This could be described as a teaching moment if for no one else but me. But I'll share anyway. The week of June 21 I spent 24 hours embedded with a unit of the Iowa National Guard at Camp Ripley in Minnesota. 28-hundred members of the Second Brigade Combat Team were going through the initial training as they prepped for deployment to Afghanistan this fall. After getting there in the back of a Chinook helicopter I quickly came to realize how I had under estimated members of the military.
Late June in northern Minnesota while cooler then most places can still be warm and humid. Such was the case when I was there and you would never know it to talk to the soldiers. This despite the fact that they all have to go through the paces of training with helmet and body armor on. I had to wear it too and was dripping wet in sweat in 30-seconds. Not a soldier was heard complaining.
But even more impressive was the universal response I got from those I talked to about being deployed to one of the toughest parts of the world. They all said they were willing to make the sacrifice so others would not have to. It occurs to me that these members of the Nation Guard in Iowa, have it down when it comes to servant leadership. They work to help others in either domestic or international settings who cannot help themselves. They work to better the lives of other people. They do so without a second thought.
Yes I learned something in that 24 hour period and I share it because I think we can all learn something from it.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Lessons from the Sump Pump
It is funny how things work out sometime. My wife and I have some friends who we unexpectedly spent some time with on Saturday. But before I get to that I have go back a bit.
It's been raining a lot in this part of Iowa of late. Heavy rain of 1 to two inches in less than a couple of hours. That's exactly what happened on Saturday when it started to pour around 4:30 AM and did not stop until close to eight. I started a load of wash about that time and a hour later went downstairs to move it to the dryer. The floor was wet. I discovered the sump pump had stopped and water was coming in through the foundation. I yelled to my wife to call some friends to see if they had a shop vac. They did not...but they did have expertise. Tim and his son Justin came over while his wife, Gail, rounded up a Shop Vac. Soon the five of us were in the basement moving things while Tim exclaimed after an investigation that the Sump Pump had pumped its last. We quickly bought another one and he was willing to stick hand and arm in more than elbow deep water to yank out the old one and put in the new one while the rest of us keep sweeping and bailing.
They did not have to do it. But despite busy schedules, they threw them aside to help friends in need. And they saved those friends at least a couple of C notes to boot. The unselfnish nature demonstrated by them yesterday is clearly a lesson each of us should learn from. Life is full of inconveniences. But there are some that actually turn out to be blessings in more than one way. Such was the case in my basement on that Saturday morning.
So the next time the phone rings and someone you know could use an extra set of hands...put your busy schedule aside and serve that friend. The friendship will be stronger for it and we could all use some of that in these times. Besides, there's always tomorrow for that busy schedule.
It's been raining a lot in this part of Iowa of late. Heavy rain of 1 to two inches in less than a couple of hours. That's exactly what happened on Saturday when it started to pour around 4:30 AM and did not stop until close to eight. I started a load of wash about that time and a hour later went downstairs to move it to the dryer. The floor was wet. I discovered the sump pump had stopped and water was coming in through the foundation. I yelled to my wife to call some friends to see if they had a shop vac. They did not...but they did have expertise. Tim and his son Justin came over while his wife, Gail, rounded up a Shop Vac. Soon the five of us were in the basement moving things while Tim exclaimed after an investigation that the Sump Pump had pumped its last. We quickly bought another one and he was willing to stick hand and arm in more than elbow deep water to yank out the old one and put in the new one while the rest of us keep sweeping and bailing.
They did not have to do it. But despite busy schedules, they threw them aside to help friends in need. And they saved those friends at least a couple of C notes to boot. The unselfnish nature demonstrated by them yesterday is clearly a lesson each of us should learn from. Life is full of inconveniences. But there are some that actually turn out to be blessings in more than one way. Such was the case in my basement on that Saturday morning.
So the next time the phone rings and someone you know could use an extra set of hands...put your busy schedule aside and serve that friend. The friendship will be stronger for it and we could all use some of that in these times. Besides, there's always tomorrow for that busy schedule.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
New in Blogosphere
This is the first entry for the Keys-4-Life Blog. I will use this area to post thoughts about life and tidbits for people to try to use to make life a little better and maybe even a little easier. Like the need for all of us to from time to time step back from the electronic age. Just last month I was at the Civic Center in Des Moines to enjoy the "South Pacific" with my wife. As the first act came to a close and the lights came up I could not help but notice four women sitting in front of us. Three of them immediately whipped out their cell phones and two of them checked their Facebook page. Seriously, can we not get through a performance of a musical or any event that lasts two hours or more without feeling the urge to be connected with the outside world. It will still be there in a couple of hours. Go ahead...turn it off. You might find it actually a freeing experience.
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