SHARING NOW WITH THE FUTURE

 This column is an exercise for every individual who reads it. No, it’s not homework or a test. It is, however, an activity that each person will find worthwhile. So, sit back, relax, and give the process a shot.  

Most of us go through our lives day-to-day. Few folks think that their jobs, hobbies, likes, and dislikes are of much significance to others. What we don’t know is that someday those very things will be important to friends and families. 

The first thing I urge each person to do is take out paper and pen or computer and write down each family person’s name. Then take them one-by-one and write out physical characteristics about them. Next add some quirks, unique things about their looks, movements that they use unconsciously do and when they do it. The next items to include are scars, marks, tattoos, or things in that area. Tell how, why, when those things came into existence.  

Next, write down the philosophies of those family members. Don’t say you don’t know because you most certainly do. What are their political, religious, and social ideas? What specifically is most important to them and how do they prove it? What do they most dislike? What habits do they have that annoy or delight others?  

Write out short biographies for each person. Include their family members, where they lived, and any stories about their lives that you especially like. In this section, favorite sayings, words, and facial expressions can be included. Important in these is the special way that those utterances are said. Does he speak with a nasal tone? Does she sound like a Valley Girl from the ‘80’s? Does the individual have a quick temper or is he slow to anger? 

Anything else you can write about that person that makes him remarkable or easily identifiable can be added. These writings are yours; no one cares if a word is misspelled or a comma is omitted. The key is to give enough information so that strangers could pick out of a crowd the person about whom you’ve written. 

For those who begin this exercise, surprises are on the way. Long forgotten things about these loved ones will resurface, and the author will meet them with a smile or tear. What all of us need to realize is that our families are precious folks who won’t be here forever. When they have passed, our minds will think of hundreds of things that we wish we could have them answer or explain.  

This same exercise can be used to write about folks outside of families. I have two best friends on whom I could write long stories. They would include all of the information above, as well as short anecdotes about our adventures together. 

When a person feels comfortable, he can write his own story. That task is a bit more difficult and uncomfortable. The truth is often tough to share. However, it demands that we reveal ourselves, "warts and all.”  

Many folks will wonder why their time should be spent on such an activity. If they have lost loved ones or good friends, the answer will be evident. Our memories fade, and facts sometimes blur. Taking time in the present to write the truth you see about people important to you will have rewards in the years to come. Looked at in a different way, our writings can serve as more vivid family histories that are much more exciting than a simple listing of long-passed relatives. Just imagine how excited future generations would be to read intimate details of their descendants. 

The next time the television offers no programs worth watching, start your writing. Again, don’t be concerned that your work might not be perfect. Just make sure it’s on paper or computer so that it becomes a valuable set of documents in years to come.  
 

THE GREATEST CREATION

 The human brain fascinates me. It is, by far, the best computer ever made. Some technological folks might cite at least a half dozen reasons that prove my statement incorrect. Changing their minds is impossible, so I’ll leave them to their incorrect beliefs. The good lord made something far superior to all of mankind’s inventions. It is from that brain that all other things first come to being.  

It’s from our brains that we learn all things. Our ability to go from sitting up to crawling to walking starts in that control center. How amazing it is to watch a little one understand what is necessary to walk from mom to dad. That complex act which we take for granted is a miracle of millions of things inside us working together to complete.  

Even more spectacular is watching a child learn to speak. His brain takes cues from parents’ speech and coaxing; his mind must understand the relationship between an object or an individual and the identifying word. As he grows, his brain allows him to put words together to form sentences that express his needs or his thoughts.  

The brain develops information that tells a person how to act in different settings. Our master control panels feed us thoughts on how to be teenagers, what is “cool” for the teen years, and what are appropriate interactions with all people with whom we make contact. The brain helps us decide who our friends will be, what activities we will enjoy, and even in what subjects we will excel in school.  

The brain controls our moods. In some way, this miracle machine takes in information and actions, analyzes them .and then sends out to us the proper mood for the situation. Too often, my mind makes analyses that lead to my mood being a sour one or a sad one. Only re-analyzing the same information can lead to a completely different mood, one that is much more pleasant to us and those who share space. 

Most fascinating of all is the brain’s ability to help us remember things from our past. I’m well into senior citizenry now, but through the wonderful workings of the brain, recalling many events from childhood are easy. My mind can whisk me back to high school and a date that was special, or it can help me remember playing Davy Crocket with my twin brother. We wore leather jackets with tassels down the arms. Wiping a runny nose on the sleeve left a shiny trail on it. In flash, the mind goes to the day I jammed a piece of broken glass into my foot while our family visited grandparents who lived in Lonsdale.  

I do have to admit that our brains have limited warranties. While I can remember what I did as a 5-year-old in 1957, I stand and look with a blank expression as I try to remember why I walked into my office. I spent a career learning thousands of students’ names, but now I struggle to pull out the name of someone at church. If a list of “to-do” items contains more than three things, I have to write it down; otherwise, at least one of them will be forgotten. 

The human brain is the most marvelous thing ever created. Its powers are limited only by the owner. It’s sad that so many people choose to turn their brains off and blindly follow the thoughts of others. Those who fail to use their minds have decided that “ignorance is bliss.” I, for one, don’t believe that for a second.  

THANK GOODNESS

 Thank goodness the 2024 election is finally over. Many people are celebrating the triumphant of their favorite candidate. Others are in grumpier mood because the person they backed lost. I personally am just glad the whole thing is over. The hope is that those millions who cast ballots learned some lessons to carry with them in the future.  

Whether candidates won or lost is important, but more important is the fact that the democratic process once again worked. Americans participate by voting, the most sacred thing to citizens. Yes, the electoral college is a bit outdated, but the key to picking our leaders is based on one person-one vote. Our precious right to cast a ballot must always be protected. 

My hope is that folks learned that who a person supports for an office is not the defining thing to friendships. It’s nobody’s business who a person supports, but it’s important that every individual who is eligible to vote does so. What friends do is make their choices, and sometimes they even debate about them. However, in the end, a true friendship always exists after the winners are announced. Letting such a special relationship die is a sin; each of us has few true friends, and we should fight with all our might to keep them. We’ve all heard stories of family members separating over politics. Elections come and go, but family members and true friends are the foundations onto which we build our lives. The race is over, and if any of us has had a falling out with a special person, the time is now to make apologies and restore that tie.  

Plenty of unkind things have been said during this campaign season. Both sides of an election can be surprisingly cruel. Ads are thrown on screens, and they tell the worst about a candidate, whether it’s true or not. I haven’t figured out when it became all right to viciously attack a competitor, but I don’t like it.  

Let’s hope that the winners are gracious, and the losers are humble. This election is over, and our lives go on. Precious little time on this planet is granted to any person; our goals should be to do good for others and to increase our love for friends, family, strangers.  

The goal for every person should be to simply get along with others. We can have arguments or disagreements, but that doesn’t mean our relationships should end. After previous elections, I’ve known folks who ended friendships or who no longer talk to brothers, sisters, or even parents. I’m amazed at how petty we all can be at times. If we aren’t happy with those in office, then the best thing to do is vote them out the next cycle. Get rid of the politicians with whom you disagree, but hold on tightly to the few family members and friends that you have. They are the people who care for you and who will be there in the end.  

I say congratulations to those whose candidates won in local, state, and federal elections. Can’t we talk about something on which most of us can agree? Yes, we should join forces and cheer on the Vols in the campaigns to win championships. Younger folks can also swap stories about their toddlers’ clever stunts and actions. To put it simply, let’s all get along for a change.  

HARVEY

 Amy and I recently added a member to our household. Harvey came to live with us at the end of September. Circumstances dictated that we take him in. Now, the last thing in this world we wanted was another pet, but God has a mystifying way of giving us what we don’t want to see how we handle it.  

This mutt of a dog is a rescue. His name comes from the hurricane in Houston that displaced him. As a pup, he was nothing but “skin and bones.” Our son Dallas was convinced to take Harvey in by a girl he was dating at the time. The female is long gone, but ol’ Harvey is still around. In no time at all, the canine was pot-bellied and supremely happy. 

Dallas and Harvey had a routine. Because he worked at home, Dallas would take occasional breaks. He rounded up the dog, put him in the car, and took a quick spin around the neighborhood. People laughed when the car passed because Harvey sat up straight in the front passenger seat and looked out the front window as the world passed by. If Dallas ran into a store, “Harve the Marve” would sit still and wait for his bust buddy’s return. The entire condo development knew both dog and man. Harvey likes people and children, but he was a bit overly protective when new folks came up. He also hated the doorbell. If someone rang it, the pooch went into a barking frenzy that required Dallas to stop working and convince his pet to “shut up!” 

We have become Harvey’s family. Luckily, our dog Sadie and Harvey like each other. Still, he has problems with loud noises and new faces. My niece tried to give him a new home. While she was at work, Harvey jumped through a window screen and landed on top of a carport. From there he jumped to the ground without sustaining any injuries and waited for Mindy to return home. The second day, he managed to escape from the fenced backyard. Mindy brought Harvey back to us with apologies. I don’t blame her; no one can keep a dog that destroys things and finds a new way of escaping each day. 

So, Amy and I are now the proud “parents” of two dogs. Both are mid-sized dogs, and each weighs about 55 pounds. We often say that our lives are out of whack because we are living with two toddlers. Harvey and Sadie are older dogs, but when they are together, they find bursts of energy that cause them to bring havoc to the Rector household. If the doorbell rings, they run to the front door as if they think a pizza delivery has arrived. We are lucky to have a huge front porch, screened side porch, back deck, and concrete area below. They regularly patrol the house as they walk or run from one end to the other. Outside, we have a spacious dog lot for them. Most of the time these two hellions lie in the sun or find a shady place to just wait for one of us to let them back in. 

The barking-oh Lord- is the real killer. Sadie has an intimidating bark that sounds as if she is ready to attack. Harvey’s bark is higher pitched and ear-piercing. When one starts, the other joins in, and the noise is as loud as a UT vs. Alabama ball game crowd. In the dog lot, Harvey barks without stopping. The neighbors probably dread the sound of the gate 

 closing.   

Bedtime is a real show. Sadie is used to hitting the hay about 9:00 p.m. She begins to squirm and then voices her demand through that bark. Her herding instinct kicks in as she wraps her jaws gently around my wrist. Harvey just runs to our bed and waits for his treat. Both gobble up the reward. Sadie lies down and falls asleep; Harvey returns to the living room where he sits or sleeps beside me until I wobble to the bed about 1:00 a.m. He likes to spoon, so I wind up with just enough room to lie on my side and sweat from his closeness.  

I wish Harvey could have found a different forever home, but he seems to have settled into ours. He’s dealt with enough trauma, so I suppose “marvelous Harvey” will be here for the rest of his days. I love him because he’s a good dog and belonged to our son. Life has thrown us another curve ball with which we’ll deal. The lesson is to never make too many future plans.