Christian Retirement?

     Retirement is someone else's word.  It is the opposite of what I want to do.  I want to be active and alive.  I don't want to fade away.  I want to stay in the game.  I want to continue to grow!
     I consider myself to be a Christian: a follower of Christ.  Would a Christian "just fade away" as General MacArthur said about old soldiers. ("Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.") It is rather the opposite for Christians, they will die, but they won't just fade away. They may fade in to obscurity to their fellow man after death, but never to their maker, who loved them and called them.
     The Bible speaks about praying to have your youth restored. Scriptures such as Psalm 91: 16 speak about the blessing of a long life.  In Psalm 91:14,  David speaks about the righteous in this way:  "They shall bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing to declare that the Lord is upright..." (NKJ) In other words, they will be fruitful, fresh and flourishing even in old age.
     Can a Christian retire?  Can a Christian rest on past service or acts of faith?  Christians have to press on until death toward the "mark of the high calling" of Christ. How can you press on if you are retired? Can you retire from your purpose, your calling, your mission, your passion or your love?   Can a servant say to his master: "I want to retire!"? Can you say to your maker, "I have done enough, I want to take a well-deserved break."?
      The Christian can never retire, but does receive a pension.  The best imaginable benefits of love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These benefits are accrued not by saving or hoarding or a biweekly deposit.  They are primarily earned by giving.
      Christian retirement is an oxymoron.  You can't retire from the Christian life.  You can't say that your tenure of service is up and that you want to rest on your laurels. You can't say that you want to cash in your benefits and take them for yourself.  You do know, however, that you will be and are rewarded for your years of service, by more opportunities to serve. A Christian will be "fruitful, fresh and flourishing" until the end and forever.

Refiring

        I do not believe in retiring!  Adjusting one's course or refiring might be a better ways to phrase it. When I think about the word "retirement", I think about taking a permanent vacation.  I think retirement is very much the wrong word for the productive work of the the last third or fourth of one's life. Repurposing, renewing, refocusing or rewinding would be better words. It should be a time for even greater fulfillment and finding a deeper commitment to your life's purpose!
        Until the industrial age, was retiring even, ever possible? Within the family unit, jobs may have changed as one got older, but retirement?  Kings were kings until they died. Farmers were farmers until they died. I do think that there is a time to teach younger people what you have learned and maybe your role will change as you age. There is a time when your health may not permit you to do the same kind of work you could do as a younger person.  But retiring from productive work?
        Retirement was a term countries used as an enticing socialist reform beginning in the late 1800's, when industries used retirement to remove older workers with stronger, younger workers. It was first instituted in Germany in 1889. Companies would use retirement to move someone out, when that someone was no longer useful to the company. It was eventually considered a right of workers to have a pension on which to retire and many worker looked forward to relief from the tedium of their dull, routine jobs.
        My father idealized retirement, as many of his peers did.  Social Security was enacted in 1935 and  retiring with a pension seemed glorious. The age of sixty-five was chosen as the typical retirement age, because that was the average life expectancy at the time. Some began to think that they did not have to think or plan their own life pathways. Uncle Sam did that for them.  My father would always talk about what he would do in retirement. Having the time and money to travel and enjoy life was a big part of that dream. Unfortunately, he did not live long enough to do much of the traveling he hoped to do.
         We baby-boomers are rethinking retirement.   Our younger friends are saying how much they wish they could retire; yet people I know who are actually approaching "retirement" age, are not wishing it so much. If you are not happy, of course, you should change your job. If you can live on part-time pay and choose to work part time that is great. If you can afford not to work for money; and that is what you want to do, go for it.  Just do not have the mistaken notion that a life without meaningful work or activities would be wonderful.
        Work is not a bad word.  Work is one of the greatest sources of joy and fulfillment.  David Bogan and Keith Davies wrote a book called Avoid Retirement and Stay Alive: The New Retirement Revolution. Though I have not read this book yet, I have read enough reviews to recognize that I heartily agree with the premise. Work keeps us alive. There is a difference between your job and your work. Your "work" would be closely aligned with your passion(s) and the purpose for your life, as you see it.  Work as an activity is a good thing, too.
         As you approach retirement age, think of firing yourself up with renewed purpose and focus. Think of making this time of your life the best of all.  Don't retire, just because that is what 65 year-olds do.  Don't make the mistake of thinking that lots of leisure time would be a good thing.  Make interesting long and short term goals for your life and, if you have not done so until now: learn to love work. (Of course, I preach to myself!)
       

Haiku Revisited

    Last night six of us visited the Haiku Restaurant in Columbus, Ohio.  My memory of the restaurant from my first visit in July 2012 was so wonderful that I wanted to share it with some special people again.   The event was Mary's 24th birthday. The last time I went, the group was seated inside, enjoyed jazz music and wrote little haiku poems with the paper provided to mount on the walls of the restaurant.  I wrote Mary three haiku poems before we arrived.  I hoped she would like them even a fraction as much as I enjoyed writing them.

    This time we ate outside which is a pretty rare phenomenon for mid-September. The sound of soft music and the trickling fountain drowned out the urban noise that would have been obvious with out those masking tools.  The weather was perfect as it was not too hot or too cold.  As Goldilocks put it, "It was just right!" 

    The food was good, too; especially the complimentary birthday dessert that Mary got and we all tasted.  It was a dish with green tea ice cream, mango ice cream and chocolate, gooey rice ball. Again, it was "just right".

     The last time I was there I was overwhelmed with the beautiful gardenias in the outdoor area.  This time I searched and searched the patio for the gardenias and I could not find them.  The difference between July and September made the flowers less spectacular in other ways, too.  The flowers were remnants, but still alive.
      I wanted to show Mary and her mother what the inside of the restaurant was like.  We got up to walk and I realized the joy of having someone to something beautiful with.  It was another "just right" moment.
      After we came back to our seats, I spotted the shiny green gardenia leaves and walked over to see them.  I was so thrilled that the restaurant had not abandoned the gardenias altogether.  Gardenias like it warm and would be soon struggling in the outdoors of Columbus.  Then, I saw a most hopeful sign: one small white bud.  I hope it blooms!
      We gave our hugs as we were returned to our cars by the valet service.We drove off into the crowded city. Within minutes, we observed a "hit and run accident", in which a wheelchair was hit and somewhat mangled by an automobile.  The handicapped man was knocked from the wheelchair and his possessions were strewn all over the street. Some people tried to help him, but all he could do was shout profanities because he was so totally angry and upset.  The automobile driver kept going.  It all happened very fast. We were not really close so there was nothing we could do.
      The moral of my narrative is this: savor your "just right" moments, because you never know when the bears will be back!
      

Dear Mrs. Chan

Dear Mrs. Chan,
     You have got it: the kind of love that most people would give anything for.  I can tell you have something special.  Mrs. Chan, you sent that beautiful picture to the newspaper and in so doing you gave the rest of the world and me a peek.  The sun in picture makes it hard to see his handsome face, but he is looking at you with loving eyes and you are radiant with your "too happy for words" smile. He is wearing suspenders, a flower, and a bow tie; so the picture must  have been taken on your wedding day.
      The picture and message are for your first anniversary.  Here is what you wrote for the paper:
"I'm so glad I had you by my side to walk through our ups and downs.  You are a sweet yet strong man that has shown me patience and a love that is Christ-like.  I can't wait to see where our adventures will take us.  The first anniversary gift is paper, so here it is, in the paper."
      Your message tells me you have maturity to understand that there are ups and down in a marriage. You are there for each other through thick and thin.  He has a Christ-like love for you and you know it and you appreciate it.  You have fun together and you understand that life is an adventure.  You have a lot of hope.
      I read your message over and over and even clipped it from the newspaper.  I feel joyful knowing that a beautiful, young couple understands.  I feel happy for you, because of what I saw in you today. I wish I could know you and see how your love will grow and grow.  I would love to see where your adventures will take you.
      Happy Anniversary!

The Essence of Genius

      "I dwell in possibility."
      "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
      Two quotes by two very different authors begin this blog.  One is by Emily Dickinson and one is by Albert Einstein.  I would think that Albert wrote the first and Emily the second, but, of course, I would be wrong.  Both give notice to a force or element of genius more important than just knowing.
       What is genius?  They both had it and both sought to describe it.
       Albert Einstein, though so famous as a scientific thinker, also said, "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." Creative expression is a bit like what he referred to earlier as imagination;only creative expression can be shared.  He understood well that a good teacher does more than just impart knowledge. A good teacher can certainly inspire some elements of genius.
       Emily Dickinson dwelt in the world of creative expression and imagination. Albert Einstein dwelt in the same realm.  Many people have imagination and that has not been awakened. Many people do not reach their potential for creative expression. Are imagination and creative expression the essence of genius or is genius just a great memory for facts?
       Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart said, "Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius." 
       That expresses well what I think.  A great teacher encourages the passion and love that will stimulate the thirst for knowledge and the imagination that will lead to the joy of creative expression. It is a love of thinking, learning, imagining and expressing that genius has! Love is the essence of genius!
       
       
         

A Packed Lunch

     When I was a child, everyone went to school with a packed lunch.  It was interesting to see what everyone else had in his or her square, metal, cartoon-character lunch box or brown paper bag.  Parents tried to give children  nutritious lunches, but they were not at all nutritious by today's standards.  The usual fare for my lunch was a peanut butter sandwich on white Wonder Bread, a cookie, carrot or celery sticks, and an apple. Then, I bought either white or chocolate milk with the nickel I brought from home.  That was pretty much it from kindergarten through grade twelve.  Sometimes I would get chipped beef with mustard.  I would have loved to have had chips in there, too, but I rarely did.  My mother did not write"mommy love" notes in my lunches as I did for my son; she probably never thought about it, but I knew she loved me.The packed lunch was proof!

      In the cafeteria, lots of kids would finger and touch that bread, make holes in it and make dough balls with bread.  There was a lot of touching,poking and playing with food; especially the bread. 

      In elementary school, we were not allowed to eat until we prayed as a group.  This taught us the importance of being thankful for what we had.  Many of our parents had grown up in the depression or during World War II.  We knew that our food was good and eating with our classmates was great!

      A kindergarten boy I knew, who just happened to be the only black child in a white classroom, had very loving parents in the 1970's.  They were starting to understand  how bad that white bread was and packed his school lunch with rich, whole-grain bread.  He was ridiculed and mocked by the other children, because they thought that only black kids ate that kind of bread.  They had never seen brown bread. (I think the parents gave in on that one, because he got so he did not want to eat in front of the others.)

      Another kindergarten child in the 1970's, who happened to be one of my students with ADD and very sloppy handwriting, started bringing whole-grain bread on his sandwiches. His mother was trying to help  his inattention with a change in diet.  It was hard to respond seriously when he told me he had to eat brown bread to improve his handwriting.

      When I packed my son's lunch in the 1990's, I would never have given him anything but whole-grain bread and there was often a "mommy love" note in the brown bag or lunch box. They had "lunchables" by this time, which, of course, he loved. When he went to middle and high school the mommy notes had to stop. Sometimes he packed and sometimes he bought his lunch. What he ate for lunch was a big deal to me and his father.  Providing the lunch was an act of love, but he would have rather bought his lunch I am sure.

      Now I teach in an urban elementary school and the free breakfasts and lunches given to our students have nothing but white bread in them. The kinds of foods that would have been very unusual treats years ago: pizza, chicken nuggets, burgers, etc. are standard fare for the children, but they still  seem to like them a lot. I hear about the nutritious school lunches, but the only part that is nutritious,in my opinion, is the fruit. 

      The children touch all their food; slather it with condiments; and rip, roll and poke their bread. It is,literally, the breaking of break together.  

      They love lunch time and love to eat with their friends and...their teachers.Everyday students ask me to  eat with them. I wish I could do it all the time, but,maybe, then it would not be so special, if I did. 

      Another thing, that is more special than pizza, chicken nuggets and burgers, and, probably, ranks up there with eating with the teacher is bringing a packed lunch from home.  The delight on my students faces can be matched by little else, when they tell me they "packed" their lunch.  There may be only a few children on any given day that bring a packed lunch.  What a source of pride to bring something prepared by Mom to school in a lunchbox or brown paper bag!  Sometimes the brown paper bag is actually a supplement to the school lunch. Sometimes, when I ask what is in there,I find it is often a very large bag of chips! The favorite at my school are the hot, red chips that get all over your hands,face,and clothes.the red mess seems to be a red badge that you got something out of the ordinary! So much for my romanticizing or fantasizing on the theme of a packed lunch!

Planting a Pumpkin

      It was the first year of our school garden and one of our goals was to get every student into the garden to have the experience of planting something. We had all kinds of interesting seeds to sow.  Pumpkins and watermelons were the favorites of most of the students. One of our school's most successful students told me directly, "This is not my destiny!"  
       Is the idea of working with the soil or working manually beneath us in this day and age? Is the idea of starting at the bottom as old fashioned, as I am?  Is there a reason to learn a business from the ground up?  Is there a reason to learn how to work with your hands or at a seemingly low level at least for some period of time? Is being a "worker" for the less intelligent only?
       One summer, I had the opportunity to clean houses for money.  It was an invaluable experience, because of what I learned. It helped me see how people can be treated if they are considered to be lower than others.  It taught me the value of doing a careful, thorough job and the satisfaction we can gain from  working hard physically. It helped me understand how people organize their homes, lives and how they see others.
       Christ taught us that the greatest among us would be  a servant of all. Christ was not just talking about "starting at the bottom".  He was talking about a way of life and what true leadership would be like. How can we be a wise leaders if we cannot understand what it is like to be at the bottom? At Passover, Christ asks us how can we truly be humble unless we have "washed some one's feet"?
       There are a lot reasons to start at the bottom in any field, but when it comes to farming or gardening, there is so much to be learned and experienced.  Besides the understandings and joy found in the work itself, the reliance on God and the wonder at His creation are essential to the planting,watering, cultivating, and pruning process. (How could anyone who works in a garden be an atheist?)
       My son started a new job doing the thankless job of door to door, commission-only sales.  Of course, this is not my dream for a soon-to-be college graduate, but I know that this experience, like many other things he will do in is life, will teach him the view from the "bottom" and give him more understanding and perspective of how life works.
       Don't we all love Cinderella stories?  The hard-working oppressed young lady with outer and inner beauty was finally recognized by Prince Charming and eventually lived happily ever after.  She never lost her humility and understanding, because she started at the bottom and learned from her experiences.
       If we do not see gardening, cleaning a house, working manually, selling door to door, flipping burgers, "washing feet", serving others or getting dirty, as our "destiny"; perhaps, we just need to get in the garden and plant a pumpkin seed. We can sow it, water it, tend it and watch it. Perhaps, we can stop to reflect on the process, as well.  A pumpkin vine can grow as much as six inches in a single day. ( Everything we do in life should should help us grow!)
       When the pumpkin is ripe and ready, pluck it from the vine and watch it turn into our carriage that will take us to our destiny!  One healthy pumpkin vine may produce 10 to 15 beautiful pumpkins.  If we learn our lessons well at the bottom, we may be given many exciting other choices in life: carriages that will take us to our destiny! (Planting pumpkin may be more than a means to an end: it may be an end in itself.)
       Cinderella, plant a pumpkin and your carriage will await you!  
                                   
 

     

Rebooting

      Our anniversary weekend was just like rebooting a computer.  We could have stayed home.  We would have been alone there, too; but instead, we left our familiar surroundings and together we went somewhere new. Though only two hours away, it was new to us.  The gorgeous, Georgian Manor Inn, a bed and breakfast in Norwalk, Ohio was the most elegant of surroundings.  When we arrived the housekeeper greeted us and showed us around.  The only thing familiar was the person I was with and the clothes in our suitcase.  The town, the home, the furnishings, the sights and the stories were all new.
      That evening after dinner at a local restaurant, we drove to a lovely concert hall in Sandusky, Ohio to hear a world renown mezzo-soprano singing with the Firelands Symphony "Love Songs Through the Ages".  The next day after a superb breakfast and conversation with the innkeepers, we went to the home and museum of Rutherford B. Hayes for a tour and stimulating conversation.  We explored some antique shops and again had dinner at another local restaurant.  We were being inspired!
      The drives we were making to our various destinations gave us a look at Northern Ohio snow.  Not that the snow there is any different than in Central, Ohio; but snow-covered fields and small towns look different that a snow-covered city.  They just do!  Snow always reminds me of a clean slate and that is precisely my point!
     The computer is the same when you reboot it or restart it.  It always is amazing how rebooting works!  Somehow the computer that was slow and inefficient begins to work again and I, for one,do not understand why. Erasing a slate or white board does not mean throwing away the chalk or markers or the board itself. A clean slate makes it possible for the board to be useful once more.  Snow falling on the ground does not change the ground, but seems to give the world a fresh, pure look and does some wonderful things for the future productivity of the land. Going away for a few days together can be renewing for a marriage, family or friendship!  It is like rebooting the computer, erasing the board or covering the ground with snow. Rebooting is simply refreshing, to make fresh once more!
    "If I had but two loaves of bread, I would sell one of them and buy White Hyacinths to feed my soul."
- Elbert Hubbard  (1856-1915)

                                                                   

Looking Backward

     I consider myself to be forward thinking and I hate to look backward.  It seems to be so counterproductive to a focused, positive and joyful life.  I have known people who used the past as an important player in the games of regret and blame. Why would a forward thinking person looking for joy ever want to look toward the past?
     It has been said that those who do not remember the past (history) are condemned to repeat it. Something that is broken needs to be fixed and someone offended needs to forgive.  Yet how can we do that without drowning in remorse?
     Reflection and meditation are powerful tools to make improvements in life.  What did I do right and what did I do wrong?  How can I make a situation better and find success?
     Today is our twenty-eighth anniversary.  It was a sunny, snowy Saturday in February very much like today that we made those vows to love and honor. I was lying on my bed basking in the sunshine today, when my son came it to talk.  I started telling him about our wedding day.  I told him about the beauty of the day, the details of the story, our hopes and our expectations for out lives.   Somehow it was like pushing the reset button or rebooting (not rebutting) a computer. In revisiting the expectations, I found myself feeling very hopeful and full of joy. Anniversaries, holy days, holidays are like that. We remember the past to reset and  reboot  (not rebut).  Looking back reminds us of who we are and how we can find a joyful future in refocusing.