Opinions

“There’s one thing good about getting fired,” said the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield, “It helps you make up your mind.” Over the years, the average person gets relieved of their duties about two times, and I have taken pride in being an above average person. As a teenager working at a 24-hour diner in Florida, I was dismissed for cutting my finger, though they hired me back as a dishwasher. Meeting my career quota at the same place a few months later, they gave me a chance to be a short-order cook to help during rush-hour surges. In the task of cracking two eggs, one in each hand, over a dozen were unsuccessful – meaning they went into a container for use in scrambling eggs.

In our kitchen, one of my two simple bar stools lost one of its dowels. I should not be surprised because the stools are probably 30 years old and, as I well know, things happen.

It is in December when we read that Mary, the mother of Jesus, “treasured all these things in her heart.” It is in May that I think of that statement the most. For Sunday is Mother’s Day. I, like every other devoted mother on earth, realize the treasure I’ve been privileged to hold, if but a short while. To be sure, my gratitude does not always spill forward when the milk does. My happiness is not always evident when the lawn is littered with shoes and fishing rods. My awareness of the treasure I hold is not always apparent when I’m ranting about attitudes, academics or economics.

Dear Editor:

I hope you have enjoyed the recent messages about heaven lately, and I appreciate the emails expressing your speculations. My statements are my own opinions and calculations and originate from my fascination about what our future home will be like. There are so many more questions like will we eat, what will we do, will we live in mansions, will babies be born, can our loved ones communicate with us, will our pets be there, will all of nature including our bodies remain the same throughout eternity, will there be technology, will we sleep, and so on. We realize that no one really knows the specifics of all these things we are curious about, but there are hints here and there if we take the time to study and research the scriptures. There is no need to argue about heaven, but rather let us be filled with excitement and joy to know that being with God forever (wherever we are) is the greatest miracle blessing we could ever experience.

Wear something red...

Yes, they were elected, but that doesn’t mean folks have to prevent them from their elected position. Unfortunately, in today’s chaotic American world, those who scream the loudest about saving democracy, often do their best to make sure their opponent doesn’t get a foothold in office. Democracy is for us, but not for them. From the day the victors were chosen by a winning margin, some losers set out to disrupt and make certain the winners have little chance of accomplishing what they promised while campaigning. Rather than spend their time developing a better plan and putting in place better leaders for the next election, they’ll be known for being nasty trolls under a bridge they believe they are entitled.

I once laughed--to myself, of course--at resumes from bright young minds who put “able to operate a copy machine” on their list of qualifications. At that time, operating our copier meant pushing a button, so I suppose these same job candidates were qualified to ride an elevator, find the butcher at the grocery store or ring a doorbell. Now “able to operate a copy machine” is a true qualification; our copier speaks two languages and may tap dance. That prompted me to consider how dramatically resumes (like, copiers) have changed through the years, although mine has not. Most upwardly mobile professionals update their resumes regularly, but I don’t want another job so I just filed mine away.

Considering the difference between President No. 46, and this year’s No. 47, America has gone from a weak Autopen to a bold Sharpie, from an awkwardly “hands-on” children to the current exposer of fraudulent waste that has prompted “hands-off ” rallies from people who oppose such actions. Joe Biden, whose gradual mental decline was noticed by everyone with a brain, including most everyone except the American media, to Donald Trump, whose work routine shows no daysoff nor does his train-of-thought have a caboose.