ORIGINALLY WRITTEN KEITH JOST – GUEST WRITER
With Father?s Day coming up this Sunday, the usual writer of this
column gets a week off?even if she didn?t particularly want one?so the
father of her children can pass on a few words of wisdom. Even if it?s
borrowed wisdom.
It?s good to have special days to honor and celebrate parenting. It?s
a challenging task that requires a lot of patience and wisdom to do
well.
I?d like to thank my parents, whom I love and respect. The wisdom they
repeated often to their children while we grew up has stayed with us:
?Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.? I hope Cheryl and
I can also nurture our children by example, instruction and love.
During those times when we siblings did disagree, Dad would tell us,
?Don?t hold a grudge.? He tried to show us by example and tell us with
words to make every effort to resolve those problems, then forgive and
forget. That?s been good advice to live by.
Wisdom comes to us from many sources. During the four and a half
decades of my life, I?ve collected a variety of sayings, quotes and
common sense that I still draw upon when circumstances warrant it.
This summer, for instance, as I coach a baseball team for 9- and
10-year-olds, I remind the boys of the quote attributed to Vince
Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers: ?Winning isn?t
everything, it?s the only thing.?
Except I leave off the part about ?it?s the only thing.? Not
everything wise people say is useful.
The other day in McDonald?s, I bumped into Lynn Penner, who was one of
my baseball coaches when I was a kid. Now that I?m in his shoes, I
have a new appreciation for what he and other coaches did for me. I
can?t count the number of times I heard them say, ?When the going gets
tough, the tough get going.?
That still rings true.
Maybe the boys on our ball team don?t always meet parental
expectations?or mine. But I am realizing that each of them is special
and unique. I can see their excitement and feel their disappointment,
but I?ll remember their big hearts for the game and the excitement
that flashes in their eyes while they anticipate getting that big hit.
I also gathered some wisdom during high school. When I was a student
at Hillsboro High, I took several vocational agriculture classes
taught by Truman Diener. Sometimes my eyes drifted from the chalkboard
to the windows and the outside world.
My line of sight would often intersect with a small wooden box
attached to the wall. The box, which was filled with cards, came from
the Purina feed company?I remember the red checkerboard sign on the
bottom.
Knowing our eyes might wonder, Mr. Diener strategically placed the box
where he did and periodically would rotate a card to the front of the
box so his students could read them as we glanced toward the window.
I remember one card clearly. It read, ?It?s not how many hours you put
in, it?s how much you put into each hour.? Mr. Diener often emphasized
the message on that card. It stuck.
Maybe it was those years in Mr. Diener?s class that got me into the
habit of absorbing messages from small signs attached to walls. Now,
when I go into a repair shop, I often read the posted words of wisdom
or humor while I wait for service.
One message was certainly pertinent for me: ?Bad planning on your part
does not automatically constitute an emergency on my part.? I?ve
concluded that the intensity of the smell of oil and cleaning solvent
in a shop is in direct proportion to the number of signs on the wall.
Professional offices have few signs other than those that prescribe
the method of payment. The Free Press, though, has a small sign by the
editor?s office that reads, ?No news is not good news.? They have
another one that reads, ?Perfection is our goal…excellence will be
tolerated.?
I think these signs have become the bumper stickers of the workplace.
I like these posted messages of philosophy and wit because my brain
works best when processing something brief and to the point.
When I was working toward my private pilot?s license years ago, I
learned two important phrases. One was, ?In God we trust; everything
else we check and double check.? The other one was, ?There are old
pilots and there are bold pilots, but there aren?t any old bold
pilots.?
Thoughts for smooth flying.
The wise words of others come to mind during hardship and challenge.
Two such comments come from people in seemingly opposite vocations:
?Success is measured by how high you bounce after you hit bottom?
(General Patton) and ?I know God won?t give me anything I can?t
handle; I just wish he didn?t trust me so much? (Mother Teresa).
When I?m tempted to speak my mind, I sometimes hold back because of
these words from Abe Lincoln: ?Better to remain quiet and be thought
of as a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.?
When I?m tempted to retaliate, these anonymous words come to mind:
?Never argue with a fool; people won?t be able to see the difference.?
They help me bite my tongue.
Still, I like people who stand up for their position and take
responsibility for their work and beliefs. President Harry Truman
placed these famous words on his desk: ?The buck stops here.?
And the words of Alexander Hamilton help strengthen our backbone, too:
?Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.?
Most important to me is the wisdom of Jesus that begins with the words
?Blessed are….? The sentence-long Beatitudes give more insight into
God?s kingdom than do many long sermons.
I want the words of Jesus to have more impact on my life and parenting
than all the other quotes and phrases I remember.
And that may be my wisest advice for others, too.
* * *
Our family enjoyed this recipe recently. Cheryl received it from a
friend, who gives Jean Winter the credit.
Macaroni Casserole
1 can whole corn, drained
1 can cream corn
1 cup Velveta cubes
1 cup macaroni, dry
1 cup ham cubes
Combine i
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