No one arrived where they are alone. Some helped us, some hurt us, some taught us, and some tested us — but all played a part in shaping the person standing here today. From creation, to birth, to helping hands along the way
WE HAD HELP TO GET HERE
Before, during afterwards into the now and present
No one got to where they are without the help of others.
That is simply how the system is set up.
This cannot really be argued because from the moment you exited the womb, someone had to care for you, feed you, guide you, protect you, or at least keep you moving forward until you could begin to do so for yourself.
Help got you here.
And yes…
hurt did too.
The journey includes both.
Some events were planned.
Some were laid upon us.
Some we discovered when we fell into pits of error, pain, confusion, or unexpected learning.
Yet somehow, all of it became part of the shaping.
I’LL HAVE A GLASS OF THIS
There is enough opportunity on this earth for oceans of lemonade if more people would take their lemons and get creative with them.
The Bible tells us to take what was meant for evil and allow good to come from it.
Life gives us both:
The good and the bad.
The happy and the sad.
The blessing and the burden.
Our role?
Navigate through it all.
Suck the marrow…
and spit out the bones.
YOU BENEFIT FROM EVERYTHING
The people who helped shape me did so in different ways.
Some encouraged.
Some corrected.
Some protected.
Some challenged.
Some failed me.
Some loved me.
Some tested me.
The amazing thing about life is that it teaches as we go.
It has its own curriculum.
All it requires from us is participation.
Seek.
Ask.
Knock.
Yearn.
Investigate.
We are built to learn as we travel.
NO NAMES — ONLY THE ROLES THEY PLAYED
MY WIFE
I got a good one.
I cannot tell you how many times she has saved my bacon — and I am Jewish.
She has been a helpmate, steward, companion, and friend. A decent woman who helps me appreciate the gift of intimate companionship.
She also keeps me on my toes.
And that has value too.
MY EMPLOYERS
I have had good fortune here.
Some bosses treated me well, trained me, guided me, coached me, and held my feet to the fires of learning.
Good employers nurture.
Not-so-good employers helped me move on in search of better opportunities.
Both taught me.
MY PARENTS
Becoming a parent opened a whole new world of appreciation and forgiveness toward my own mother and father.
Parenting is easy to critique…
until it is your turn.
Then you realize how much effort, confusion, sacrifice, trial, error, love, and imperfection go into raising a human being.
That lesson holds.
MY FRIENDS
Friends can be a blessing or a curse.
There is no way to know fully until you have one.
The bad ones make the good ones stand out.
And who does not want a pal, buddy, companion, or fellow traveler to share and care with?
Friends come and go.
But every one of them brings something to the party.
MY ENEMIES
I have had my share.
Some I may have helped create.
Others simply acted out their dysfunction on me.
But enemies teach too.
They force us to examine parts of ourselves we might otherwise never visit.
They get our attention.
And sometimes that attention becomes valuable.
THE RANDOM PERSON
Iron sharpens iron.
And people are everywhere.
A random person can hand you a cup of kindness or take one from you.
Either way, every person you meet is going through life at the same time you are.
That alone is worth pondering.
THE POLICE
If one manages to elude parental authority, society has another level waiting.
Police deal with some of the most ridiculous, dangerous, painful, and extreme parts of human nature.
They can help or hinder depending much on how one interacts with them.
They remind us quickly that conduct matters.
MY TEACHERS
Teachers had access to me through my young life and again in college.
Some stood out.
Some did their job.
Some probably should not have been teaching.
But the influence they carry is considerable.
Trying to teach, reach, and guide the public is challenging…
but rewarding too.
All in all?
Thank you.
MY ROLE MODELS
As a child, role models were necessary and normal.
The Little Rascals.
The Three Stooges.
Cartoons.
Superman.
Mischief, humor, adventure, climbing fences, leaping around, and imaginary courage all helped me get through childhood.
As an adult, I later gleaned from anyone I thought was doing well…
until I discovered my own unique ability to do well.
MY GOD
To have been invited to this grand ball called LIFE…
an experience that exceeds all thoughts and feelings…
and to be given the chance to interact with it intimately says much about the Life-Giver.
To have put up with me practicing error after error until I could find my values and give them back in purpose makes God, to me, worthy of praise, honor, gratitude, and worship.
Willingly.
Gladly.
Joyfully.
THE POINT
We had help to get here.
From love.
From correction.
From pain.
From kindness.
From failure.
From people.
From God.
No one travels alone.
Some helped us forward.
Some pushed us through difficulty.
Some showed us what to become.
Some showed us what not to become.
But all of it shaped the journey.
And for that…
gratitude has the final word.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you