Think About It

Throughout the last several decades, my focus on May 15 has been Law Enforcement Memorial Day.  It has been – and continues to be – an important day to me because it is a national reminder of the price that Police Officers are willing to make to keep us safe from ourselves.  To those of you who are serving or have retired – and to you family members who have stood beside your officers through the good times and the bad – thank you!  You are more than my friends; you are also my heroes.  (For more thoughts on this, go back to my May 13 th post.) As I was looking at observations on May 15 th , I came across another one, “National Bring Flowers to Someone Day”.  Honestly, I had never heard of this day before, but I have to admit that it is quickly moving up my list of favorites.  Growing up when and where I did, I have always loved flowers.  My grandfather may have been the one who instilled this in me because he had a green thumb and an appreciation for...

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to attend a team building day.   I had a great time – not only because of the activities but spending time with friends of mine in a state park that had woods and water.   (The BBQ was pretty good, too!)   One of the things that we did was get a chance to spend some time with horses.   When I originally heard about it, coming from out west, I thought we were going to ride them; but I was surprised to find out that we were going to curry them and walk around with them.   It was kind of fun, but I think I like riding them better.   Now, the reason I bring up the horses is that I am noticing a lot of emphasis placed on animal-type therapy.   I am aware of equine therapy, comfort dogs and even goat yoga.   (I need to stop here for a second and observe that I have been around several goats in my life and not once did they bring me peace.   Typically, I needed meditation to restore the peace they sucked out of me...

Today is a special day for me.  While the official Law Enforcement Memorial Day is May 15, the Law Enforcement Candlelight Vigil is traditionally held on the evening of May 13.  It is true that people from all around the country honor the Law Enforcement Community on the 15 th – and many people gather in our nation’s capital to mark the event – it is in the quiet somberness that I find the most heartfelt emotion.  People gather together on the National Mall to hear a roll call of the names of our heroes and light candles in unison to remember the sacrifice these officers made for their community.  Standing there with thousands of friends, families and fans of these often unsung heroes fills my heart with joy and my soul with sadness.  Every once in a while, I will hear the name of someone connected to me, but even if they are all strangers to me, there is a relationship.  I have been blessed to have a connection to the police world for thirty years now and...

I have never really thought about growing older.   Actually, when I look in the mirror, I don’t see my true reflection – I generally just see the same guy who has been there for decades.   (However, if I do look a bit closer, I do see less hair and more gray … but I just think of it as an optical illusion in an aging mirror.)   Now, while I don’t think of myself as growing older, I have noticed a couple of things.   First, it takes me longer to get up from a seated position (not to mention the pain and intentionality involved from getting to my feet from a prone position).   The other area I have seen a change in me is that I am not as cocky as I used to be.   Throughout most of my life I have not been afraid of much and haven’t worried too much about being able to handle most situations.   I still don’t consider myself a “scaredy cat”, but I am a bit more cautious about things.   I feel like I can still take care of myself and do what I want to d...

Just in case it has snuck up on you, this weekend is Mother’s Day – so you might want to get to ordering flowers and hoping that her favorite restaurant isn’t already booked.  Many will argue that Mother’s Day was developed to sell cards, but no matter why it has taken off, I think there is value in stopping and thinking about our mothers.  In addition to bringing us into the world, they were often the ones who nourished us and believed in us – even when we were dirty, sick and failures.  There were times when they were the only ones who were willing to keep the faith in us when everyone else was walking away.  As I think about this, I am drawn to the cross.  When Jesus’ disciples like Peter and Judas had distanced themselves from Him, Mary was standing at the base of the cross as He was taking His last breathes.  After describing some horrific things done to Mary’s Son, the New Testament speaks to Mary’s dedication to Jesus by declaring, “Therefore the sol...

Have you ever thought about why we argue so much?  It seems like no matter where we turn people are looking for an argument.  Honestly, I get why there is so much disagreement – I mean with a national population of around 340 million people and a worldwide population of over 8 billion people, that’s a lot of diverse opinions.  So, while disagreements are all but inevitable, the thing that concerns me is how many disagreements turn into perpetual arguments.  There are too many of us who just aren’t willing to work things out with others.  As I thought about this the other day, I got to wondering if the issue wasn’t the topic, but the perimeters of the debate.  We can’t come to any sort of resolution because we are looking at things through different lenses.  I think there are at least four categories of disagreements:  personal, political, moral and spiritual.  Personal disagreements are matters of preference … political disagreements are base...

One of the more common themes for people who teach about leadership and camaraderie is to offer help to people who need it; however, have we ever given much thought to the flipside of this?  This may sound odd, but have you ever thought about how asking for help can help build teamwork and unity?  Self-sufficient people may be low maintenance, but they also tend to be silos – also known as islands unto themselves.  Sure, they get their jobs done, but how much do they add to the collective nature of the organization.  Again, it may sound weird, but I believe that people who are humble enough to ask for help can bring a sense of cooperation to a group.  First of all, people who ask for help tend to have a greater appreciation for their abilities and their limitations (this is also called humility).  Yet, maybe even greater, is the fact that people who ask for help give others a chance to utilize their talents.  Most of us who care about other people are ...