Wonderful Mentor – Champion of Freedom

KeithFerrinWe have been neighbors of the Ferrin family for nearly 30 years. Keith has been an inspiring mentor to me. Several years ago, he showed up at our door with a beautiful plaque he created with his scroll saw.  He has created dozens of these, but I was honored to receive mine. It hangs in a place of honor in a corner of our living room.GodBless

In the years since then it has been wonderful to be in Keith’s home and in his shop to witness firsthand his craftsmanship and kindness. He has blessed us with many other works of art from his wood shop.  

A career Air Force fighter pilot and flight instructor, Keith is a veritable storehouse of wonderful stories about his service around the world.  He is indeed a Champion of Freedom!

The Gettysburg Address – Profound Challenge for our Time

AbrahamLincoln

Seven score and twelve years ago, on November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as part of the “Consecration of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg.”

What a timeless, profound speech!  In only 272 words, President Lincoln solemnly honored all who died in battle at that site and challenged the nation to forge forward in the cause of freedom.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

President Lincoln was incorrect in one phrase, “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here.”

On the contrary, although most have forgotten the 2 hour oration by Edward Everett that preceded President Lincoln’s remarks, the President’s speech has become one of the best known and most often quoted speeches in history.

However, as a society we too often forget President Lincoln’s challenge, which is just as relevant today as it was 152 years ago:

we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

May we never forget that challenge.  May we devote our lives to the preservation of God-given freedom in this wonderful nation!

Happy Veterans Day – Thank you Hub Group for #CauseContainer!

Happy Veterans Day to everyone, and a big thanks to all who have served in the armed forces and are servicing today.  We deeply appreciate your dedication and service to preserve the freedom we loved.

Today, I learned of a great project, Cause Container, sponsored by the Hub Group, in Chicago, Illinois. The project byline is “Transporting a message of hope and action.” The misson:

Hub Group created the Cause Container project as a fun way for everyone at Hub Group to share something we all believe in — giving back. The goal of this ongoing endeavor is simple. To raise as much money for and awareness about our charities as possible to celebrate their achievements and prolong their efforts. With your help spreading the word, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

Today, on Veteran’s Day, I saw the #CauseContainer for Fisher House Foundation:

Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major U.S. military and VA medical centers nationwide, close to the medical center or hospital it serves. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and veteran families an estimated $200 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation.

CauseContainer

Whenever a photo of this CauseContainer is posted on Social Media, the Hub Group will donate to the Fisher House Charities!  What a great way to honor veterans and their families!

Hub Group created the Cause Container project as a fun way for everyone at Hub Group to share something we all believe in — giving back. The goal of this ongoing endeavor is simple. To raise as much money for and awareness about our charities as possible to celebrate their achievements and prolong their efforts. With your help spreading the word, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

Nelson Mandela Inaugurated

Mandela

Twenty one years ago today, on May 10, 1994, Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the first black president of South Africa, following the first fully representative democratic election in South Africa.

Stephen Covey once spoke of Nelson Mandela while explaining the concept of “moral authority”:

I recently had a visit from Nelson Mandela. You can see his moral authority. Former US secretary of state Colin Powell said that Mandela’s inauguration was one of the most electrifying moments of his whole life. On Mandela’s left side were his family and loved ones, and on his right side were his gaolers who had tortured and demeaned him. Yet he bowed to them and said: ‘Good morning, gentleman.’

I asked him, ‘How long did it take to get over the bitterness and the demeaning treatment and torture you experienced?’ Mandela said, ‘About four years – I noticed how they talked to each other and how they talked about each other’s families. I came to realise that they were good people who were also victims of the apartheid system’.

Some of my favorite Mandel quotes:

I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.

I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.

Thank you, Mr. Mandela, for your undying quest for freedom in the world!