something we should think about more than we do. Oh yes, we can always come up with the negative things going on in our lives. We should also even the scale from time to time by considering what’s right with what’s wrong.

This discussion leads to the larger issue of SELF MANAGEMENT. Do you manage your thoughts and actions or do you allow other people and events do it for you? You have more control over your personal happiness than you may realize.

You are not a victim!

Like all the rest of us, you have assets and liabilities. Don”t forfeit your sense of well being to today’s momentary crisis. You must develop the habit of counting your blessings as well as you can quickly enumerate what’s wrong with your life!

If not today, when?

 

Prayer Of St. Francis:

” Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love, Where there is injury-pardon, Where there is doubt-faith, Where there is despair-hope, Where there is darkness-light, Where there is sadness-joy,

O divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, To be understood as to understand, To be loved as to love, For it is in giving that we receive, It is in pardoning that we are pardoned, And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life!”

I love this prayer because it beckons us to a higher calling!

If not today, when?

 

 

We all have them. Most are narrow and confined to family and friends. Some are broad and embrace total strangers who are in need.

This is probably an uncomfortable topic for many people. It shouldn’t, however, be solely a philosophical topic. It should be all about action. Have you, do you, will you convert your empathy into actions?

There are always people hurting. For some, it is a lifetime of hurt brought on by permanent poverty or a lifelong disease or both. For others, it is a temporary illness or some other misfortune.

You see, I just don’t believe empathy is enough if it isn’t converted into action! Without action, it is just empty words such as, “Isn’t that a shame.”

As individuals and as a society, we must do better than that!

If not today, when?

The fun part is getting the kids started. The hard part is raising this child you and God created. Unfortunately, they don’t come with a guide book!

We raised a large family and here are a few lessons we’ve learned: In the beginning… touching your baby, smiling, singing and talking are vital. Good nutrition guided by your pediatrician is critical. Consistent daily routine including naps are a requirement.

Crying is just one way a baby communicates. You must learn to differentiate a cry coming from discomfort or from a temper. Your child needs stimulation by being moved around the house and different positions. Babies need safe things to chew on while they’re teething and a pacifier is often helpful.

If you use daycare, do your research and drop in unexpectedly from time to time.

If not today, when?

 

Yesterday doesn’t exist unless you want to resurrect it each day. By the way, tomorrow doesn’t exist either unless you’re a fortune teller.

No, all you’ve got is now!

You can carry your bad yesterdays around with you, but that’s going to cause you to feel the pain over and over again. Or, you can carry your good yesterdays that make you feel good, but can also serve as a reminder that your present situation is worse than previous ones.

Anticipating your tomorrows is a waste of time because we can’t see the future and future events usually don’t turn out exactly as we thought they would.

You can’t change the past and you can’t foretell the future, but you can completely control what you do in the now. 

Live with passion in the now!

If not today, when?

When Winston Churchill was 19, he was not a good student and was sent into the British Army as a cavalryman. He immediately received a letter from his father with the following excerpts:

“..You are one of hundreds of public school failures, and you will degenerate into a shabby, unhappy, futile existence.” And yet, he rose from such hurtful condemnation to lead the free world to victory over Nazism in WWII.

Did you have a difficult childhood with poor parenting and little or no encouragement? If so, remember the rejection he endured from his family in his formative years.

You are God’s gift to the world!

You can do anything you really want to do! Don’t allow anything or anyone, present or in your past life, prevent you from becoming the incredible person inside of you!

If not today, when?

Every relationship blossoms and matures with that magic ingredient called trust!

This is true of the most intimate life shared by spouses and the trust that can grow between parents and their children. Advancement up the corporate ladder is granted when senior management is convinced that it will not be embarrassed by the actions of a newly promoted employee.

A trusting relationship, if it is to last, must be based on honesty. Sometimes, complete candor is not always appreciated by the other person, but it is much more genuine than this thing we call “political correctness.” Trust is not easily earned. It takes a while.

You can’t say one thing and then do the opposite! You must be honest in word and deed. A trusting relationship is a beautiful thing and well worth the pursuit!

If not today, when?