The memory of my father is wrapped up in
white paper, like sandwiches taken for a day at work.
Just as a magician takes towers and rabbits
out of his hat, he drew love from his small body,
and the rivers of his hands
overflowed with good deeds.
It takes courage to get up and do what what you have to do as a man or woman not making any excuses. Taking the day as it comes, no complaints. Finishing the day, knowing we’ve done our best leaving it all on the table. In all actions be honorable. When we live the day with courage and honor, we’ll go to bed knowing we did our best.
“There’s an old story of three bricklayers who were asked what they were doing. “I’m laying brick,” said the first. “I’m making a wall,” said the second. The third worker smiled and said, “I’m building a cathedral.” ~ Source
NOTE: Whatever your role in life it is essential. Without you playing your role to the fullest the rest of us would be greatly diminished. Each role, no matter how great or small, is important and deserves dignity and respect. My mom and dad worked at small rolls. My dad worked in a shoe factory, as a bartender, and janitor. My mom worked cleaning houses and in shoe factories. They taught me to respect both the work and the worker.
“What good is regret? It brings back nothing. What we have lost is irretrievable (Khaled Hosseini).” When we live our lives by doing good, being responsible, not closing our eyes to injustice, we begin to live a life with no regrets. As an adult, I called my mom and dad every day. I couldn’t visit often because of the distance between us, but I stayed in daily contact. I made sure I told them I loved them each day. At times it was an inconvenience, but I made the call. When they died, I knew I did my best to show them I honored and loved them. I had no regrets and no wishes about something I should have done.
There are times in life when life asks us to take a stand. The moment doesn’t last long, but it defines us. It marks us as a person of courage who knows his/her values and is willing to stand on the foundation his/her value-driven life built. When one doesn’t have a strong set of values, he/she is not sure of where to stand. It’s as if they want to poll the people around them to test if the stand they take will be popular. Know your values, live them, stand on the foundation they built for you and you’ll live a life of honor and integrity.
In this digital age, nothing is hidden, it’s all out in the open for public consumption. We’re recorded on videos with and without our knowledge. Our online behavior is tracked by countless agencies. Every time we use our credit card, change channels, or make a call, someone is listening or watching. Privacy is a thing of past. We can’t run away from it, it’s ubiquitous. We accept it as part of a new order. We may not be able to change it, but we can shape, to some extent, how we deal with it. If we live our lives in a way that upholds integrity, honor, and responsibility we can walk through the morass of the lack of privacy with our heads held high.
It’s important to be successful. It’s also important as to how one goes about being successful. I’ve known people to lie and cheat their way to what they thought was the top. I wondered the top of what? I’ve known people to use others to get to their goals. They didn’t care about anyone else’s dream but their own. I’ve also know people who’ve busted their butts doing it the right way. These folks didn’t sacrifice their honor or integrity to succeed. If given the choice between sacrificing their honor and integrity and perceived success, they would choose honor and integrity. Success is important. How we live and treat others on the road to success is more important.
