Sometimes things come to us at the oddest of times. A thought, a word, a television program, a lyric,
or something someone says. This thought came to me in my evening shower. I was
soaping down in my usual military way, which means I have no wasted moves. I soap
down and rinse off... period. In and out in under 4 minutes tops and I have no reason
or desire to change that.
However, today it was different. It was as if I received a
special message or understanding; an epiphany if you will. I suddenly
understood that most conclusions I arrive at are the product of living and
experiencing a wide range of conclusions based on my 65 years. Sounds almost
obvious if you stand back and look at it, but guess what? There's more and that
is the marvel of it all.
Each second of every day we are hurtling through the space
time continuum and each of us are in a separate place from those around us. For
instance my bride, although at my side, is 7 years behind me in this plane of
existence. The things it has taken me 65 years to understand, she won't really comprehend
for 7 more years.
Now wait a dang minute Bert, you are reaching out into the
cosmos there with some kind of Neil Tyson Gegrasse mumbo jumbo! Maybe, but maybe not. To be sure, many of the
things and thoughts we share we have learned and transferred back and forth,
but following the rule that experience is the best teacher, I have 7 years of
experience she (and others her age) have not yet been exposed to and that was
the epiphany.
This beautiful woman married me September 16th, 1977 and
Pastor L. S. Marcus tied the knot and he tied it tight. She was an innocent 17
year old girl and I, a worldly 25 year old man who had served 2 tours in the
nasty confrontation in South East Asia. In many
ways, I was almost a father figure to her without realizing it and only through
many years of living together has it became apparent to me that I should be more
of a husband and lover, than an instructor.
To this day I am very protective of her, but not in a
jealous way. She is my number one priority in life and I can't imagine living
without her. Life would lose meaning for me. It would open a fissure in my
space time continuum and I would fall in. I'm honest in saying, I may not
survive the fall. 40 years is a long time to suddenly have the light of your
life extinguished. I want her to live my 7 years and then pass me at least 8 or
more.
My revelation is more than what I have experienced with my
bride, but carries over into many other facets of life. Someone once said that
99% of genius is correcting mistakes and trying again and again. Oh, that was
me. It is my standard answer when I explain how I can repair computers. The
mistakes are mine and I keep adjusting until I get the answer, but isn't that a
pretty good explanation of how we should deal with life?
I constantly sift information and refuse to fall into a
groove, which is basically a casket with the ends knocked out. I have a lot
more to give and who better to give it to than the people I encounter? There is
no greater mission in life than investing in people. I wish for the life of me
that I could have warned Crystal Dowell what was coming her way when I talked
to her in Spin class, but I didn't know. We all walk a precarious path and I do
not want to waste one moment when it comes to lifting up a friend.
I admire people like Ken Pridgeon and Don Cunningham who are
devoting their life to edifying anyone who will listen. They received the gift
of the epiphany long before I did. People are our biggest investment. Don't set
your sights on accumulation of stuff that doesn't matter. It won't mean
anything down the road, as we have learned. People's lives are what matters.
People.
The woman in the grocery store looking at the different cans
of Wolf brand chili I talked to the other day. Her life matters. The garbage
men I gave the cold Coke to - their life matters. The young couple, Preston and Tina Masichuk who are moving into their new
house in Mont Belvieu with their two babies.
Yea, I was glad to have to a chance to rub shoulders with. Every person counts.
My 65 years of experiences can be utilized for good or
cynicism and it is up to me to make that choice. Boy, what an epiphany!
.
