Severe Weather

This has been a season of severe tornados: Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Joplin, Missouri, Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Oklahoma City area, including El Reno. Severe storms in the Dallas area, and so many areas in the south mid-west.

This is devastating. There are no words to describe how incredibly horrific this has been. We are grateful that there is a network of volunteers and emergency aid agencies who are able to respond to help: National Guard http://www.nationalguard.com/;  American Red Cross http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main ;  Salvation Army http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf, FEMA http://www.fema.gov/; and the Department of Homeland Security http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm. 

The TV broadcast talked about hope and "we will be better."  That is the human condition: that we will be better. We can only hope. 

The Letter Carrier Food Drive

Lubbock, Texas has an internationally reknown food bank, the South Plains Food Bank:  http://www.spfb.org/site/c.lgLQIVOyGpF/b.5475427/k.5CCB/South_Plains_Food_Bank.htm
and as an adjunct to that food bank, a food dehydration plant http://www.breedlove.org/about_us.html.  I think the dehydration plant was the vehicle that vaulted the Food Bank to fame.

However it happened, it is wonderful that the South Plains can help with providing food to people all over the world, who otherwise would be in dire straights.

The Food Bank has many "food drives."  One of the biggest starts around Thanksgiving, and is geared to fill the coffers so families in need have Thanksgiving and Christmas meals worthy of the season.  The citizens of Lubbock respond generously, and I hope we do help most or all families of need.

Today was the National Association of  Letter Carriers Food Drive http://www.nalc.org/commun/foodrive/.  I always try to contribute to this food drive.  I think this is a great plan.  The letter carriers distribute cards and bags so people are informed and have bags in which to put food.

I hope everyone who was informed of this food drive was able to contribute.

Human Beings vs. Human Doings

I wrote about doing the other day.   Sometimes, I find myself doing a lot.  Today was a day when I had several activities to which I wanted to attend.  But they were all manageable, and in between, I had some down time.

I am sure you have heard this before:  We are human beings, not human doings.  That can be applied in more than one way.  We do not always need to be doing anything.  We should allow down time so we can appreciate the world around, including other people, the flora and fauna of the world, the beauty and scenery around us, whether created by the supreme being, his universe, or by humankind.

Many of us place no value in our basic existence. We identify ourselves by various means:  how we are related to someone, where we live, what we do for employment, what we accomplish.  Those traits are all important factors in expressing who we are, and help to distinguish one person from another.  But those factors imply or relate directly to doing.  They do no relate the message that I am who I am, and have value as a human being, just because I am alive.

For those of us who can accept this message, it makes the rest of our life have a different meaning.  If I can no longer do what I do, be in a relationship that I want, have the material things I want, I am no less a person, and have no less value.

If we remember to think this way, it reminds us what we have been taught as Christians, by our Lord, that whatever we do to the least of our brothers, we do to the Lord.  It reminds us that no matter how dire the circumstances in which we find ourselves, we have value as a human being because we are alive.  And, because of that value, we have a responsibility to live our life to the best of our ability to do so, no matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

Although the United States Delcaration of Independence says "all men are created equal" it does not say we are all created the same.  Equal implies with the equal opportunity to strive for the unalienable rights with which the Declaration says we are endowed.  The Declaration does not say we all have equal talents and abilities to undertake that effort, nor will we achieve equal results.  We just have equal rights to be alive and live a human beings.

We ignore the lesser amongst us too often.  Their being means that they deserve our respect and dignified attention as do those with great wealth, power, prestige and fame or notoriety. We just forget that too often.  This is not a lesson to remember just at Christmas time, when we traditionally reach out to the lesser amongst us.  And, it is a lesson we should call to mind at Easter, when we celebrate the miracle of Christ's resurrection. 

But, it is primarily a lesson we should call to mind every day, when we see someone in lesser circumstances as ourselves.  Not to appreciate how much better off we are than someone else, but to look within, and see what we can do to offer that person some recognition of that person's worth as a human being. It may be a kind word, a blessing, a smile, an acknowledgement of their personhood, or it may be some sort of material help or assistance. It does not have to be much, just something to say "you are, so you have value."

The Eyes of God

I have written before about the lessons regarding homelessness that Lisenby taught me.  Some time ago, I was at the grocery store, and saw a women give a donation to a man standing outside the entrance. I had seen him there before, but sadly, to be honest, I did not see him in that unseeing way we ignore unpleasantness around us.

The next time I saw him, I, too gave him something.

I was driving home tonight, thinking about indulging in some seafood for dinner.  I approached an intersection, and there was someone there with a sign needing help. I did not stop to consider his story or what he would do with my contribution, but I made one to him.  I thought that if I could splurge on extavagant food for dinner, I could help someone who may not have the options I have for food, shelter, clothing and self care.

I think, when I do something like this, I look into the eyes of God.  For years, there was a man who inhabited a corner near "the Strip" which was the only, restricted location in Lubbock County where people could buy packaged alcoholic beverages. This man had long stayed at the intersection he inhabited, long enough that he was there when I was married to Lisenby in the 1980's.  And, Lisenby used to make a contribution to him regularly.  

After we divorced, I did not, at first, but after a while, decided I could give him a contribution, and did, regularly.  I planned for it, and if I knew I was going that way, and did not have cash,  I would make sure I had some, taking change from my "piggy bank."

A colleague of mine once made the comment about how I was brave to talk to a homeless person. She has a very warm, kind heart, and would not demean a homeless person, nor reject the opportunity to help a homeless person.  She is just very aware that there are hidden dangers out there.

I have decided that I can look at a homeless person directly, and when I do, I am looking into the Eyes of God.

The Traditions of Christmas

I am thinking about Christmas traditions, and am reminded, by Dickens" A Christmas Carol" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol that celebrating Christmas has changed very much over the years.  I will not even consider reviewing the ancient celebrations, but am thinking about the last couple of hundred years.  Evidently, there was a time when shops and stores did not close for Christmas. 

Now, it seems that Christmas is very commercialized.  But, that has an interesting by product:  Very many businesses do close for Christmas. So, there is a trade off....

The Day the World Came to Town

I have written about Gander, Newfoundland before, when I watched the documentary about the international airline flights diverted there immediately after 9/11/2001.  Read about Tom Brokaw working on the story: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/09/17/brokaw-newfoundland.html



Read about it at the Gander Airport website http://www.ganderairport.com/911.htm


Well, I finally read the book: which Jim DeFede wrote: "The Day The World Came to Town."
http://www.harpercollins.com/book/index.aspx?isbn=9780060559717.  I will say that the book was everything I had hoped it would be:  It recounted the history of the attacks, gave a brief history of the Gander Airport, and then told the story of the town and the "plane people."  Not all was goodness and light.  It was a real story, with some less than positive moments, but what would we expect under such dire circumstances.  Overall, however, it was a most feel good, inspiring story of people reaching out and taking care of people...Just amazing!


I would highly recommend it, if you have not read it...

Remember the Titans

I am watching the 2000 movie Remember the Titans, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0210945/  and was interested in how close to truth the movie is.  I found an interesting comparison http://espn.go.com/page2/s/closer/020808.html on an ESPN sight.  There were some interesting comments. 

I think one of the things the sight says is that the prejudice and integration problems were not that bad.  I remember 1970, and by then much of the rioting was over, but I was in the North.  I have to believe the tension in the South was still pretty bad, because when I came to Texas in 1977, the tension was still pretty bad. 

Another comment in the ESPN comparison indicated that there is an awareness now that people would not want to admit to the prejudice that existed in 1971. I think that is probably true.  And makes sense.  We do not want to admit how bad it was, but in a sense we have to remember, so we do not ever go back to how bad it was. 

Gander, Newfoundland

I stumbled upon a documentary by Tom Brokaw, March 13, 2010, about Gander, Newfoundland and the events of 9/11/2001.  Due to the closing of US airspace, the jet traffic was diverted to the airport at Gander, Newfoundland.  Built in WWII, it was used for refueling cross-Atlantic commercial planes until the jets could make the flight without having to stop.

Gander is a town of 10,000 and they adopted and cared for about 7,000 people for 4 days.  "The Plane People" as they were called had to remain on the planes for hours until security was cleared.  Then, they were deplaned, but their luggage was not removed.  So, Gander and the small communities around, housed, clothed, fed and moved all these people.  They used homes and community buildings. They used school buses to transport the people.  The bus drivers were on strike, but did not hesitate to help. They provided prescriptions.  The story is the help was all free.  This is an amazing story, and shows how something good can happen.

I will tell you that when I watched the scenes of the attack on The World Trade Center, I had a visceral reaction, almost as strong, if not as strong, as when it had first happened.

Read about it at the Gander Airport website http://www.ganderairport.com/911.htm
Read about Tom Brokaw working on the story: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/09/17/brokaw-newfoundland.html


Jim DeFede wrote a book about this:  "The Day The World Came to Town." 
http://www.harpercollins.com/book/index.aspx?isbn=9780060559717.