Commentary

“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” — Winnie the Pooh For such a small yellow bear, he managed to carry quite a bit of wisdom in his sweet little heart.

Winnie the Pooh is the creation of A.A. Milne. He spends his days in the forest talking with his friends and several other woodland creatures.

There is an immense amount of wisdom in the heart of Winnie the Pooh. But as humans, we rarely see it. Doing Nothing? That phrase isn’t even in our vocabulary. We’ve been taught that doing nothing constitutes being lazy, unproductive, or even selfish.

In truth, one of the most valuable things you can do is nothing. From time to time our life gets just as congested as an eight-lane freeway under construction. When your life has gotten this busy, it may just be time to head off to the woods for a day of doing nothing with Winnie the Pooh.

From the days of my youth, I recall with great fondness the presidency of President Ronald Reagan. Full disclosure—my brother Tom was working on the White House Staff at the time, and I was attending The Heights Preparatory School in Potomac, Maryland. So, on the weekends, I rode the Metro down to D.C. to meet my brother at the White House where we would often remain in his office late on Saturday nights as he wrapped up his work for the week.

I clearly remember Pres. Reagan’s unbounded optimism about America and its place in the world, his strong domestic record including record employment and an economy exploding with growth, his focus on the traditional family unit and the conservative social values that were its foundation, and his view of the need for America to be militarily strong.

“One of These Days”

It doesn’t seem possible it was 23 years ago— for it seems like only yesterday.

9/11. That date is indelibly etched in the minds of all of us who are old enough to remember that Tuesday morning when our nation was changed forever. No longer did we seem invincible to foreign attacks on our soil.

“How could that happen to us?” some asked. “How were the terrorists able to hijack those planes and commit such unthinkable atrocities?” another asks with a hint of anxiousness in his voice.

Yes, 9/11 woke us up to the fact that we’re not bulletproof after all: and 3,500 miles of ocean between us and Europe doesn’t shield us from danger internationally. In fact, we realize that domestic terrorism (e.g., mass murders) is often more of a threat than those from overseas.

Iran May Be Behind the Trump Assassination Attempt

I have never been able to make sense of the details of the assassination attempt of President Donald Trump.

I focus here on the lack of details and information regarding the shooter himself. All indications are that Thomas Matthew Crooks was an unknown and unremarkable individual. How did he manage the things he did relative to the assassination attempt and how is his digital footprint so vague, and, we are told, impenetrable?

In 2 Chronicles 33, the first twenty verses summarize the life of King Manasseh. As I read those twenty verses I was moved very deeply because of the wickedness of this king, and how God got his attention. Here is his story: In verses 1-9 we are told of his original deeds. He was the son of King Hezekiah, a very good King. Hezekiah did much to move Judah and the remnant of Israel back to God. But Manasseh wasn’t so good. That alone made me to wonder why he hadn’t followed in his father’s footsteps. What happened that he didn’t serve God as his dad had done? Perhaps Dad was too strict on him and he vowed that when he was free from his father, he would never serve the God of Heaven. Maybe something happened that caused him to be rebellious. We aren’t told. All we really know is that his father had died and when he was only twelve years old, the kingdom was dumped into his lap.

Most of us have heard of the Biblical character David. At one point in his life, David returns home from a long and arduous journey, only to find that his home in Ziklag had been razed and the women and children gone. David and his warriors saddle right back up and head to the rescue.

Understanding just how difficult this journey would be, he allowed two hundred of the most exhausted to remain behind at the Brook Besor. Instead of punishing them for remaining behind, David made sure the 200 shared in what was returned.

There are days when we have given our all. We have very little – if not anything at all left to offer, but still have a long road to travel ahead of us. At some point, we just give out, and can’t take another step. Which is where 200 of David’s men found themselves when they reached the Brook Besor.

It’s located at the corner of Hopelessness and Despair.

“being between a rock and a hard place;” other times some we’ll say they’re “bumfuzzled” or perplexed to the point of despair. And, in reality, all of us have been there at one time or another.

Thankfully, the anonymous author of Psalm 107 describes such a situation and tells us how to overcome it. In his case, he likened it to a seasick sailor who’s caught up in a raging storm: “They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths; their soul is melted because of their trouble. They reel to-and-fro and stagger like a drunken man and are at their wit’s end” (vv.26-27).

Governor Jeff Landry has moved at a dizzying legislative pace since being elected governor and one very significant change made to Louisiana law is what is referred to as “Truth in Sentencing.”

What is Truth in Sentencing?

The long and short of it is that for years Judges, District Attorneys and Defense Attorneys have essentially had to estimate the actual amount of time a convicted individual would be incarcerated. Louisiana was said to have a “high rate of indeterminacy” in sentencing and the stated purpose of the new law is to simplify time computation by the Louisiana Department of Corrections.

Our world has become so fastpaced, it’s difficult to keep up. We strive to do all the things we need to do, yet so many distractions get in our way, preventing us from finishing what we start.

When I read Edward Abbey’s words years ago, they resonated with me deeply. When life gets hectic, I feel as if I’m everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. And I’ve discovered I don’t really like to be in ‘Nowhere’.

We may know what we need to do, but understanding the why behind it is what can motivate us to get it done.

Living life at a slower pace has multiple benefits. The first on the list is it helps to reduce stress. Stress is one of the leading causes of mental, emotional, and physical health problems. This leads to more doctor’s appointments and additional stressors, which just keeps that vicious circle turning.

According to Dictionary.com, an Enabler is: 1) a person or thing that makes something possible; 2) a person who encourages or enables negative or self-destructive behavior in another. In today’s ‘politically correct’ society, being an Enabler has a very negative connotation, and to be branded one is either met with vehement denial or embarrassment.

The funny thing is… Enable is the root word of enabler. Dictionary.com defines ‘enable’ as: 1) to make able; give power, means, competence, or ability to; authorize; 2) to make possible or easy; 3) to make ready; equip.