Filipino nurses have been serving in American hospitals for generations.

Although they only make up 4% of the registered nurses in the U.S., they accounted for 26.4% of the nurses who died here from Covid 19.

This statistic was reported by The National Nurses United, our country’s largest nursing union.

So, they died on the FRONT LINES while trying to save the lives of people they did not know.

These numbers bring to light a community whose role in our national story is often untold.

Immigrants from the Philippines make up over 13% of all foreign-born health care workers-more than any other country.

They were originally brought in to fill the nursing shortage after World War II. (CNN)

This is just another story of the millions of immigrants who built this nation while suffering and dying along the way.

Yes, we are a nation of immigrants.

THANK GOD!

If not today, when?

For nearly six hours on Monday, the world experienced a forced break from Facebook’s social networking tools.

We lived to tell the tale. But how did we feel in the process?

Although relatively short, the Facebook outage showed “how reliant we are on social media in different ways to distract ourselves, to escape, to connect, to cope with anxiety and stress,” according to Ian Kerner, a marriage and family therapist.

When people can’t scroll and post as they usually do, Kerner said they can become bored and vulnerable to difficult emotions and stressors — sometimes without knowing how to cope with them.

“People find that they are alone with their own thoughts. And they’re a little bit of a stranger to themselves in a way. Prior to social media, I think we were much better at being on our own, finding ways to engage ourselves and remain curious,” Kerner added. (CNN)

For the reasons given above, shouldn’t we become independent people again, forbidding social media and some of its sinister messages from captivating our every waking moment?

If not today, when?

“Hold your head up high,

And don’t be afraid of the dark,

Walk on through the wind,

Walk on through the rain,

Though your dreams be tossed and blown.”

Sometimes, we find ourselves in a storm.

We all face different kinds of storms throughout our lives.

There are financial storms.

There are physical storms.

There are emotional storms.

There are storms in our relationships with one another.

So, do you “Hold Your Head Up High” while walking through a storm?

And how quickly do you recover?

And are there valuable lessons learned while in the midst of a storm?

We learn much about ourselves while struggling through difficulty.

And this newly acquired self-knowledge should help fortify us for the storms to come.

If not today, when?

Andrei Bocelli, the world renowned tenor, believes we live in a clock because our lives are winding down.

Before he became blind at age 12, he was in awe of the world God had created.

So, he refers to God as “The Clockmaker.”

Therefore, he has a strong faith in God despite his total blindness.

How about you and I who have all our faculties?

Should we have faith in “The Clockmaker” too?

And if we have that faith, how should we express it in our daily lives?

Should we begin each day with gratitude?

And if we are grateful for our loved ones and friends, how do we let them know we are so thankful that they are a part of our lives?

One of the greatest regrets in life is NOT HAVING LOVED ENOUGH!

Love “The Clockmaker” and one another.

If not today, when?

Yes, it’s true.

Among all the large industrialized nations, America has a strong competitive advantage.

Let’s look at China as an example.

For decades, China has had the “One Child Law.”

Now, because, its workforce is getting old and unable to work, its president has just passed the “Two Children Law.”

This, of course, is intended to eventually create a young workforce.

China’s moms, however, are saying, “No Thanks, One Is Enough.”

Japan, Germany and the other industrial powers have an aging population too.

People don’t want to immigrate to those countries.

They want to come to America.

Unless you are a Native American, your ancestors immigrated here too.

So, the secret to America’s dominance as an industrial power has been and always will be immigration.

There are certain politicians here who want to stop immigration.

If that happens, it will be the “Death Knoll” of our industrial dominance!

You are on notice!

So that we can learn to love one another.

We call ourselves THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Are we?

On the news every day, I see only red and blue states.

We have the 3rd highest divorce rate behind two small countries.

We still have racial strife and ethnic prejudices.

We still have a huge population of people who don’t accept gay people.

Aren’t we, as Americans, better than this?

Let’s live up to our name, “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!”

So what if your neighbor or co-worker is a different color than you.

We have no idea the amount of suffering they have endured throughout their lives.

Why not give them a break?

Love is so much easier than hate.

As Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

LEAD US TO A PLACE! GUIDE US WITH YOUR GRACE!

If not today, when?

As of 2020, there were 8.8 million single moms in the U.S.

Unwed mothers gave birth to 40% of the children of single moms.  (statista.com)

According to Pew Research Center, the U.S. has the highest share of single parents in the world.

The two most common reasons for single parent families are high rates of divorce and non-marital child bearing.

PROBLEMS FACED BY SINGLE PARENTS:

Visitation and custody problems

Continuing conflict between the parents

Less time for parents and children to spend together

Children’s poor school performance and peer relationships

Disruption in extended family relationships (wikipedia.org)

Single moms often face financial strain and social isolation (parenthoodtimes.com}

So, there you have it, a difficult existence for parent and children.

Single moms need our support with whichever means are available to each of us.

One of their greatest needs is emotional support.

Surely, we can give them that!

If not today, when?

Yes, it sets each day, but it also rises.

It’s like all of our lives.

We continually experience ups and downs.

It is the cadence of our lives that leaps from sadness to joy and back again.

For some of us, sadness seems to linger longer.

This is understandable when the sadness is caused by a major disappointment.

Yet, like the sun, those of us in a protracted sadness, must also rise.

I say this because I’ve learned that our allotted time is short and goes by in the blink of an eye.

And joy doesn’t last a lifetime.

There are interruptions to our joy when life deals us another blow.

So, each day we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and start all over again.

That’s life!

If not today, when?

This is a very important question.

Who do you allow to impact the course of your life and the decisions that dictate that course?

Let’s look at some potential influencers:

YOUR SPOUSE OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER?

I would imagine you are greatly influenced by your life partner.

YOUR FRIENDS?

We all want to have friends and be accepted by them. This makes them strong influencers.

YOUR POLITICAL PARTY?

There is tremendous animosity and strong emotional rivalry between the two major political parties. Are you swept up in it and how great a power does it have over you?

YOUR EMPLOYER?

Your major source of financial security is in the hands of your employer. How likely are you to reflect your employer’s value system?

YOUR ETHNIC GROUP?

Are you a member of a certain ethnic group? If so, does your ethnicity greatly affect your decision making?

I think it might be a good idea to review those who influence your decisions and make changes if necessary!

If not today, when?

Where are you headed in your life?

What values are in place that will never be compromised?

Are there additional values that you will become committed to?

How about the priorities of your life?

Are they in the right order or should some of them be re-arranged?

How about the loves in your life?

Do loved ones get frequent reminders of the depth of your love for them?

How many issues in your life make you happy?

How many make you sad and can hopefully be corrected?

As I look back on my 80 years of living, I realize that a value system, priorities, love and personal happiness greatly impact “The Journey!”

It’s your journey.

Make it count!

If not today, when?