A Winning Combination

The Induction of Michelle (Shelly) Raynes into the Special Olympics Utah Hall of Fame.

A Winning Combination

The lights were bright and the environment was elegant when Shelly Raynes was being inducted into the Utah Special Olympics Hall of Fame.  I was sitting at a large round table with old and new friends in the ballroom of a hotel in downtown Salt Lake City where we shared a nice view of the podium from our seats.

I also had another view that I most likely would not have noticed were it not for the boisterous nature of the people sitting at one table in particular.  Yes, it was the exuberant cheering from that table that caught my attention, but that was not what kept my gaze fixed there for almost the entire time Shelly was on the stage.

When I say my gaze, perhaps it is almost more accurate to call it contemplation.  I was listening to the induction while carefully studying the people just a couple of tables away.

“Shelly grew up in a large family which she refers to as ‘the Ten Red Heads.’”

When these words entered my ears I looked ever more carefully and confirmed that there were many red headed people sitting at that particular table.  It was becoming obvious to me that these were more than just Shelly’s fans.  They were steadfast and devoted fans.

A steadfast fan could also be called unwavering and at one point during the presentation I watched one of the red headed women stand tall at her seat. Her hands were clasped together near her heart and her eyes were fixed at the proceeding.  She looked on with misty eyes filled with joy, an icon of steady and firm purpose.  She was there to celebrate her sister’s success.

It is not my intent here to diminish Shelly’s success in any way, but her real success reaches far beyond the athletic fields and courts.  It is rooted in personal relationships that have been tested by time and cemented by sacrifice and service.  Her victories, though impressive, would be less sweet and possibly hollow without being able to share them with her family, friends and community.

After all, it is the personal process of striving in combination with others that allows a person to become more than they could ever become on their own.  I believed that to be true before I had children.  But, it was the process of sacrificing my own comfort, time and energies for the benefit of my children before I knew this to be true.  Shelly’s sister knows it too.  I recognized the look in her eyes and on her face as one who has been refined by this process.

So for me, the induction process was not completed until Shelly walked off the podium and into the waiting arms of those who share her love and victory.  They have truly discovered the secret of winning through combination.

Taming the New Frontier

“My father grew up in Alaska and the conditions were so harsh there that if you didn’t help others they would die.” – Marv Shafer

Taming the New Frontier

There was a knock at our door the other day.  Our dog was going crazy.  When she does that it’s always a warning to us that something is wrong, so my daughter went to the door with a great deal of care.  Our dog was with her the whole time.  She was making a huge ruckus.

The fur down the middle of her back stood straight up and ran the full length of her body.  It was just one more sign that things were unsettling to her.  Our dog knew the people who were standing outside our door shouldn’t be there.  My daughter was on guard so she opened the door slightly, only enough to let her have an unrevealing conversation with the person on the other side.

“Can we come in and use your bathroom?” The stranger inquired.

“No!”

“Why not?” Came the reply.

“I don’t know you!”

“Are your parents home?” The visitor queried.

My daughter closed the door.  These people were too pushy and asked too many questions.  She locked the door.  Our dog watched to make sure the strangers left.  When they got out of sight she let down her guard, but she stayed with my daughter to maintain her safety.

When my daughter and dog entered the room where my wife and I were sitting we talked a little about this occurrence.  We are all a little nervous these days because there have been a number of burglaries in our neighborhood as of late.  Neighbors are actively watching out for their neighbors.

That part of the story is good.  I’ve always taught my children that we’ve been sent into the world to do good to others and that in doing good we do good to ourselves.  And, now that they’re grown I tell them that I still believe this to be true and that we should always keep it in view.  We should be upright, just and merciful and always exercise intentions of nobility.  I’ve communicated my commitment to cultivate a spirit of charity and to always be ready to do for others more than they would expect from others if circumstances were reversed.

But, in a certain way, it’s as if we’ve all moved to Alaska and the conditions are indeed, very harsh; there are predators everywhere.  So when my friend Marv was telling me about this frontier code his father lived by I took it to heart and wondered how I could continue to live up to the ideal such pioneers practiced. 

When the good people of the frontier lived in uncivilized circumstances they were always careful to protect themselves and their loved ones.  They did so with honor, while not forgetting that they held their core values sacred.  In short, they protected and they gave.  They built communities in the wilderness while sharing with and encouraging their neighbors.  It is an example we can still follow today.

There is so much good we can do in today’s world.  We should be ambitious in our quest to bring civilization back into our communities.  There are lots of great people to work with; you don’t have to do it alone.  Find a cause that puts a fire in your belly and then give it your all.  You’ll be the better for it and we’ll all benefit from your goodness.

There was a time when I thought Alaska was the new frontier.  Now I look out my front door and see frontier all around me.  The conditions are so harsh that others will die if we don’t help them.

Are You Driving From The Back Seat?

“Who’s driving you into the future?”

-Sharla Ellis

Are You Driving From the Back Seat?

Many years ago I was an intern at a local radio station.  In those days, local stations had their own internal departments; news, sports, advertising, music and public service.  It was an exciting place to be.

One of the reasons it was such an exciting place to be is that it was a hub of information gathering and distribution.  If there was information about a big game for the local university or breaking news it was all flowing into that small building. And, once we began to focus on a story, the amount of incoming information quickly increased.  It was a lot like being constantly plugged in to an energizing electrical outlet.  I found it to be an enlightening and invigorating environment.  But, it also had potential to become a trap with the ability to keep me from doing my job.

My job at the station was to create a cooperative advertising program.  I was tasked with creating partnerships between local businesses and product manufacturers.  These partnerships had the possibility of increasing profitability, not only for the radio station, but also for many local businesses. 

But, opportunity was hidden from plain view.  It took lots of research to ferret out good partnerships and it was painstaking work.  It had none of the glamour or excitement of breaking news or sports!  It also required self-discipline to pay attention and do the necessary, everyday tasks that were required to create success.

I soon found that my job did not drive itself toward success and that it was easier to let the exciting parts of the station drive and keep me entertained with an illusion of being in the center of it all.  It was a lot like jumping into the back seat of a car and going wherever the day’s hired driver wanted to take me.

When I finally figured out that I was in the clutches of a trap it was too late.  I had allowed joy riding in the back seat to transport me away from successfully completing my work.  My internship was over and I never did create a successful cooperative advertising program.  I had started with a purpose and never fulfilled it.

My friend Sharla was teaching me about living with purpose this week when she asked, “Who’s driving you into the future?”  And, “Are you trying to drive from the back seat?”

As soon as she made those statements my mind immediately went back to the radio station and my experience there.  That’s when I knew I had to share this story with you.  It ‘s so easy to get into the habit of sitting in the back seat of life by letting others, as well as sought after distractions, drive us into a future we may not want.  I watch it often.

I observe many who are consumed by the newest television shows, cutting edge music, sporting events and other distractions.  At the end of the day their time has been consumed and their envisioned future fades.  But, you and I don’t have to live that way.

Simply being aware of this danger will help us consciously open the driver’s door by determining what it is we want out of life and then blocking a small amount of time each day to drive a little further down our chosen path.  Yes, it takes discipline to do so, but when I look at successful people like Sharla it encourages me.

The stature of such people and their amazing accomplishments show all of us that it can be done.  In fact, Sharla shrugs off her success by saying, “Hey, I didn’t know any better!  I just went out and did what I was told I had to do to be successful!”

So, let’s follow her example and shrug off our own life traps and then live by the advice of one of my favorite bumper stickers, “Get in, shut up, and drive!”

Learn Your Lessons

“Though things have been challenging, when I look back I can see how everything has worked for my benefit.” – Joe White

Learn Your Lessons

We were in the middle of another project and it was going well.  During one of our regular conversations we talked about how grateful we were to have things moving along.  Our work had been very challenging over the past six years so it was a relief to be able to enjoy some well-earned success.

It wasn’t that we hadn’t been successful over the difficult years.  It was more like we were feeling a respite from the stressful uncertainty that at times felt like a cold, dark blanket.  It was a blanket that made the present and the future feel inhospitable to our business and way of life.

But, this day was full of sunshine and it illuminated the day as well as days bygone.

“It’s nice to have things go well again.” I said.

“Yes.” Joe answered.  “Though things have been challenging, when I look back I can see how everything has worked for my benefit.” He continued.

“At the time when difficult things were happening it was impossible for me to see that things were working out.  But now, somehow I am able to see that even though all of these seemingly bad were happening, by some miracle they were really good things.”  He concluded.

I didn’t know everything he was talking about, but I knew more than almost anyone else did.  And, I knew what kind of a burden he had carried.  I knew there were many times when it appeared as if there would never be a bright day again.  But, I also watched how he had dug deep and then ever deeper to rely on his faith to see him through.

And now?  Both of us know that there are most certainly challenges coming.  It’s inevitable given that life is a strict schoolmaster and we are its students.  You know of that which I speak because you are in the same school as Joe and I.  I’ve not received my final grade as of yet, but I’ve been able to identify another important lesson. 

There are at least two ways in which to look at the lessons of being schooled.  When our knuckles are rapped, seemingly in a cruel way, we all have the choice to become bitter and angry, to allow it to shape our lives into a dark, dreary shadow of despair and pain.  Such an approach never allows one to fully learn the lessons offered.  So, there must be a different approach that offers more.

A learning approach leads one to choose to see the rapping as something offering growth and gain.  Something that will allow one to search the depths of the soul so that internal faith can be extracted; the faith that would otherwise have remained hidden even from one's own view.  It’s benefit is that the learner can see it for what it is, an opportunity to become the best person they can possibly become.  You and I can only become our best if we learn the lessons offered and move forward toward additional growth.