THE CHOICE OF ABORTION

Ask yourself—whether you are a pregnant woman or the man who got her pregnant or someone who could influence an elected ‘lawmaker’—this question: What is a more important ‘human right’ than the right to live? If you sincerely believe life is a right, understand that there is a corresponding ‘wrong’ to take life. Since you are privileged to yet be alive you can consider the question—right or wrong as pertaining to the choice to abort.

Who is more deserving—has a right to live—a baby (whether birthed or yet-to-be-born who has done nothing to harm or take from society) or one who consents to kill, or pays to have killed (or takes ‘welfare services’ to kill) so their own life is not ‘inconvenienced’? We are not talking here about ‘a woman’s own body,’ we are talking about another body, another human body, a smaller utterly defenseless human body, temporarily housed in the body of someone who almost always has made some irresponsible, not-thought-out-ahead-of-time, decisions, but who could yet make the most important decision of her life. Most women who choose to abort remain quite alive; the destroyed baby, by definition does not--the baby had no choice.   

Because a baby does not yet have ‘social utility’ does he or she (this child of God is not an ‘it’) not have an inalienable right to have a life and a voice through an advocate and the protection of a humane society?

Is there one consenter to or demander of abortion in this world willing to give up her own life in favor of allowing a new, intrinsically more worthy human being to have a chance for a life? NO!  Is there one shrill demonstrating demander who is not glad that she, herself, is alive and was not aborted?  NO! She clearly believes her life is more important. But would she consider this thought before she (either the pregnant woman or her abortion supporter) becomes a living accessory-to-the-fact of a murder?

If this pregnant desiring-t0-be aborted woman needs ‘counseling’ (and she does) before this irreversible act is done here is some free counsel from the other side and may it be heard:  Give birth, give life; give another woman who cannot have a baby, who earnestly desires to have a baby, a chance for adoption of the pregnant woman’s unwanted ‘burden,’ ‘mistake,’ or ‘inconvenience’ to love, nurture, and rear. The adoptive mother will even pay for what so many others dismissively call an ‘it.’ 

Talk about a win-win! The baby will live; a woman who can't have a child will get the privilege to rear one; the woman who thought of having the abortion will be free of a life-time of guilt and regret; and society will take a step back from the brink of destruction by not abetting, encouraging, or countenancing this crime against humanity. 

Please reconsider the gravity and scope of this most important choice!

CHOICES

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." (J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

I propose at the outset of this little essay that our freedom to make ‘choices’ may be among the most fundamental purposes of life. 

The problem for most of us is that we get so entrenched in the routines we have established or we feel have been forced upon us that we too often forget or maybe never have learned that we really are free to choose what we may be.  And if you hear this assertion by people like me you don’t believe it.

Granted, we may be circumvented in the short run (by money or health or opportunity, etc.) but the potential and positive destiny that will bring us the greatest joy and good is limited or achieved by the choices we make and the actions we take within the circumstances we have been given.  (If you’ve been given lemons, make lemonade; if you’ve been given $10 you could spend it on a 900 calorie Big Mac and fries or you could buy a banana and an apple and have a drink of tap water and be on the way to losing a pound of fat and have $8 to deposit in the bank. )

I suspect that, sadly, more likely than thinking of the ‘choices’ we could make with what we do with the time we have before us as we begin a new day we immediately fall into the rut we have previously established.  Especially is that true when we pick up the morning newspaper or turn on some electronic device (television, phone, iPad) and read or see what someone else wants us to see, hear, or read. We start off our day by pushing a button on some device that subtly manipulates us instead of taking control of our day by prayer or reading or making a list of what we will do in the next sixteen or so hours that lies ahead of us.

 Freedom to choose is not a principle in a vacuum; every new day gives us freedom to choose among alternatives.  Consider some possible options:

·        We could choose to use the few minutes we have after awaking to learn something new or to be inspired by something.  We could have something right by the bed to read that we may later ponder, or discuss with our colleagues some time during the day.  We may have an ongoing project nearby that we could give 10-15 minutes to before we move on to the rest of the day. We could work on a new skill, learn a language, practice the piano,or your putting stroke or learn a song, etc., etc., etc.  

·        For breakfast we could choose to eat something that may be better for us than what we usually eat.  We could choose to throw out the stuff that we know is bad for us and that will tempt us if we leave it laying around. 

·        We could choose to spend a few minutes doing a couple of sets of some exercise or do some focused stretching.  You don’t need a gym for this. 

·        We could choose to spend less time in the shower.

·        We could write a brief thank-you note or get-well note to someone.

·        We could take three or four minutes to plan out our day.

And each of the half-dozen points we listed above are just a few suggestions we might consider before we even get started with the formalities of our day.  

Continue this approach to the use of your travel time, or work-break time, or lunch time.

How many of us are just “sittin’ on the dock of the bay—wasting time”?

We really do have more options available than we realize! 

MISSING THE MUSIC

“Ten years ago on a cold, cold, night

Someone was killed ‘neath the town hall light. . .

There were few at the scene but they all agree

That the slayer who ran looked a lot like me.”

So starts an old folk ballad written by Marijohn Wilkin-Danny Dill, titled The Long Black Veil, and powerfully sung many years ago by folk singer and actor Burl Ives. 

The rest of that song (or story) has nothing to do with where I’m going with this, but those lead lyrics do strongly suggest that something good, in our time, is being killed by the digitally (or otherwise) distracted people all around us—and maybe even by ourselves if we are among them.

 

To bring this introduction more into the context of our time consider this real-life parallel. Twelve years ago on a cold, cold, December morning on a Metro subway platform in Washington D.C., a man stood against a wall and played an impromptu solo violin concert.  There were many at this scene (estimated at over 1000 passersby) who heard, but did not hear, in that 45 minutes, what was being offered them free of charge or for a few coins dropped into a hat.

The incognito man unannounced and unidentified at the time was the world-acclaimed concert violinist Joshua Bell playing non-stop, six memorized Bach compositions, among the most intricate violin pieces ever written, on a 3.5 million dollar violin.

 

One reporter wrote of the incident: “Only six people stopped and stayed for a while.  About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace.  He collected $32.  When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it.  No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.”

Almost no one even stopped!  They were in too big a hurry or were so distracted that they did not stop to appreciate what was really going on!

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing? 

Do we have “eyes to see and ears to hear?”  Or are we too ….

OUR TIMES and SEASONS

There is an old saying that says there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. The challenge is to determine what season you are in or approaching in your life and how to use the time that will be allotted to you.

As I was contemplating this thought at 5:10 this morning, it came to me that time can be thought of as chunks of opportunity for your discretionary use.  This chunk of opportunity – 5 minutes, or 15, or, if you are fortunate, an hour or more will leave its own legacy depending on what it is directed to.  It can be saved and added upon and recycled in our own or another’s life or it will simply evaporate—it can be wasted.
 

So what did I do?  I got up, put on my pants, and started writing. My little ‘season’ allowed me to do this before the phone started ringing, before people showed up on my doorstep, before the business or doctor’s office opened up, before the birds needed feeding, or even the sun came up.

   

What do you want to do with your time while the season allows it? 

It may have to do with ‘goals.’  For years when I heard anyone mention ‘goals’ I dismissed it immediately because so many goals or resolutions are proposed but so soon shuttled or forgotten.  We seem to get caught in the current of life’s demands and are carried downstream toward some unsought destination that had little to do with our plans, hopes, or dreams.  Why?  Rather than act, we would be acted upon.  Anne Murray’s old song “Time, Don’t Run Out On Me” came to mind. 

Time, unless we act, will run out.

To override the otherwise inexorable inevitability I have found to be a word of wisdom a little gem of thought that was suggested by an old carpenter.  He said, if you want to build a house (or anything, I extrapolated –such as a life) start sawing.  If you want to be loved, start loving.  If you want to be smart, start reading and observing.  If you want friends, be a friend. If you have a winter of discontent, start preparing for a spring of renewal and new beginnings.

Start sawing, walking, running, serving, painting, reading, fasting, singing, working.

Just start. 

THE ONE THING

I recently took an airline flight.  On layovers between legs of the flight the one thing I do [actually one of about four things I always do] is to step into Hudson’s booksellers and see what’s on the new or best-sellers books display.  Last week I stepped in on a two-hour layover and picked up a best-seller titled The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.  I quickly skimmed the table of contents and speed-read parts of most of the chapters for the 3-4 minutes I could get before the cashier got nervous and started to dust the jackets of the books in the area in which I was standing while surreptitiously eying me to see if I was going to steal something.  Actually I did—I stole the idea for this essay. 

I am interested in being a better person.  I am interested in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen R. Covey).  I am interested in “Be ye therefore perfect …” (Bible, Matthew 5:48) [“perfect” means ‘fully formed, complete’].  I am interested in not “wasting the days of [my] probation” (The Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:27).  And yes, I am interested in learning ‘the one thing’ –if there really could be ‘one thing’—that could help me accomplish my highest ambitions and goals.

What I learned in my speed-reading of their book was this: the one thing that people need to get the results they want is to identify their highest priority and then double down and totally focus and concentrate on it and work on it without allowing anything to distract you or derail you during your most productive time of the day (early morning after a good night’s sleep).  Then do it over and over again until it becomes a habit (which takes, they say, an average of 66 days, --not 21 days as we used to be taught). 

To do this we must learn to say ‘no’ to lesser priorities—especially others’ priorities which don’t align with ours.  We must become single-minded to our priority until it is accomplished to the standard we have identified or bought into.  We must be willing to make sacrifices. “If you want your life to sum up to something different, then you need to make additions and subtractions from it.”  If we keep doing what we always have done we will continue always as we are. 

The authors identify, I think, six myths that hold us back [I can remember only five]: 1. Myth—Have a balanced life. They say it won’t get you there. [I would need more convincing on this point although I used to teach it myself: you can’t even walk, let alone run, if you aren’t unbalanced momentarily with every stride.] 2. Myth—Everything matters equally. [I’m in total agreement here.] 3. Myth—You can get more done multi-tasking.  [Ditto no. 2] 4. Myth—A disciplined life is all it takes. 5. Myth—Will power [alone] will get it for you. Myth 6 (I think)—You can make it on your own. [I would agree with this entirely--that is, you can't.]

To build a new habit requires that we completely avoid temptations that derail us. Don’t have that stuff around us.  If we can’t avoid it then move, quit the job, say ‘good bye’ to the erstwhile friend, etc., etc. 

  

I would have liked to have the time to read the rest of the book.  I guess I could have, but at the time I didn’t want to part with the twenty-five bucks to pay for the book. 

Regrets.

 

But I guess that’s what you get when you give in to the temptation to go into a bookstore.    

WHY CHRISTMAS?

The short answer:

‘It is the season chosen to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ a little over 2000 years’ ago. 

The next question: “Why is that important?” 

The next slightly longer answer:

‘For the same reason that we celebrate anyone’s birthday—the fact that this anniversary day is important to the one celebrated and to us who remember and love or appreciate this person..  We want to honor the person named (and should, I believe, though rarely considered, the birthday person’s parentage).  In fact, Christmas is very important and looked forward to by several billion people who call themselves Christians and to many others who enjoy the spirit they feel or have felt of the season without, themselves, being avowed Christians.

The next question: “Couldn’t we celebrate ‘the season’ without mentioning ‘Jesus Christ’?”

Answer:

‘Many do.  They send out cards saying such things as “Happy Holidays,” or “Season’s Greetings,” or even “Merry X-mas.”  All of these types of cards in the words or symbols they use eliminate the real ‘reason for the season.’  Whether these people have given the day much thought, or if they are embarrassed by being labeled as or associated with Christians, or perhaps they really do not believe in the divinity of this man and thus choose not to honor Him they still  find something of value in the spirit of the season. They also may put up a thousand lights around their houses and a decorated tree or stick a plastic Santa Claus and elfs or the like in their front yards. They frequently like to play or listen to music such as “Jingle Bells” or “I saw mother kissing Santa Claus” or “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” or other songs of that genre. Most give a gift of some value to someone else they love or out of obligation or tradition they feel may expect it of them (but this person most certainly isn’t Jesus Christ).

But in all the above cases they are not really celebrating “Christmas," but simply participating in a shadow of it.  

Question: “So how do Christians celebrate Christmas?”

Answer: 

          ‘Perhaps in some of the same ways as non-Christians, but always, if they are truly Christians, by keeping the name of Christ in their thoughts, language, prayers, chosen music, and focus. They sing with thought and feeling songs such as “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night,” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” They are moved by songs and performances such as “O Holy Night” and Handel’s “Messiah.” 

They remember and probably read or certainly listen to the Christmas story as recorded in the Biblical books of Luke and Matthew. They attend, where they can, a Christmas service in a Christian church and by their attendance worship Him.  

They hopefully resolve to try to better keep the commandments that Christ and Christian scriptures prescribed:  “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15); and “…love one another; as I have loved you…by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35). 

For Christians the season is Holy; the Christmas Day is Holy; and they truly reverence their Redeemer and Savior as the only begotten Son of God in the flesh.  

The implications of His coming to this earth, to do what he was sent to do, are tremendously important for all of God’s other children (us) to understand.  They appreciate that. “O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.”

May you have Christ in your Christmas this year!

MOE NORMAN

Being an ‘old-schooler’ and a golfer I must pay tribute to perhaps at once the greatest and most unique golfer to ever play the game.  Meet Moe Norman (July 10, 1929-September 4, 2004).  He died at the same age I am now. 

If you never heard of him it may be for at least one of several reasons:  (1) He played most of his golf in his native Canada; (2) He played professionally on the P.G.A. tour in the United States in only twelve events ( all in 1979) before he got his feelings hurt because of thoughtless criticism of his unique and eccentric behavior. He was said to be autistic although he never went to a mental health professional to find out.  Of this experience he said, “Life just ate me up.  I couldn’t do what I wanted to do, and that’s what hurt me so I just quit [the PGA tour] and returned to where people cared about me.”; (3) He had many social anxieties and was very shy around people he did not trust—especially non-golfers who could not appreciate what he was doing; (4) Being a loner—he never married and said he dated a woman only three times in his life—or flew in airplanes from tournament to tournament but rather drove alone in his big Cadillac at his favorite speed of about 50 mph.

What did he do?  He was said, by his contemporary professional golfers, that he was the greatest ball-striker that ever lived.  Nobody could hit the ball repeatedly straighter than he.  Asked, I think, in the 1980’s when he last hit a ball out-of-bounds he said, “The last time I hit a ball out-of-bounds was in 1974.  The ball hit a sprinkler head and bounced out-of-bounds.” A few of his many records include these notable accomplishments:

·        3 rounds of 59

·        17 holes-in-one

·        9 double-eagles

·        Holds 33 course records for lowest score

·        Won 50 tour events in Canada

·        Won the Canadian Open 7 out of 8 years (1980-1987)

Most interesting are the stories and legends that have grown up around him.  In a one-of-a-kind interview with him, Guy Yocom (My Shot: The very best interviews from Golf Digest magazine, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, 2007) recorded him as saying, “I’m good with numbers.  Number of courses played: 434.  Number of courses I can remember the exact hole yardages: 375.  Age when I saw my first doctor: 68.  Number of two-stroke penalties in one eleven-year period: only one—I hit a drive that went out of bounds by two feet.  Most balls hit in one day: 2,207.  Total balls hit in my lifetime: About five million, not counting chips and putts.” 

As a boy he was a caddie and a pin-setter in a bowling alley.  He was very poor and relates that, “Even in my late teens and early 20’s, when I got good enough to play in tournaments I slept in bunkers and hitchhiked to get from one place to the next.  Some golfers laughed at me and teased me constantly. . . ‘Where you sleeping tonight, Moe?  Nobody came to my rescue until I was 26.  I really resented that.”  “When money was dear, I’d play with the same ball until it wore out.  A balata-covered wound ball had exactly 5 rounds in it before it got knocked out-of-round or got too soft.  Then it was time to search the bushes for lost balls and root out a new one.”  Later when he became a professional, Titleist sponsored him and provided him golf clothing and golf balls.  Of the balls he said, “Why did they give me all these?  All I need is one.”  Another time he said, “If there was ever a tournament at midnight, I’d win it.  I know where to find my ball every time.”

Surely Moe was the “Rain Man” of Golf.

I understand there is a movie currently in the process of being made about him. 

A recent book about him was published: The Feeling of Greatness, by Tim O’Connor.