I sit here in the midst of creative depleatness.  I know, that is not a word. Perhaps it is a feeling that has no word to explain it and I just created the word.  I was thinking about the word FEAR.  How many have had that feeling?  What caused it?  How did it go away?

I remember to a time in 1965 when I had just gone on Active duty in the Navy and was ordered to Philadelphia Naval Station to process in.  I guess it went pretty well, as my recollection has no major FEAR factor to it while there. As a seaman, I did some fill in duty with the Chow Hall but it wasn't much of a problem.   After being processed in, I got orders to the Shangri-la (CVA-38) which I have shared in previous posts.  I was given tickets to fly to Naples, Italy and sent on my way.  A recent High School graduate guy . . . on his own . . . . kind of . . . . sent to an exotic place on the Mediterranean Sea.  What could possibly be wrong with that?  Upon arrival, I found my ship was out at sea for a few weeks and I was to wait for her arrival.  NUTS!  I was hoping for a carrier landing experience.  Never did get one.  Instead, there was a Destroyer Tender (USS Tidewater) ported in the harbor and they needed some help in the painting and polishing department.   There were even a couple US Submarines tied up a little ways from us toward the landing.

USS Tidewater, Destroy Tender Helicopter landing pad, Naples , Italy

One morning I was fitted with a life jacket and a harness.  It wasn't shaping up the way I was expecting.  Seems they needed the side of the ship painted and this was the day.  Did I ever tell you that I have a height fear?  With a line firmly attached to my harness and the other end wrapped around a railing with another sailor at that end, they lowered me over the side and down to what is called a "stage".  It is two - 2x12's side by side to stand on.  As I remember it, I was about 40' above the water line.  Now the ship was moored solidly with her stern to the sea wall (bunch of large rocks stacked up to  create a safe harbor for the ships.  So the water was calm, the sun was shining, and all should have been right.  However . . .  FEAR took over.  I was frozen to the rope that was holding one end of the stage.  I couldn't move.  After a little discussion with a compassionate man on the other end of my life line, they decided this really was not a job that I should be doing.  He said, "Hold on. We will lower you to the next spot below you so we can get you off of there."  That is when I found out that when they lower these things, it is one end at a time.  THAT really freaked me out as I was now holding on for dear life to the upper ropes and the stage was about a 45 degree angle downward!  I thought my heart was going to burst!  Finally after what seemed like hours, I was clambering over the railing back on firm deck, heart pounding, sweat pouring profusely from every gland.  That was when I found out for sure, I had a definite fear of heights.  I was reassured by the Deck crew that it was ok.  Some people can do it and others can't.  It is the way we are put together.

Fear is a major part of our lives isn't it?  We all have them to some degree.  Some folks have fears of insects, while others have fears of unclean things.  Fear is an inner feeling that we all have and some can't get rid of, or even control.  I don't really know why, but it is there.  To prevent my fear of heights from kicking in, I just refrain from going in those situations.  Flying in a commercial airplane is fine.  It is walking to the edge of the Grand Canyon and looking over it, that is problematic.  I used to have a problem being in front of people.  I know, I did work through that and now have no real problem with that, provided I have prepared.  Especially when I am playing guitar and singing.  I need to have my songs "scripted out", with chords and words, preferably large enough for my aging eyes to read easily.
So we find ways to make our fears not so fearsome don't we.

Another way I found to lessen my fears is talking with God.  He is always listening to our plea's and knows our fears and our hurts, as well as our joys and happiness.  It is so reassuring to know that.  Don't you wish more people knew that secret?  How about telling your friends and family it is ok to be afraid of things.  Talk it over with God and He will give you peace.

So there you have it:  The point of this story on this Fine, Sunday morning is:  Give your fears to God.  He will gladly help you through them.  God is wanting your joy and happiness shared with others, and knows what that will take on your end.  You see, it is a two way conversation.  Talk, listen, repeat.

Have a GREAT Sunday.

Remember, Keep singing, Keep praying, Keep smiling,

Blessings,
Gary

Saturday FUNNIES!

Hope everyone has a Happy Saturday!

Acting . . . Actors . . . Actresses . . . Theater . . . Thespians . . . Sets . . . Scripts . . . Wardrobe . . . What do all these words have in common?  People and objects depicting a story that is not themselves.  For instance: You don't really believe that these knock 'em down, shoot 'em up action heroes are just happened to be filmed at a normal days work . . . do you?  Of course not.  Actors and Actresses are role playing for what people call entertainment. I can tell you from personal experience that acting in a play is GREAT fun!

Minneapolis Vocational High School Technical Institute

I got interested in Theater Arts because I am not a natural athlete.  Sounds strange huh?  I was way too light for football, didn't have the skills for a good baseball player, didn't have the interest is Chess.  I found out I loved being someone I wasn't. Whooooo .... wait up buddy!  No, I liked acting. I like performing.  Minneapolis Vocational High School and Technical Institute was a pretty old building as you can see by the cars along the curb.  It was a four sided building that took up a whole downtown city block.  In the center of that structure that had classrooms on both sides of the center hallway was an abyss...a useless and unused space.  Some time before I started attending in 1962, they filled that space with a state of the art theater.  It was awesome.  The seating was more than enough for the complete student body, staff and plenty of guests.  It had a very large balcony and really nice theater seats.  Of course the lighting and sound system were the latest and greatest, top of the line in the industry. In a word it was WONDERFUL!

Charlie's Aunt (middle) Charlie (me) right

Grand view of what the audience saw

Scene from Charlie's Aunt

Main set

I had the opportunity to try out and attain parts in several of the plays. The Miracle Worker (my first play...I was a shadow in Helen Keller's eyesight...or lack thereof), Mr. Roberts (I was a crew member who got to play Waltzing Matilda on the hatch cover of the ship), and I got to play in Charlie's Aunt.  I was Charlie. The star was a tall lanky Post Grad student...he was my "Aunt".  To say the least, it was a comedy.  It was also a lot of work, but a tremendous amount of FUN.  The total cast was well put together and were enjoying the opportunity as much can be imagined.

In deep thought...
"How are we going to get out of this mess?"

Cast of "Charlie's Aunt"

The biggest and funniest part of the whole play for me was when my Aunt was trying to escape being caught in the situation, you see, because my Aunt was not a lady...she was a he and  . . . .  well you will just have to see it to believe it.  Now the actor was about 6 foot tall and weighed maybe 175 lbs.  I however, was 5'5 and weighed 115 lbs.  The script called for me to carry him on my shoulder at least half way across the stage from the back right corner to the front left corner as you are sitting, watching the play.  We practiced and practice and then practiced some more.  We finally found the balance point to where if we hit it, I could carry him down the block and around the corner without breaking a sweat.  Got it made!  The first night of the play the point came up.  He started running away.  I blocked his leaving and with a running tackle picked him up, threw him on my shoulder and MISSED the balance point by "this much".  My knees started to buckle, I started to wobble, and the two of us ALMOST fell down.  The audience was laughing, nobody got hurt and for me, it was the highlight of the show!  Such small rewards when failing, turns to fame!  By the way, we hit the balance point for our other three shows, but that was really ok....my back appreciated the lack of stress.

Rehearsal and encouragement from
Drama Teacher/Director Mr. Robert Turner
(dark suit, auditorium floor - right)

Play acting is great fun and a lot of effort.  The reward is that your skills in being someone you are not is enjoyed by a paying audience.

Now, after quite a few years of real life, I see a lot of folks that live a life of acting out who they really aren't and I wonder why?  Some folks go to great lengths AND expense to be someone, if given a chance or an opportunity, they would like to be themselves.  I think that they are afraid to open up to people because of fear.  Fear caused by a lack of confidence in themselves. Confidence to step out into the unknown and try something different.  Get a job or at least go to school to get the training to better themselves.  "Oh, I'm not smart enough for that job."  or "They will never hire me, I have a problem they wouldn't hire me if they knew that."  Who knows what is in their minds.  SO how does one get self confidence back when they lose it?  How do we as their friend or acquaintance help them out?  One way might be to just be a friend with words of encouragement. Maybe work through some roll playing events that will calm them down.  Maybe offer them a ride to put in an application or to stand with them as they fill out the forms for that tech. school course.

I have a friend that I helped by encouraging him to hang in there with some pretty tough coursework in an online class he was taking.  Gave him some suggestions.  Later we were talking about that assignment and he told me some suggestions the instructor gave him.  We worked through that, and he got a very good grade, and I could tell by the tone of his voice, his confidence had returned and he was ready to tackle the next assignment with a positive and bright attitude.  That's what friends are for.

We are all actors to some degree, aren't we?  Some are better at it than others.  I know my wife thinks I'm a lousy actor, because she can see through my deception every time I try!   Maybe she's right, but then maybe she knows me too well...after all 46 years of marriage tends to open your partners "quirks" a little bit, doesn't it?  There are a lot of folks that are real good at fooling others for ill gotten gain. Then there are the good actors that some call salesmen, that fall for the easiest cons around. We buy anything that sounds, looks or tastes good!  But that's another story.  Did you know that God can see through anything that you put up as a deflection of reality to others?  God sees right through that stuff. Did you also know that GOD is waiting for YOU to visit with Him?  He can help you through all your insecurities, even if you don't admit to them right away, you might as well admit to them soon and get through it.  Listen to God's guidance and whatever troubles you have can be worked though with the help of God.  Talk to him...without acting.  I can imagine some of the things I used to think I could get away with and then imagine GOD sitting there laughing at me and my silliness!

Acting is fun.  Community theater sounds like it would be GREAT fun. Being someone you really are not...for a while.  But God wants to have a relationship with the REAL You.  Won't you let Him into your heart.  Take my word for it . . . God has more time than you do.  I found God fairly soon in my life, and then re-found him again later on, then again later than that.  Get my meaning?  God has been here with me the whole time. It is ME that drifted away time and again.  Thankfully not all that far that I couldn't find my way back....then I found out it was impossible to drift that far, and was I GLAD!

So be an actor, put on a facade....a false front.  That will fool somebody, but not God.  There is a church in your neighborhood that is there to help you. If you are not associated with one, go check one out.  There may be something they can offer you that you can't refuse.  God takes you as you are, then will adjust you as you are willing.

til later, remember, Keep singing, Keep praying, Keep smiling.

Blessings.
Gary

When I was younger I really enjoyed doing a bunch of different things.  For instance, I liked moulding tin soldiers and making armies of them and painting them, and setting them up on the dinning room floor.  My imagination went running wild!  No one died though.  I was very difficult to eliminate a tin soldier....even after I went to all that work heating the lead, clamping the moulds together, pouring the molten lead, and waiting for it to cool. Then when I got enough soldiers poured, I would get out my paints and color them.  When I finished that process, I would line them all up according to what they were. i.e. Rifleman, bazooka shooter, soldier with backpack and pistol there were quite a few different ones that I made.  If they got broken, they didn't die, they just got remolded!  How neat is THAT?

It was pretty easy for me to make these soldiers because my Dad had a print shop. In those days, letterpress printing was still the way to produce jobs.  The printing presses were made to hold "type" which was sometimes individual letters made of an alloy of Lead, Tin, and Antimony. It was soft enough to melt easy, but hard enough to withstand 1000's of impressions on the printing presses.  The type would be secured in a steel frame called a "chase".  The type was 'locked up' in the chase tightly, so it would hold together during the printing process as rollers covered with ink rolled across them, a paper was brought between the type and a feed board or hard impression roller (depending upon the type of press) and the ink transferred to the paper, the paper was either mechanically or manually inserted and removed, and the process started all over again.   An automated press could run 2 or 3 thousand impressions an hour.  A manual (hand) fed press could be operated safely and depending on what was being printed, maybe five hundred to maybe (if you were real good and on a good day) a thousand an hour.  Anyway, I got the damaged or no longer needed type to melt into soldiers and the cost for me was ZERO!  I liked that part.  I suppose me sweeping and cleaning the shop for free was my cost.

Gary's  1950's – 60's Army

Now that I have given you Old Style Printing Lecture 101.....we will continue with the story.  It was fun creating something.  No lying about that.  I have always enjoyed making something, anything it seems.  Not just lead soldiers, but that developed into toy trains and I chose American Flyer. Most all the other guys liked Lionel trains, but they were just too big and expensive for me....I liked to have smaller scale and have more space to do more with.  In our house in Circle Pines, I was building a table for an elaborate layout, but we moved before I got beyond the basic bench work...my fault....didn't focus enough time to the effort.  We moved in town and I grabbed some musty, dusty basement space and rebuilt the beginning benchwork. Time moved on and it never got beyond that.

1961 American Flyer on the Dinning room floor.
Don't ask where the actual train is...can't remember.

Eventually it was abandoned and years later it is now safely in a storage box, ready for a static display to be made for it.  In one of my blogs, I discussed model railroading so I DID pursue it in yet another scale, in another time.

The point of this seemingly rambling of sentences, is this:
Creating is a strong part of my life.  I feel the need to make something better than when I first saw it. Make something more complete, more functional.  Either in reality or my mind, it didn't matter which.
It may be creating music to have a soothing melody to calm a person down, or a song with a message to allow someone think a new way.  We are all here to do something good.  Sometimes it doesn't seem to work out that way.  But when that happens, we pick ourselves up, dust off our sandals and move on.

GOD loves what He does.  He is constantly trying to remake us into the people that He can be proud of.  He does understand that we are not perfect.  My tin soldiers were not perfect.  Each of them had a least a couple blemishes on them.  My trains didn't always run perfect.  I didn't get mad and throw them away!  I still have a big ole coffee can full of my soldiers around somewhere, waiting for me to come and play.

So with all of OUR blemishes and faults, and bad things we have done, GOD doesn't stop loving us.  He continues to patiently wait for us.   Have you realized that GOD is the true...one and only....nobody else as good...PERFECT, Creator?  As the tried and true saying goes, that everyone gets so fretful hearing:   GOD DOESN'T MAKE JUNK.

Now that you understand, go out and create something for someone. Could be happiness, joy, a smile, a kind word.  Could be a helping hand with a talent you have, say, auto mechanics, or window cleaning, or cooking a special hot dish for someone.  "Nobody's done that for me!"  So?  It doesn't matter about that either. This is not about YOU...."Pay forward" is a newish term being used a lot now.  So . . . go forth and pay forward.

Remember?  Keep singing, Keep praying, keep smiling.

Blessings,
Gary


p.s. There were 108 soldiers in my Army's company at the time of the picture.  Some may have actually retired by now.

In April of 1984 we lived in  a nice older home in North Minneapolis.  With our three children and nothing much else to do with our mundane lives, we decided to become a foster family.  A friend of ours had special needs foster children and we designed our Cub Scout Pack with a Den, designed to accommodate their special needs.   So we were in the frame of thought to take care of special needs foster children.  For nine years we had quite an interesting journey into some pretty scary territory.  We started out with the special needs children and things were going along fairly well.  Pat was the main person in this event as I did what I could but had to do it around my varying work schedule with the bus company.  She took the training and the children’s needs besides our own three.  Usually we had two foster children in the house at a time.  At one time later on, Pat had three 3 year olds (ours-Todd, and two foster brothers) in the house at one time.   The fact that Pat survived was something to marvel at!  To make our lives fuller, and without a doubt it did, we ended up working in the Child Protection part of the Hennepin County Foster Care Division. That is where the  ugliness of real life entered in.  We can perhaps delve into that area at a later time.

With all those kids (I say that with tongue in cheek as a good friend of ours has 10 of their own special needs kids) in the house at the same time, our eating arrangements and prep area needed an overhaul.  So the industrious person I am, decided to remodel our kitchen.  To tell the truth, ROTO-RUTER actually decided that. The sink plumbing had stopped up that required me to call THEM.  They came out to clear the drain from the kitchen sink which was under a window overlooking our neighbors dinning room window, and the sewer drain was on the side wall 90 degrees and back half a wall length for the sink drain.  The Roto guys came in and promptly punched a hole through the elbow pipe as it turned to go the 90 degree part to the sewer drain.  So I did what was necessary and repositioned the sink to the main sewer drain where it should have been to start with!  We (my friend Ted and I) ripped out the cabinets, flooring, sub-flooring, some of the wallboard and the kitchen nook and re-structured that as well. Then painted a fresh color on the walls.  It turned out pretty good I think.  The kids had a nicer place to eat.  I had a lesson in kitchen remodeling, and Pat got some nicer appliances.  The following are a few pictures of the event.

Got to clear out the old

I love wallboard patching

Cabinets to be replaced

Ted and the "younger" and black haired Gary
discussing something important I'm sure.

Making a mess is necessary

More clutter

New Stove

Just a coat of paint and ready to roll

Hang up the stuff, fill up the counter

I got to thinking about how our lives are sometimes in need a "remodel".  Have you ever thought of that?  Sometimes it may cost a bit, but the end result is more in line with were you feel you need to be. When we needed to redo the kitchen, we did some measurements, looked at the samples, figured out where we needed outlets (to get our power from), what we had to remove, and how we were going to finish the project.  Our personal "remodel" is the same thing.  The cost may be a behavioral modification that will take a LOT of work to redo...but you will reap the rewards when you have made the switch.  To do that, you need to be realistic and figure out where your weaknesses are. What is going to be needed to strengthen those puppies up!  What you need to get rid of..out of sight...out of your life....gone.  Then to put the finishing touches on your Personal Remodel Project, what results are you looking for and how are you going to maintain the "NEW and IMPROVED You".  

What we do in our day to day living, reflects a lot on how were are constructed.  

1. Make sure you have a solid foundation to build on.  

2. Use quality products from a reputable dealer.  

3. Get guidance from someone who knows their trade.  

Can you apply this information to your spiritual life?  I say you can.  Now the choice is up to you.  There is plenty of help out there, just for the asking.  If you don't have a church family right now, check out your neighborhood, there is most likely several close by to chose from. Talk to the Pastor, he will answer your questions, and guide you to where you want to be.

Til next time....keep singing, keep praying, keep smiling

Blessings,

Gary

I watched a video a little while ago that was labeled "the most honest 3 and a half minutes . . . EVER."

It was a panel on a stage that seemed like it was a college event of why America is so great.  After supposedly blowing smoke up everyone's skirt, the one man on the panel basically said America is NOT the greatest country in the world.  Of course that brought a lot of gasps, and muttering.  The other panel members and the officials along the side, sat there speechless, as he recited our world standings in all kinds of categories...like infant deaths, number of people in prisons and jails, education, and on and on and on.  Then there was silence.  After a few long seconds of silence, he continued.  In a sorrowful voice, he said we used to be the greatest country in the world.  One where we watched out for each other, respected each other, worked hard to improve ourselves and our lives through education, sweat and muscle. Where we invented the leading edge technology, and the biggest machinery and the strongest economy.  We used to be a great country.

That hit pretty hard when I sit back and think about it.  Like so many in my generation and I still see a lot of it in the generation or two right after us.  I see it in my children, basically because my wife and I taught them work ethic and made sure they got an education that meant something.  But most of all because they learned what family and honor, and respect means.  A lot of the problems in todays world is because those areas are not being passed on to a great number of children any more. It is alright for some to name call, disrespect others, whine about their plight in life, and then expect respect, not to be put down, and then to be given (not earned) what everyone else (who has actually put in the time and effort to work for what they have) has...and sometimes even want more freebies.  There is now several valedictorians per graduating class.  "Everyone gets a ribbon, because it is so hard on them to loose." concept.  What happened to consequences of actions? Not everyone can run fastest and all win a foot race. Someone wins, others loose. Fact of life....move on. It is not bad to not win. The fact that you were in the race is very respectable.  What's wrong with that?

What makes the problem even worse that that is now we have our Constitution being violated by the very people that have sworn to uphold it and protect it!  That goes from the top all the way, in some instances right down to the city level government!  Not real wide spread at the city level yet, or even not too bad at most of the State levels, but if we continue to ignore and poo poo the truth and reality of it, it will be total, and we the people have lost through ignorance and complacency.  We can NOT allow that to happen.  Lets reverse the trend.  Lets get back the America that was once a place where everyone had the opportunity to earn a living and have respect.  One of the other problems of today in that respect is, everyone wants to be the top wage earner.  Which is impossible, because not everyone is willing to put in the time, effort and expense to be educated with the information that is required of top wage earners.  Im my day, I went to a trade school, worked my way through the different parts of my trade, learning all the way, taking a pay hike every so often when the position called for it.  It took many years to progress to the level I had, but there was still more room, in other locations, should I have desired to pursue those next steps. What I am saying is that the way it works is start at the bottom and WORK your way up.  No one will pay a person who doesn't have the knowledge necessary to do the job.

To some reading this, will find offense at that concept. Why? you ask. Because they have not been properly trained in school to understand economy, the job world, let alone the basics of living and taking care of yourself.  A lot of young people today have lacked the parental guidance that the older generations have had.  I have seen evidence of a gross number of single parents, usually the woman, that is struggling hard  trying to raise the children she had been abandoned with. Lack of responsibility. Lack of respect.  It is very hard to raise children with only half the team present.  God bless the single parent that is trying so hard.  What is disturbing is those parents that aren't showing any respect to their children by ignoring teaching them the basics of life like cleaning up, being responsible for themselves by putting their stuff away, and helping Mom and/or Dad or both, in keeping the house clean and neat. Sometimes the parents have none of those skills either.  The list goes on.

America DID used to be a great country.  It is not too late to regain what we have lost.  It will NOT be regained if we all sit around and whine and sniffle about it.  Get off your backside and get to work on fixing this problem.  It can't be done alone.  WE need to do it together.  One person at a time.

Remember, keep singing, keep praying, and show some respect.

Blessings,
Gary

Sunday was a very good day!  Hope your's was a fruitful and rewarding.  I was privileged to help with the music at church TWICE!  Once in the morning before Sunday School for two songs, and then again in the afternoon led those gathered for youth and study.  I introduced them to some new praise songs and am excited about their approval of learning the new music.  They did so wonderful, caught on to the tune and the words very quickly.  I am delighted!

One of the highlights was Cooper's directing the music. If I knew how to download a facebook video, I would show you. You can see him on my FB page if you wish.  He had pretty darn good timing with his clapping and all.  Came right in on time and kept it pretty good.  GREAT JOB COOPER!

Got to thinking about what yesterday was all about.  My conclusion is GIFTS.  God gives each of us gifts to use for His Glory.  There are a bunch that have been noted in various places.  In the past, I have taught an Advanced Lay Speaker class on God's Gifts and used a Spiritual Gifts Test on

www.kodachrome.org

It is a fun yet clarifying event for those interested in knowing a little more about how "they roll".  It may answer some questions about why they (you) are better at some things than other things.  I feel it is because God has blessed each of us with gifts/talents to be a part of a huge event called LIFE.  We each have a part to "play" and are being given special gifts to fulfill that part.  Some are servants, some are caregivers, others are administrative/guidance, more may be musicians, some are pastoring/sheperding, others are gifted with encouragement, still others perhaps giving, or healing, or hospitality.  Some are gifted with Mercy/compassion, others are teaching, wisdom, writing, craftsmanship/artisan, discernment/distinguish spirits, or evangelism, exhortation, knowledge, tongues (interpreting), tongues (speaking).  So there are areas that, if you take this test, may find that you are gifted in that you haven't realized before, or because of the results, answers some deep questions that have been floating around in the back of your mind for some time.

The point of the story:  We are all part of GOD's plan.  He has gifted or given us talents to fulfill His intentions and we all have an important part to play.  It is our job now to discover what that may be, and move forward.  There is a training period, I am sure.  I realized that with my music. I didn't start out with a natural ability to play a guitar.  I had to practice and play many years to do what I do today.  There are others more qualified as I am still an amateur, but this is where God is using me right now, and that is fine with me.  I encourage you to give yourself over to the fact that HE has His plan for you as well, and it would be a good idea for you to find out what that talent/gift is, so you can focus on that.

Keep singing, keep discovering, keep smiling,

Blessings,

Gary