'Tis the season ....

The great biblical preacher wrote about the human life cycle ...

that to "everything there is a season ... A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace."

For me personally the last week has been and remains a time of personal sadness. It has seen the loss of two wonderful gentlemen, mentors, who i have been guided by, and been friends with for many years. Men who gave of their time not just for themselve and their families but also for the greater enjoyment and good of their communities, their fellow men and the young people of this Country. It has been a time to remember with great fondness the times spent with these men accomplishing things that for the most part go unnoticed in the hustle and bustle of the world at large.

As is fitting in such times there is also much sadness at the loss of them in the remainder of our lives .... and also fitting that they be remembered in the warmest parts of the human soul for as long as our thoughts remain with us.

People like Dr. Bob Reynolds and Mr. Billy Martin do not unfortunately grow on trees, and as such, are indeed rarities in a world that seems bent on its own rapidly decaying "what's in it for me" attitude ... which gives even more pause to reflect on the true nature of their goodness... a daily walk with the Creator God of the Universe.

and so as the feeling of loss and depression built up within my world ... i discovered again one of the great truths of life .... no matter how rotten and horrible and depressing your life is there will always be someone who has it worse off than you ....

THUS ENTERED KATRINA ....

and suddenly everything changes ..... what seemed but seconds ago the worst day in your life is still bad -- let there be no mistaking -- but it takes on a whole new meaning in the overall "big picture" context of what loss and suffering truly is ... my feeling of loss over two friends is nothing in comparision to losing everything as so many have in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida in the wake of such an almost incomprehensible disaster.

and so i rise to the challenge not only of making myself feel bettter but also of properly memorializing those men who mentored me and befriended not only me but countless others during their lives.

as i challenge myself so i also challenge every reader of this BLOG to do the following four things:

1) take out a checkbook, make out a donation to the charity of your choice involved in disaster relief, ADRA, ARC, Feed the Children, The Salvation Army or your local youth mentoring groups and organizations .... in the name of a lost mentor, friend, family member or yourself ...

2) and when you have finished writing that check or giving that donation write out another check to the same organization or to another similar organization in the name of one of the many many unknown but lost mentors, friends, or family menbers affected by the terrible events of this awful hurricane.

Throughout the Blogisphere today is BLOG Relief Day .... see the following for more information on how YOU can help in this effort ...

http://technorati.com/tag/flood%20aid

http://technorati.com/tag/hurricane+katrina

http://instapundit.com/archives/025235.php

3) take a quiet moment out of your busy schedule and say a prayer to the God or Higher Being of your belief for comfort ... not for yourself but for those who are hurting, lost, missing and greving ....

4) Call, write, visit or hug those you love and care about most while you still have them around ... because the old song lyrics really are true that "you don't know what you've got Till it's gone..."

i realize that this BLOG entry is somber ... but well, as the preacher above declares, for me right now this is a time to mourn .... the great news is that one day soon, i believe, there will be a day when no one will any longer grieve ... when all the hurtful things we live with and experience now will have passed into oblivion for eternity ....

may God bless each of you and your familes ....