This past week I came under personal attack. I had to decide how I should respond. Anger was one option I could have chosen, even though I knew in my heart it was the wrong option. As I wrestled with my decision I remembered these words that Michelle Obama spoke at the Democratic National Convention this past summer:

“How we urge them to ignore those who question their father’s citizenship or faith. How we insist that this hateful language they hear form public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country. How we explain that when someone is cruel or acts like a bully you don’t stoop to their level. No, our moto is: when they go low, we go high.

How did I solve my choice of response? I took Michelle’s advice and it was the right thing to do, even though I had been treated very wrongly! I offer this learning experience to you as you face disappointments in life. Disappointing moments in life are inevitable, how we respond to them shows who shapes our faith and action: Jesus or The Adversary! I chose to follow Jesus as Michelle guided me to do!

As the U S Presidential Election approaches I notice that people are less gentle with their friends as they try to promote their favorite candidate. It is impossible for all of us to agree all the time. But it is possible to express our views in a gentle way that will not offend those who have chosen a different candidate than we have chosen.

The above quote from a Muslim theologian shows me that gentleness is a universal value all of us can share!

Who is Brad Metlzer?

Meltzer has had books on the bestseller list for Fiction, Non-Fiction (History Decoded), Advice (Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter), Children’s Books (I Am Amelia Earhart and I Am Abraham Lincoln) and comic books (Justice League of America), for which he won the Eisner Award.

Meltzer is also responsible for helping find the missing 9/11 flag that the firefighters raised at Ground Zero, making national news on the 15th anniversary of 9/11. Using his TV show, Brad Meltzer’s Lost History, he told the story of the missing flag and asked Americans for their help in returning it. Four days later, a former Marine walked into a fire station in Everett, Washington, said he saw Meltzer’s TV show, and now wanted to return the flag. Meltzer recently unveiled the flag at the 9/11 Museum in New York, where it is now on display.

Known for his thorough research, Meltzer counts former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush as fans, and both have helped him with his research.

In September 2006, Meltzer participated in a work group with the CIA, the FBI, various psychologists, and Department of Homeland Security intelligence staff to brainstorm new ways that terrorists might attack the U.S.

As an inspirational speaker, Meltzer’s TEDx Talk, “How To Write Your Own Obituary”, has been viewed over 50,000 times, and prompted TED to ask him to do another TED Talk: “Write Your Story, Change History”, which has been viewed over 80,000 times.

Meltzer helped save and preserve the house where Superman was created in Cleveland, Ohio, helping to create the Siegel & Shuster Society, then telling the story of the house and running an auction that raised over $100,000.

Meltzer has worked with numerous organizations throughout Florida to promote literacy within the State. Meltzer has worked in the past with Florida Family Literacy Initiative, and is due to participate in the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County‘s 23rd Annual Love of Literacy Luncheon in March 2014.

Meltzer was one of four authors selected to entertain at Barbara Bush‘s 90th birthday party in 2015.

Meltzer is responsible for helping save the life of his 11th grade history teacher. When his teacher told Meltzer she was sick and needed a new kidney, Meltzer asked his 100,000 Facebook fans to find her a new kidney and in the process, helped save her life.

During Star Wars Night at the 2015 Marlins/Mets baseball game, Meltzer threw out the first pitch of the game, then proceeded to fight mascot Billy the Marlin in a lightsaber battle

Next in his list of projects is his current effort to raise money to fight breast cancer. He is willing to match dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000 for the cause.

Brad is a shining example to us of how one person working together with others can make a huge difference! I applaud him for this most recent project. I also highly recommend his books; all are great reads!

There is a lot of conversation taking place these days about how bad things are in the USA. Anytime we place a majority of our focus on what we don’t like things can look bleak. This picture shows the Jefferson Memorial and Reflecting Pool in Washington DC. I marvel at how different the memorial appears based on the position of the sun and the density of the cloud cover on any given day. Jefferson was a man committed to change. He did not want change for the sake of change, he wanted change only if it was a change for the better! As we move toward Election Day conversation will surely continue about what is not liked about things in our nation. I ask for some conversation that also highlights what is great about the USA. Surely part of that greatness is our past and the lessons we can learn from it.

I work intentionally to keep my political views from influencing what I post on this site. Now that Monday’s debate is concluded we know several results from the evening.

• It was the most watched Presidential debate ever!
  
• People who watched the debate who were polled indicated the content of the debate has not changed their voting preference.
  
• This debate more than any other was supported by social media and a record number of people posted their reactions on Twitter in real-time.
  

Our election system is based on the ideal that as many citizens as possible will participate by voting. In 2016 our nation has viewpoints on important issues that are in opposition to the other viewpoints. Polling shows the race to be very close. Polling also shows both Clinton and Trump have a high number of people who report they don’t feel they are honest.

In the past months I have heard many people say they are just going to skip this election. Based on that I was expecting a much lower viewership of the debate. Since the number watching was exceptionally high, it is my dream that number of citizens who actually vote in November will also be exceptionally high. This would be a powerful first step in showing everyone that our citizens do care about what our political leaders are doing as they serve us.

In today’s local newspaper an article was printed warning about potential dangers of being seen wearing a clown costume. I think of parades and parties when I think of clowns. Apparently law enforcement is reminded of those who use the “shielded identity” a clown mask provides to commit crimes. I learned from the article that some clown groups are turning down opportunities to entertain for their own safety. I learned that in the state of West Virginia there is a law against wearing any mask. One local sheriff posted notices that if you were injured by someone else while wearing a clown suit, you would be arrested rather than the person who posed a danger to you.

As I read the article in the paper and write this post, I can’t help but feel as a nation we are “getting off the rails” when something so simple as dressing in costume can be illegal. When people who wear costumes are automatically feared, we have lost one of the greatest values a society can have: that value is TRUST.

I pray that in the future we are able to regain a stronger level of trust in our society!

I was standing in the parking lot of the building where I work during a fire drill. I was trying to find a friend of mine that works in a different department. When I could not find him I looked to the area where he usually parks his car. The image above is an approximate likeness to his car. When I looked for the car, I saw it was not there and then knew I could give up looking for my friend.

I use this example to remind all of us how important friendships are to us. Knowing who our friends are and that we can call them when we have a reason is important to our sense of belonging. Believing in friendships and spending time with friends helps us avoid loneliness. Isolation helps foster depression. The support of close friends helps prevent depression.

I hope you are as thankful for the friends in your life as I am for the friends I have in my life.

Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly. The Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas phaeton) has been the official arthropodic emblem of the State since 1973 

Like other butterflies, the Baltimore Checkerspot searches for one kind of host plant from which it will gain nourishment during its period of growth. In this case, the White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) is the only host plant that this butterfly will use.

This dynamic has recently created a crisis because White Turtlehead plants have disappeared from many areas and the Checkerspot Butterfly has left due to not have a host plan to feed on. This illustrates one of the lessons we learn over and over as we live. One change may have unanticipated consequences that are not realized until after the change is made. Some changes can be corrected and others are irreversible. I taking this situation as a reminder to double-check actions I take before I make them to see if something I do not intend is about to take place. A good reminder for all of us!

Handcuffs and Hospital are two words we don’t use in the same sentence! In the past week the local police have been called to the hospital 3 times and ended up arresting people who were not following instructions of hospital staff and our hospital Security Department. That is the new reality we have in health care, having to plan for and respond to situations where people are a danger to others.

We are fortunate that our local police respond quickly when called. I look forward to the day when the idea of needing to call the police to the hospital is a distant memory so we can focus on our primary mission: health care!

I expect the title of this post and image surprise my readers. Don’t worry I have not jumped off the straight-and-narrow for a lifestyle of moral depravity! “Sex with Strangers” is a play that is being performed this weekend at the Embassy Theater in Cumberland, Maryland.

I will be honest this is not a play you would want to bring impressionable aged children to watch. It also is not a sex show. The cover image above shows more skin than the actors do during the performance. The play had many funny lines in it. The basic plot shows two strangers who are stranded in at Bed & Breakfast in northern Michigan during a blizzard. As the title suggests a romance develops between them.

As the play ends so does their friendship as they learn they can’t trust each other. The female character, Olivia, in the beginning wants nothing to do with the male lead, Ethan. Olivia eventually lessens her resolve not to trust Ethan and then becomes hurt when he steals from her and has other relationships behind her back while telling Olivia she is the only woman in his life.

My take away from this play is that it highlighted for me every decision we make has a consequence, so we are well served when we make our decisions based in wisdom rather than impulse.