It's a good day to greet one and all on this
Friday, July 1, 2011. I read last week the official announcement by the country singer Glen Campbell that he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. They decided to go public because they believe it will be obvious in his live performances. He is now nearing 76, but we remember him from way back when he had his TV series. I read this news item earlier this week and then I caught a one hour taped interview with him from two years ago. Seeing that interview was scary. He had his guitar and he could still play but he couldn't remember all the lyrics on some of his signature songs. When they put up a photo of his huge family from when he was a kid he named most of them but couldn't get the last two sisters. He was asked a number of questions from a book he had written several years ago and it was embarrassing because the interviewer thought they were major points but Mr. Campbell seemed to not be aware of them. Just this past week we lost a cousin to this dread disease. And, having just spent the last nearly ten months forth and back with my brother, I am aware how insidious a brain related injury can be. I remember a lady that worked for me one time who couldn't bear to visit her mom and dad because her father had no idea who she was. Sad indeed. I did read a little bit of good news on the Alzheimer's front this week. Here's an interesting quote from MSNBC regarding a new study published in the Alzheimer Disease Journal: "For years we’ve been told that caffeinated coffee was bad for us. It’s unhealthy and addictive, doctors warned. But as vindication for all who stuck by their energizing elixir, a new study shows that guzzling caffeinated coffee may actually be good for our brains. In fact, it may help keep Alzheimer’s at bay." I was told it would stunt my growth. It most likely did, or something did. I was told it would make hair grow on my chest. It did, or something did. I was told it would turn be black but it didn't. And, I'm not sure I will avoid this frightening disease but it does make me feel ever so slightly better as I sip on that first cup (of many) of that hot black and strong brew each morning. Find good news wherever you can is what I say!
It is Friday and I did say you sometimes have to find a smile where you can. Insurance claims may not seem to be a likely source but when you read how some folks describe what happened, they can be pretty funny. "I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way." "The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention." "I thought my window was down; but found it was up when I put my hand through it." "I had been driving for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident." "I saw the slow-moving, sad-faced old gentleman as he bounced off the hood of my car." "The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth." "I was thrown from my car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows." "I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment." "The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him." "An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle, and vanished." These are all supposedly taken from actual documented forms. Everyone has their point of view. Add to that the variety in how people express themselves and you end up with some pretty interesting stuff. Maybe that's how my daily dialogue gets to be like it is.
I read enough obituaries from a variety of sources to know that life is fragile, at all ages, and at all times. That's not a morbid habit of mine, it's just interesting for me to observe the tremendous contributions that folks have made, many of them quite ordinary people, and how they have touched the lives of so many. The other day I read the death notice of the fellow who invented the Weed Eater. He was from Houston and we went to Church many years ago with one of his earliest business partners. He came up with the idea for the Weed Eater one day while going through a car wash. He was watching those rotating bristle brushes and the idea hit him. He went home and started playing around with some heavy duty fishing line and a can. He added a rotating engine off a lawn edger and the rest as they say is history. The fellow we knew was in IBM field service management and he came on board early to help with the engineering and maintenance of the Weed Eater. The inventor's name was George Ballas and his life story reads like a fairy tale. His 85 years were filled to the brim with adventure and excitement. You can read what they published in the Houston Chronicle here:
http://www.chron.com/ Just click on the Deaths Tab. That's the kind of stuff I bump into when I am reading obituaries. This man embraced life and became a young war hero and an icon of entrepreneurship in starting businesses. This is but one example that proves what we do and how we do it, matters. I may not invent anything that becomes a household name but I can do all that God grants to me, and in doing so I can make a difference. And you can too! It is about leaving a legacy and that's a good way to end our busy week. Have a great Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday, a wonderful 4th of July observance, and I do hope you will be tuned in come Monday morning, Lord willing, of course.
Amen. ....More later.
It's a good day to greet one and all on this Friday, July 1, 2011. I read last week the official announcement by the country singer Glen Campbell that he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. They decided to go public because they believe it will be obvious in his live performances. He is now nearing 76, but we remember him from way back when he had his TV series. I read this news item earlier this week and then I caught a one hour taped interview with him from two years ago. Seeing that interview was scary. He had his guitar and he could still play but he couldn't remember all the lyrics on some of his signature songs. When they put up a photo of his huge family from when he was a kid he named most of them but couldn't get the last two sisters. He was asked a number of questions from a book he had written several years ago and it was embarrassing because the interviewer thought they were major points but Mr. Campbell seemed to not be aware of them. Just this past week we lost a cousin to this dread disease. And, having just spent the last nearly ten months forth and back with my brother, I am aware how insidious a brain related injury can be. I remember a lady that worked for me one time who couldn't bear to visit her mom and dad because her father had no idea who she was. Sad indeed. I did read a little bit of good news on the Alzheimer's front this week. Here's an interesting quote from MSNBC regarding a new study published in the Alzheimer Disease Journal: "For years we’ve been told that caffeinated coffee was bad for us. It’s unhealthy and addictive, doctors warned. But as vindication for all who stuck by their energizing elixir, a new study shows that guzzling caffeinated coffee may actually be good for our brains. In fact, it may help keep Alzheimer’s at bay." I was told it would stunt my growth. It most likely did, or something did. I was told it would make hair grow on my chest. It did, or something did. I was told it would turn be black but it didn't. And, I'm not sure I will avoid this frightening disease but it does make me feel ever so slightly better as I sip on that first cup (of many) of that hot black and strong brew each morning. Find good news wherever you can is what I say!
It is Friday and I did say you sometimes have to find a smile where you can. Insurance claims may not seem to be a likely source but when you read how some folks describe what happened, they can be pretty funny. "I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way." "The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention." "I thought my window was down; but found it was up when I put my hand through it." "I had been driving for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had an accident." "I saw the slow-moving, sad-faced old gentleman as he bounced off the hood of my car." "The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth." "I was thrown from my car as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by some stray cows." "I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment." "The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him." "An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle, and vanished." These are all supposedly taken from actual documented forms. Everyone has their point of view. Add to that the variety in how people express themselves and you end up with some pretty interesting stuff. Maybe that's how my daily dialogue gets to be like it is. 
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