Poems, Personal Stories, and Observations

Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

Camp Freeway

One early morning this summer, I was driving past a freeway on-ramp, and I noticed a camping tent amongst the trees. If I hadn’t known that I was on a freeway, the area looked very much like a campground, with lovely pine trees, but of course without picnic benches, running water, showers, or toilets. But the place did look a lot like a typical California campground.

A few days later, there were two tents. Word was getting around.

But after a few weeks, no more tents. It would be interesting to know the stories of the people involved.

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Commentary

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On the Wrong Side

(Reflections on D-Day and other conflicts)

What happens when
You’re on the wrong side,
Through no fault of your own? —
You didn’t ask to be born.

What happens when
You’re one black among whites
Or one white among blacks?

What happens when
Your skin’s another color,
Your religion is different,
Or you’re the former enemy?

Peace has been declared,
But it takes take time
For hatred not to flare.

I’m on the wrong side sometimes,
But I have to live.
Please give me a chance.

Don’t judge me by labels
And prejudiced fables.
Though some may be true,
I’m a person too.

And I, too, must learn
To open my heart,
To make a new start.

To open my mind,
To learn to be kind,
Though we might disagree —
We need to be free.

To see you as special
Would really be helpful.
To see your great worth —
It really can’t hurt.

To learn to forgive,
That’s how we must live.

(June 6, 2014 – 70th anniversary of D-Day, World War II)

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Commentary, Poems

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The Gift of Guilt

I once was amazed by a statement in a book by Peter Kreeft (can’t recall which book) that “The Jews gave us the gift of guilt.” In current times, most of us avoid the idea of guilt and find it very negative. To think of guilt as “a gift” was thought-provoking.

Here’s my take on it, but I am not an expert:
1) Guilt is a gift when I have broken one of God’s laws. This might be thought of as the Ten Commandments, or the “two greatest commandments”: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Have I done evil, or have I failed to do the good I had the means to do?
2) It is a gift if I allow the guilt to bring me to repentance.
3) It is a gift if after repenting, I freely accept forgiveness.

Guilt can be a gift like a cancer diagnosis. You did not perhaps know you had cancer until the doctor informed you. Now that you are informed, things can be done to destroy or remove the cancer. The guilt is the impetus, like the awareness following the diagnosis, to take action.

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Commentary

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Christ is My Hope

I love cemeteries. They are quiet and peaceful. I think of the people resting there and hopefully they are completely at peace.

So Christmas day, my kids and I took a walk to Maple Leaf Cemetery in Oak Harbor, Washington. The walk itself was brisk, both in speed and in the weather. After a few meanderings we found the cemetery. One grave I saw was of a three-and-a-half month old child, which brought me to tears. Then, a young man of 28, obviously well loved. More tears. As I walked, a group of people across the cemetery seemed to be having a party. They had their car door open, and Christmas music came from its radio. Perhaps celebrating Christmas as they remembered a life well lived.

The final grave I looked at is pictured here. “Christ is My Hope” was the epitaph. I can honestly say that is true for me.

I just now noticed that there is no date of death, and that the birth date was in 1915, which means the person is now 98 years of age. I am glad the person has faced the reality of death and has the hope of resurrection.

Just a few days later, we visited my uncle by marriage, who is now 100 years old. He still walks an hour a day using his walker. His mind is still pretty sharp. What an amazing man.

Still, we never know when we might go.

131225 Maple Leaf Cemetery 002x

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Christian, Commentary

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Our Purpose in Life?

In recent years, I believe my purpose is to show the love of Jesus to others. And yet, lately I thought, “If I’m lying unconscious in a hospital bed, how do I show the love of Jesus to others?” Perhaps sometimes, our purpose is to receive the love of Jesus or let others love us.

I really believe each person is loved by God and was put on earth for a purpose. “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) A blind, deaf, and dumb person may have a purpose — perhaps he or she is used by God to teach others compassion.

I would love to hear people’s thoughts on this.

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Christian, Commentary, Jesus

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False Enemy

[I thought I should explain how this poem was inspired. I watched a documentary about the real story that the book “The Hunt for Red October” is based on. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh0N3iG-7Uc . In the true story, a Russian naval officer is disillusioned by the way Communism had played out in reality (although he was still a Communist). He tried to start a revolution to bring back Communism to it’s ideal (helping the common people). The documentary also portrayed the Cold War in an interesting way. I thought about all the hopes and dreams of people from very different backgrounds. Then my mind jumped to other differences, like Protestant and Catholic, “conservative” and “liberal”, etc., and I thought, “I wonder if we are all wrong about each other?” Not too say there are not good reasons for the differences and conflicts, only that each person in his heart has a dream that we need to listen to.]

I thought you were my enemy
But someone had told me lies about you,
And so it seems,
Someone had told you lies about me.

We went around in a fog of falsehood
That seemed so normal
Because the fog was constantly around us.

Then the light
Began to break through
For me, for you.

The mist still mystifies
But it’s getting thinner.
Slowly the sun’s light
Is burning through.

Are we just relating
To ideas of each other
Or who we really are?

If I could see
With eyes divine
I would not believe a lie.

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Commentary, Poems

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Quote on Suffering

“A hunter sometimes makes his dog suffer — for instance when the dog is caught in a trap, the hunter has to push the dog further into the trap, to lessen the tension on it, before he can get him out. That hurts, and [the dog] can’t understand what we can: the mechanism of a trap requires this push further in that causes such pain because this is the way out. God does the same to us sometimes, and we can’t understand why he does it any more than the dog can understand us.” Peter Kreeft in “Making Sense Out of Suffering”.

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Christian, Commentary

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“Re: “ is for “response”

Wow, I really love getting responses to emails. If I write to people, I sometimes absolutely crave getting a response, anything to show that it meant something to them.

I guess we are made to communicate, but we all communicate in different ways. Sometimes it seems much easier for me to write to someone than to call them on the phone. I don’t fear their rejection as much when I write. Go figure!

But, I think as humans we all need to be responded to, so much so that as children at least, we would rather receive negative attention than no attention at all.

On pondering all this, I wondered what it is like for God when I don’t respond to Him. How many times a day is He telling me He loves me (through nature, other people, His word, etc.)? When I feel hurt by someone’s non-response (and usually they have a very good reason – I am NOT the center of the world, after all 🙂 ), perhaps I need to reflect on the times I have not responded to God or to others.

Just something to ponder.

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Christian, Commentary

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Since all have sinned …

I recall that as a teenager, I happened to watch a documentary in which a Jewish survivor of the World War II concentration camps was narrating his experience at the Nuremberg trials, which were held for the purpose of bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. The Jewish survivor, while listening to one of those on trial speak, suddenly fainted. When he regained consciousness, he was able to recall why he had fainted — he had suddenly realized as he listened to the man on trial, that he himself, given certain circumstances, would be just as capable of committing the same crimes.

How much do we need God’s mercy, “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God … ” (Romans 3:23). Lord, help us to allow you to change our hearts.

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Commentary

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Communism’s Seven Wonders

A Hungarian relative sent me this. I don’t know who wrote it and I hope I translated it correctly!

————————————————————————————–

COMMUNISM’S SEVEN WONDERS

1) Everyone had work.
2) Although everyone had work, nobody did anything.
3) Although no one did anything, production exceeded 100%.
4) Although production exceeded 100%, it was still impossible to get anything.
5) Although it was impossible to get anything, everyone had everything.
6) Although everyone had everything, nevertheless everyone was stealing.
7) Although everyone was stealing, no ever missed anything

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Commentary

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