Happy Endings, Part 1

Watching Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, in which the Texas Rangers could have won the championship with a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, I found myself realizing how natural it is to be drawn to a happy ending, whether in sports or life in general.

After so many chances to win last night, the Rangers came up short, with the Cardinals scoring a home run in the bottom of the 11th to win 10-9. So, there will be a Game 7 tonight. I'm worn out and I'm not even playing the game!

Isn't life like that, though? So many times it seems like I'm finally through the tough time and have achieved some accomplishment, and then there's another challenge. On to extra innings. This time, at least there's another chance for victory. (And, too, there was a happy ending for a lot of folks last night, just not the ones I wanted to see celebrating. Maybe that was their moment, and the one for Rangers fans will come tonight!)

In sports, as in life, and where I am today, is the realization that sometimes I have to redefine a happy ending. I need to be prepared to find the joy in what might seem to be an unhappy ending. Even so, in the case of the Texas Rangers in the World Series, now at game 7, I'm holding out hope for a championship!

There's a lot more to write on the broader subject -- the game of life -- whether the Rangers win or lose tonight. I'm aware of so many great moments with family and friends. It will be more fun though, if they win. Victory is energizing. Defeat is challenging. I'm up for whatever comes. Let's GO, RANGERS!

(P.S. I need to wrap this up, but I also want to add a spiritual component, which is very much a part of my journey. I will write it out later, but the Upper Room devotional had a timely message, and "Hymn of Promise," a song with which many of my Methodist friends are familiar, also is playing in my mind: "... unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.")

What would you do if you knew? Part 1

What would you do if you knew? The question has been on my mind a lot lately as I've contemplated my Dad's cancer prognosis and then 9/11 remembrances and now some news at work.

What would you do if you knew you had six months to live? A year? A day? A few hours? None of us really knows how long we have -- 9/11 and auto accidents and deadly storms are reminders of that.

A few years ago, such thoughts would depress me and make me want to just shut down, crawl back into bed or escape into a binge of overeating. Today, the thoughts still overwhelm me, until I release them to God's care.

Some of the answers He has provided, for today:
-- Be still and know that I am God.
-- Seek God. Trust God. Obey God. Praise God.
-- Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine ... Angels descending, bring from above, echoes of mercy, whispers of love ... Perfect submission, all is at rest. I in my Savior am happy and blest ... filled with His goodness, lost in His love. This is my story ... praising my Savior all the day long.
-- This from today's Upper Room devotional: "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14,NIV).
-- Some people get choices and opportunities. Some don't. We all have the choice to live in such a way that we have no regrets. (Even having regrets is a choice.) Love. Make things right. Amends. If I can't make direct amends (I can't change the past) I might be able to make living amends by doing better today and in the future.

This is titled Part 1 because it really does just touch the surface. News today that the company I work for is being sold -- with promises that nothing will change -- is another reminder that life goes on and changes happen, and I cannot predict or control the future. Some of how I learned this latest news seemed to involve a direct lie of something I had been told earlier, but on closer examination, I see how they got around it. But it sure makes me wonder: Who can I trust?

Well, I can trust God. And I do trust my parents and my family and many many friends. Based on that foundation -- trust in God and love -- I pray to face whatever comes with grace, gratitude, strength, hope, love and compassion.

Another attitude adjustment

"Good morning," he said.
"Not the best," replied I.
I mean, here I was back at the car care center first thing Monday morning, trying to figure out why my brand-new tires that had been mounted Friday gave me such a miserable ride from Norman to Fort Worth and back on the weekend. I was full of frustration and resentment, so I dared not say more, since the service manager already knew the situation from my call on Saturday. I just left the car and the keys, saying let me know when it's fixed, and I hope it's before noon so I can drive it to work. I did suggest that if they couldn't find the problem, they should just put on new tires.

But as soon as I headed on the pleasant two-mile walk home about 8:30 a.m., before it had a chance to be too hot, I regretted my less-than-cheerful response. It was a beautiful morning. The tires made it safely if not smoothly through the weekend trip. I had alternate transportation to get to work if my car wasn't ready in time. I was alive and healthy and residing in the arms of God. How dare me respond as if a little inconvenience made the morning less than good.

I didn't make amends for my negative attitude at the car care center that morning, but I did take the lesson with me through the day at work and later in the week as I picked up my car and still had some problems. I don't want to let inconveniences and setbacks keep me from having a cheerful and grateful attitude. Staying positive and cheerful is often easier to intend than to do, but I was able to see several times during the week that turning it over to God in prayer and praise (in all things give thanks!) really made a difference.

And I'm pretty sure I'm going to need to keep applying that lesson one day at a time in the coming week, as I already see challenges shaping up. Pray. Trust. Obey. Praise. Help me, God! Thank you, Lord!