Thoughtful

To be thoughtful. To ponder. To care. To be kind. To draw a strong line when necessary. To be a good example. To appreciate the good we see.

Recently, we were watching our president and staff attending a funeral regarding six service people who had died in the recent war. A necessary war to rid the world of terrorism and a very real threat. A threat that has endangered, and killed, for a very long time. Perhaps, soon to be no longer. Perhaps, soon, we will have a greater peace than ever before, certainly in recent decades. And those six, along with the other service people who have worked to stop the danger.

This next paragraph is a bit difficult to explain, but I will try. During a commercial, the topic of care about our appearances. I think it included hair care, skin care, and the hope of a better social life. Switching the stations, I saw an advertisement about a show all about people only concerned with what they want in their lives, but not considering what is truly good and true.

Remembering a friend’s comment about distraction being the method of destruction: destruction of the human heart, I wondered. And that is it. Where our mind is is where our heart is. What fills our minds, our days, is what others see. I can remember, when I was young, wondering what the adults in the world were thinking about. A friend mentioned crying once, when he thought the adults didn’t care. I asked what he was talking about. He said something about an apparent lack of concern over some difficult times they were going through.

What is love? I’ve asked that question before. I’m sure others have as well. In one writing, love includes kindness, overlooking, forgiving, caring, helping, and so forth. Going the extra mile, sometimes even when it personally hurts a lot, for the sake of others. I know those six service people, including those who worked along side, and many others, love. They see what is important in this world, and they go well beyond the extra mile. And while it’s painful to the families of those service people, there is love in their hearts: for their loved ones and their country.

Where we are in our minds and hearts is where we are. While the “world” would have us concerned about our looks, that new sports car, making sure our 401k’s are intact and growing, that we get health care for next to nothing, and that our retirement is filled with trips, enjoyment, and time to do our own thing, what is really important?

Someone once told me, and I think we all fall short, that the moment we seek to help, but we’re also thinking how we are personally affected, the moment is gone. I think it’s a matter of where our heart is. What we spend most of our time considering. What example we are setting. What is important and why. And I think, and this might sound “odd” to some people, it goes with the saying that the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. In other words, to help without any consideration about one’s self. Just help the nice elderly lady next door, and afterwards, go on with the next thing without any thought of having done anything good. Give to good charities, and immediate forget that you had done so, but look to the next thing. And forget about face creams, hair coloring, and whether you’ll retire with plenty to rest on. Which means, you can enjoy, but it not being a top priority.

While we have a very good president and excellent staff, together with caring Americans supporting and doing their part, the future is not set. What makes America great is a people caring. What makes America great is a people who do take care of themselves, and their hearts are for their families, friends, neighbors, and country, remembering what is good and true.

***At first, we had considered the title: Are We Dying Inside. People walking around but they’re empty inside. People saddened because they wonder what has happened to family members, to friends, and to people in the world. Remember, it’s about true love.