I'm not going into the whole story. The bottom line is that I have never felt more compelled to write a post. My heart is heavy and I just feel so sad! And powerless? There are no words to describe the absolute powerlessness that I have been wrestling with since Friday night.
Many readers of this blog know Randy Bean's situation and have read Robin's updates at https://www.mylifeline.org/randybean/updates. I knew Tuesday when the update's first line was "This is a difficult post to write...." that I was going to be forced to do the same. This is a very difficult post to write.
Robin was a member of the famed RLT Class of '83 and a member of the same church youth group that I was. Robin is a GOOD! Nothing like me. She's quiet, kinda shy, and never seeks to draw attention to herself. Candidly, we were never really that close. She would never align herself with a loud, arrogant, attention-seeking A** like me. I would suppose that most of her responses to me, back in the day, would be a simple head shake, while thinking "Who in the world does this clown think he is?"
A little over a year ago, Robin's husband, Randy, was diagnosed with some sort of inoperable brain tumor that I can neither spell nor pronounce. A year nearly went by before I reached out. That was in January. Sunday night was the second time. Two times in 15 months. God forgive me!
I sat with Robin for a few hours back in January while Randy was having a shunt inserted to relieve the pressure on his brain. I have never felt more powerless or ill-equipped to be in any situation.
I was SUPPOSED to be the one doing the encouraging! Just the opposite occurred. Robin encouraged me. Her strength, determination, and sense of peace was unlike anything I have encountered in a long time. I left the hospital numb and made several phone calls on the drive home just trying to process the whole experience.
Randy and Robin are raising two boys with Down Syndrome. Barring Divine intervention, Robin will soon be facing this prospect alone. I CANNOT imagine! But Robin CAN! And in those few short hours, I encountered and learned a lot about a Mother's love. Robin's concern for these two boys and her absolute dedication to their well-being is beyond measure. I will not try to quote her exact words. But I truly wish each of you could look into her eyes when she talks about her boys.
Through the generosity of friends and strangers, Randy has been given the opportunity to live like he was dying. He took his boys on a trip to Colorado and recently, just he and Robin got to get away. Tim McGraw's song has a special meaning for Randy and Robin. I am just so grateful that they got to go "Rocky Mountain Climbing."
Think of the Bean family often over the next weeks. And if you pray, please ask God to wrap His loving arms around this family.
Post Script: As soon as I re-activated my FB account, I learned that Gail Jones Criss's (also the Class of '83 and another member of that same church youth group) Husband has Stage 4 Lung Cancer. I would ask the same for them.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
PLEASE Don't Tell Shoe!
Well, boys and girls, it was exactly one year ago today that Cheaper Than Therapy was launched into cyber-space! I cannot think of a more appropriate time to write my final post to this silly little experiment.
We've covered a lot of ground in the prior 52 posts. I got an initial ego boost as I thought this thing was spanning the globe! I had to be educated as to the "misinformation" that comes from the world wide web and it was a humbling experience. These things called "BOTS" crawl around the information super-highway and "ping" everything in their path. And they do it from servers all over the globe. And they greatly inflate the statistics page that Blogger provides.
Consequently, I have not had "Page Views" from dozens of countries and amassed the World Wide following that I thought. Best guesstimates are somewhere around 5,000 legitimate page views, including 2 or 3 foreign countries. My "tens" of fans, though, have been faithful and supportive and it has been an overall positive experience.
Most of you were in dire need of the free education I've provided you over the past year. In the end, however, this whole thing might just have been about two posts. "Has It Really Been Thirty Years?" stands out clearly in my mind. And of course, "Does Anybody Want a PB & J?" was by FAR my favorite and most heart-felt entry.
I need to give a shout out to Stainless, Oil Can, The Denton Yogi, and of course, Shoe for conversations that have sparked ideas and inspired entries over the past year. In my attempts to teach them (HA!), several posts evolved from those little chats.
Now, I've got to say one of the hardest things I've ever had to say. It pains me greatly to post on the World Wide Web the most important thing I've learned in the past year. SHOE WAS RIGHT!
You may or may not remember Shoe's opinions about Facebook. Shoe stands firm in his conviction that he doesn't do Facebook because, in his words, "I'm a grown-A** man!" It is with the most humble and contrite heart that I now confess that he is, indeed, correct in his assessment.
I could not care ANY less about your experience on Facebook. The following is true for me:
1) Facebook is by FAR the biggest TIME-WASTE in my life. This is no doubt due to this silly smart phone that accompanies me everywhere I go. It's just too tempting to pull it up and I do it way too much...in meetings, at meals, in front of the TV, and driving down the road. This MUST stop.
2) Facebook is like pouring gas on the fire of my self-centeredness! I explained that early on in "Self Centered--You Have No Idea." My check-ins, my Nike run posts, my opinions....my, my, my, my, my! The whole idea about CTT was that I'm sick and tired of ME! Yet, Facebook condones and encourages that ME behavior.
3) Facebook encourages and exacerbates my growing frustration with you. You are supposed to unwaveringly and whole-heartedly LOVE everything I say and do. But instead, some of you write several paragraphs on MY Timeline and use phrases like "respectfully disagree." WHAT? Are you kidding me? Then, of course, a few of you are guilty of FWI (Facebooking While Intoxicated). I am embarrassed for you and, hopefully, with you.
4) Sadly, most of you just don't get Facebook. One or two of you do. And your posts crack me up and give me great joy. The rest of you take yourselves so #### seriously, that when I throw out things for sheer "shock value," you resort to name calling and disdain. "Trimming the Friends' List" is for pure shock value. I have NOT unfollowed everybody on my list! Good grief! Can you really not see that? I just thought I was self-centered! Your responses make me look like an amateur at self-centered obsession!
I have not disallowed any comments to this blog. I have reserved "moderation rights." But everything that has come in has been posted. Since it's obviously difficult to figure out how to comment in Blogger, most of you comment on my Timeline. I have not deleted any of them. But I have sat in amazement and awe at what some of you have felt the "need" to share. Like I've said before, it's free to set these things up. Knock yourself out! I've never understood your compulsion to write YOUR blog on MY Timeline.
I am most humbled by the Private Messages that come in weekly to the posts. You are the ones that inspired me to continue, because you wanted to discuss some of these things without trying to prove how smart you are in a public forum. Your lack of self-centeredness is a great example to me and I truly envy your humble hearts.
The only way my tens of readers see this is through my Timeline link. So, I will keep Facebook up through Monday or Tuesday and then deactivate for the last time.
In the end, I can only blame myself for not being able to handle this. It's really not your fault! Some of you exasperate me. But you were doing that way before CTT, and will continue to that in the future until I can come to grips with that silly cliche, "Live and Let Live."
So, I'm throwing in with Shoe and becoming a grown-a** man! What a joke! We're not grown-a** men. We're both too self-centered and immature to handle this "new" social media craze!
I just hope that I will continue run and occasionally go to the gym. I'm not even sure a workout counts if I can't announce it to the world!
May God Bless You All!
We've covered a lot of ground in the prior 52 posts. I got an initial ego boost as I thought this thing was spanning the globe! I had to be educated as to the "misinformation" that comes from the world wide web and it was a humbling experience. These things called "BOTS" crawl around the information super-highway and "ping" everything in their path. And they do it from servers all over the globe. And they greatly inflate the statistics page that Blogger provides.
Consequently, I have not had "Page Views" from dozens of countries and amassed the World Wide following that I thought. Best guesstimates are somewhere around 5,000 legitimate page views, including 2 or 3 foreign countries. My "tens" of fans, though, have been faithful and supportive and it has been an overall positive experience.
Most of you were in dire need of the free education I've provided you over the past year. In the end, however, this whole thing might just have been about two posts. "Has It Really Been Thirty Years?" stands out clearly in my mind. And of course, "Does Anybody Want a PB & J?" was by FAR my favorite and most heart-felt entry.
I need to give a shout out to Stainless, Oil Can, The Denton Yogi, and of course, Shoe for conversations that have sparked ideas and inspired entries over the past year. In my attempts to teach them (HA!), several posts evolved from those little chats.
Now, I've got to say one of the hardest things I've ever had to say. It pains me greatly to post on the World Wide Web the most important thing I've learned in the past year. SHOE WAS RIGHT!
You may or may not remember Shoe's opinions about Facebook. Shoe stands firm in his conviction that he doesn't do Facebook because, in his words, "I'm a grown-A** man!" It is with the most humble and contrite heart that I now confess that he is, indeed, correct in his assessment.
I could not care ANY less about your experience on Facebook. The following is true for me:
1) Facebook is by FAR the biggest TIME-WASTE in my life. This is no doubt due to this silly smart phone that accompanies me everywhere I go. It's just too tempting to pull it up and I do it way too much...in meetings, at meals, in front of the TV, and driving down the road. This MUST stop.
2) Facebook is like pouring gas on the fire of my self-centeredness! I explained that early on in "Self Centered--You Have No Idea." My check-ins, my Nike run posts, my opinions....my, my, my, my, my! The whole idea about CTT was that I'm sick and tired of ME! Yet, Facebook condones and encourages that ME behavior.
3) Facebook encourages and exacerbates my growing frustration with you. You are supposed to unwaveringly and whole-heartedly LOVE everything I say and do. But instead, some of you write several paragraphs on MY Timeline and use phrases like "respectfully disagree." WHAT? Are you kidding me? Then, of course, a few of you are guilty of FWI (Facebooking While Intoxicated). I am embarrassed for you and, hopefully, with you.
4) Sadly, most of you just don't get Facebook. One or two of you do. And your posts crack me up and give me great joy. The rest of you take yourselves so #### seriously, that when I throw out things for sheer "shock value," you resort to name calling and disdain. "Trimming the Friends' List" is for pure shock value. I have NOT unfollowed everybody on my list! Good grief! Can you really not see that? I just thought I was self-centered! Your responses make me look like an amateur at self-centered obsession!
I have not disallowed any comments to this blog. I have reserved "moderation rights." But everything that has come in has been posted. Since it's obviously difficult to figure out how to comment in Blogger, most of you comment on my Timeline. I have not deleted any of them. But I have sat in amazement and awe at what some of you have felt the "need" to share. Like I've said before, it's free to set these things up. Knock yourself out! I've never understood your compulsion to write YOUR blog on MY Timeline.
I am most humbled by the Private Messages that come in weekly to the posts. You are the ones that inspired me to continue, because you wanted to discuss some of these things without trying to prove how smart you are in a public forum. Your lack of self-centeredness is a great example to me and I truly envy your humble hearts.
The only way my tens of readers see this is through my Timeline link. So, I will keep Facebook up through Monday or Tuesday and then deactivate for the last time.
In the end, I can only blame myself for not being able to handle this. It's really not your fault! Some of you exasperate me. But you were doing that way before CTT, and will continue to that in the future until I can come to grips with that silly cliche, "Live and Let Live."
So, I'm throwing in with Shoe and becoming a grown-a** man! What a joke! We're not grown-a** men. We're both too self-centered and immature to handle this "new" social media craze!
I just hope that I will continue run and occasionally go to the gym. I'm not even sure a workout counts if I can't announce it to the world!
May God Bless You All!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Long Held Beliefs Just Not True!
As we all know, the Bible clearly states that "God helps those who help themselves." Right? It has to be in there. I've heard it a brazillion times. It's true. It's in Scripture. It's a rule!
Actually, no. It's not in Scripture. No where in Scripture. Not even in the front part that most of never read. That was a stupid statement. Cause it's not even in the back part, that most of us never read. Don't lie to me about your intense daily Bible reading!
However, it's been said and repeated so often, I would surmise that most ordinary folks walking the street are pretty sure that God helps those who help themselves and it's somewhere in the Bible. Maybe, it's in Hezekiah.
I'm not sure "Pet Peeve" is a strong enough term. But recently, I've had to deal with a couple of "other" truisms which make me want to throw myself from an 80 Story building and catch my eye-lid on a rusty nail.
Have any of my tens of readers ever heard that wise saying that "The Customer is ALWAYS right?"
I have no idea who deserves the credit for formulating this long held belief. I do know a couple of things: 1) He was obviously a customer! 2) He was absolutely full of meadow muffins!
I am not going to take the time to enumerate the dozens of reasons why the above statement is simply not true. If you happen to fall into the category of believing it is, you would not understand them anyway and nothing I can say will change your mind.
But know this: Nine times out of ten, the customer has no expertise, no knowledge, nor experience with the product or service he is buying. To suggest that he is "always right" is nothing short of preposterous! Whew! I feel better having gotten that off my chest!
The nonsense above, however, pales in comparison to the oft cited "There's no such thing as a dumb question!"
Uh, excuse me! Oh, yes there is! There is such a thing as a dumb question and I've been on the receiving end of thousands of them!
Oh, I get it. I really do. In the classroom, questions are encouraged. No one should be left behind. Nor they should they be afraid to ask a question if they are truly lost. But, my experience suggests that "being lost" is seldom the reason for asking a question.
Being stupid is! And couple that with an insatiable need for attention in a setting like.....maybe a Bible Study.....and some genius is bound to ask a dumb question! It generally starts with two words: "WHAT IF......?"
The dreaded hypothetical question. Are you kidding me? Are you really about to bring this whole study, discussion, class, or whatever to a grinding halt by asking an ignorant hypothetical question? It's obvious that you are. And it's obvious that you haven't read my post about it being better to look stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!
Very few of my tens of readers have ever been in a class I've taught. I wish you could see the eyes of the attendees when I announce at the beginning of class that, "BTW, when I'm teaching, there is such a thing as a dumb question!" It can certainly be off-putting. But it sure makes things easier for me. And almost always insures that I'm never asked again. That, too, is a good thing.
The hypothetical question does have its place. I am saddened that no one posed a hypothetical question when President Kennedy and those MORONS advising him were planning the Bay of Pigs. Certainly, President Carter could have used a hypothetical when they were planning to free the hostages and that tragedy happened in the desert. The "Devil's Advocate" is necessary in strategic planning. I see that. Lives can be saved.
But for the most part, the hypothetical question in a study or discussion is pure discussion/study Anthrax! And I often find myself wishing I could sniff it, snort it, drink it, inject it....or however Anthrax is supposed to be ingested.
Mark Twain is credited with saying, "No generalization is worth a d##n, including this one." Think about it. It will take time for some of you to get it. But, it's my blog. It's my crazy thoughts. I feel a sense of ease just knowing I've said it.
Actually, no. It's not in Scripture. No where in Scripture. Not even in the front part that most of never read. That was a stupid statement. Cause it's not even in the back part, that most of us never read. Don't lie to me about your intense daily Bible reading!
However, it's been said and repeated so often, I would surmise that most ordinary folks walking the street are pretty sure that God helps those who help themselves and it's somewhere in the Bible. Maybe, it's in Hezekiah.
I'm not sure "Pet Peeve" is a strong enough term. But recently, I've had to deal with a couple of "other" truisms which make me want to throw myself from an 80 Story building and catch my eye-lid on a rusty nail.
Have any of my tens of readers ever heard that wise saying that "The Customer is ALWAYS right?"
I have no idea who deserves the credit for formulating this long held belief. I do know a couple of things: 1) He was obviously a customer! 2) He was absolutely full of meadow muffins!
I am not going to take the time to enumerate the dozens of reasons why the above statement is simply not true. If you happen to fall into the category of believing it is, you would not understand them anyway and nothing I can say will change your mind.
But know this: Nine times out of ten, the customer has no expertise, no knowledge, nor experience with the product or service he is buying. To suggest that he is "always right" is nothing short of preposterous! Whew! I feel better having gotten that off my chest!
The nonsense above, however, pales in comparison to the oft cited "There's no such thing as a dumb question!"
Uh, excuse me! Oh, yes there is! There is such a thing as a dumb question and I've been on the receiving end of thousands of them!
Oh, I get it. I really do. In the classroom, questions are encouraged. No one should be left behind. Nor they should they be afraid to ask a question if they are truly lost. But, my experience suggests that "being lost" is seldom the reason for asking a question.
Being stupid is! And couple that with an insatiable need for attention in a setting like.....maybe a Bible Study.....and some genius is bound to ask a dumb question! It generally starts with two words: "WHAT IF......?"
The dreaded hypothetical question. Are you kidding me? Are you really about to bring this whole study, discussion, class, or whatever to a grinding halt by asking an ignorant hypothetical question? It's obvious that you are. And it's obvious that you haven't read my post about it being better to look stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!
Very few of my tens of readers have ever been in a class I've taught. I wish you could see the eyes of the attendees when I announce at the beginning of class that, "BTW, when I'm teaching, there is such a thing as a dumb question!" It can certainly be off-putting. But it sure makes things easier for me. And almost always insures that I'm never asked again. That, too, is a good thing.
The hypothetical question does have its place. I am saddened that no one posed a hypothetical question when President Kennedy and those MORONS advising him were planning the Bay of Pigs. Certainly, President Carter could have used a hypothetical when they were planning to free the hostages and that tragedy happened in the desert. The "Devil's Advocate" is necessary in strategic planning. I see that. Lives can be saved.
But for the most part, the hypothetical question in a study or discussion is pure discussion/study Anthrax! And I often find myself wishing I could sniff it, snort it, drink it, inject it....or however Anthrax is supposed to be ingested.
Mark Twain is credited with saying, "No generalization is worth a d##n, including this one." Think about it. It will take time for some of you to get it. But, it's my blog. It's my crazy thoughts. I feel a sense of ease just knowing I've said it.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)