(A line taken from the song, IMAGINE)

The underlying message of the song is peace among nations.

It suggests a universal brotherhood of all people with no reason to dislike one another.

There is a current trend underway with democracies becoming dictatorships.

There are also some nations threatening their neighboring nations militarily.

Some 75 million people died in World War II.

Unfortunately, the weaponry today is much more lethal than those used in 1940 to 1945.

Still, some of us dislike people who profess a religion different than theirs.

Then there is the ongoing dislike of people in various ethnic groups or of different colors.

Another line in the song says, “Imagine there is no greed or hunger.”

The writer of the song admits that he is a dreamer.

But, you and I can make this world a better place simply by how we treat loved ones, friends and even strangers who may be different than ourselves.

If not today, when?

Yes, for each of us, there will come “A Time To Say Goodbye!”

When, Where, How, we don’t know.

But, we do have control over how we live while we’re here.

Will you leave the world a better place?

Will your loved ones know you loved them?

Will you have set an example for your children, if any, that will enable them to become role models for others to follow?

Have you kept the major promises of your life?

Did you use your God-given talents for worthwhile causes?

Thank God for the life you’ve been given.

If you’ve been going down the wrong path, there is still time to make the necessary changes.

Did you PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH?

The world doesn’t need another hypocrite.

Always be true to yourself.

If not today, when?

Our values seem to have come undone.

Here are some things we once held sacred:

TRUTH

We were told as small children, “Always tell the truth.”

Yet, LYING has become the way to get ahead.

And if you tell the same lie often enough, it seems to become the truth.

LOYALTY

We’re living during a period where employees are leaving their employers in huge numbers.

This pattern, of course, is causing bankruptcies and the closing of long-serving neighborhood businesses.

PATRIOTISM

Our politicians are putting their own selfish interests first while leaving PATRIOTISM behind.

They were elected to safeguard our DEMOCRACY, but they have other priorities.

A PROMISE

We were taught that, “A promise made was a promise kept.

Sometimes, people think a promise made is no longer in their best interest.

So, here we are with societal changes that threaten our future.

Is anything SACRED?

It’s a question we must all ask ourselves.

If not today, when?

No, you can’t take it with you.

So, how much of your earthly gains have you shared with those who need it?

We work hard to accumulate things throughout our lives.

Some of them are just necessities that we all need.

Others, however, bring prestige such as custom cars and impressive homes.

I think the main point of this blog is, “Are you generous throughout your life?”

What is your relationship with your THINGS?

If you’ve not been a generous person, you probably won’t become one on your deathbed.

So, now is the time to evaluate what you need and really don’t need.

It’s not too late to look around to better understand the NEEDS in your community.

There are many!

If not today, when?

 

To obtain success, we must endure FAILURE!

Let’s learn from the experience of Thomas Edison.

How many times did he feel like giving up along the way?

How many of us could fail even 100 times and continue on?

Do you have “THE GUTS” to risk failing in pursuit of a much desired goal?

Edison did.

He is, however, no different than the rest of us.

As my dad used to say, “He puts his pants on one leg at a time” so therefore he’s no better than you.

If you haven’t failed at something yet, you haven’t been willing to be a “Risk Taker.”

Life itself is a risk that we will return home safely each day.

Believe in yourself and summon the courage to pursue your dreams.

At least, we now have light bulbs to “Light the way!”

If not today, when?

There is such joy at the birth of a newborn child.

Such hope for the future of each child!

As the saying goes, “We are born to shine,” but not all of us realize that high aspiration.

What goes wrong along the way?

Perhaps the child grows up in an impoverished family that cannot provide the parental support system required in the early years.

Perhaps the child is brought up in an under-performing school system that can’t equip the child to compete for a decent job.

Perhaps internal strife between the parents traumatizes the child to an extent that they become depressed and anxious about the future.

Perhaps the child becomes greatly influenced by the wrong peer group and chooses the wrong path.

Let’s face it.

The joy of birth and the responsibilities of parenthood are two very different things.

And we’re always a parent who must always be available to our children whether they’re 5 or 50.

God bless the parent and the child!

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?