Who am I?

 

I lost my dad way too early,

Who am I to doubt it was part of God’s plan?

 

His mother lived to age 98, why couldn’t he?

Who am I to question God’s timing?

 

He loved my mom and all of us so dearly,

Who am I to ask God why we don’t have him anymore?

 

He was married for 50 years, had nine grandchildren and a great grandchild,

Who am I to not thank God for the time we did have?

 

He had wood to carve, golf to play and trips to take,

Who am I to ask God why not?

 

He was kind, loved and respected,

Who am I to ask God why him?

 

For his disease there were no more options,

Who am I to ask God why no cure?

 

There were things I had not done or said,

Who am I to ask God for more time with him?

 

I never heard a bad word spoken towards him,

Who am I to ask God why not someone else?

 

He deserved so much more,

Who am I to question that God knows what he truly deserved?

 

I lost my dad far too soon,

Who am I to question God’s plan?

 

 

Barry D. Blanton

In loving memory of Don Blanton

January 6, 1935 – June 23, 2007

 

This MMM was originally written in 2007.  I will repeat it as long as I write MMM’s on a Monday near the anniversary of the passing of my father.

Complain or…

 

For some reason we seem to have come to a place where complaining is accepted.  All too often we play the victim, blame others, point fingers and gripe. The fact that we complain implies that we think the circumstances are someone else’s fault and out of our control. That may be the case. However, the complaint itself is unlikely to change anything.  There are alternatives to complaining.

 

Next time you feel the need to complain, consider the impact of that.  What will be accomplished by complaining?  More importantly consider your options.  Might it be best to just remove yourself from the matter?  Are there ways you can take the initiative to change and improve the circumstances?  Maybe it is a battle not worth fighting and an act of quiet acceptance is in order.  Be productive or be quiet!

 

“When you complain you make yourself a victim.  Either leave the situation, change the situation or accept it.”

- Eckhart Tolle

Choices

Life is made up of a series of choices.  We make choices each day of our life by prioritizing activities and choosing courses of action.  It is often frustrating and challenging to make those choices.  The alternatives are equally appealing, and the ramifications of the decisions seem so serious.  The best we can do at any one point in time is to make a choice with the information and knowledge available to us at that point in time. Consider your alternatives, study your options, seek spiritual guidance and make an educated decision.  Once a choice has been made, go on down the road of life.  There is no value to be gained from beating ourselves up over past choices and poor decisions.  Sure, we should learn from past decisions, but there really is no need to re-live poor choices or to constantly second guess ourselves.  Learn from those choices and grow. Make the best choice you can with the information available to you at the time. 

Have a blessed week making choices…

Who am I?

I am a week late in posting this MMM this year…  

Who am I?

I lost my dad way too early,

Who am I to doubt it was part of God’s plan?

His mother lived to age 98, why couldn’t he?

Who am I to question God’s timing?

He loved my mom and all of us so dearly,

Who am I to ask God why we don’t have him anymore?

He was married for 50 years, had nine grandchildren and a great grandchild,

Who am I to not thank God for the time we did have?

He had wood to carve, golf to play and trips to take,

Who am I to ask God why not?

He was kind, loved and respected,

Who am I to ask God why him?

For his disease there were no more options,

Who am I to ask God why no cure?

There were things I had not done or said,

Who am I to ask God for more time with him?

I never heard a bad word spoken towards him,

Who am I to ask God why not someone else?

He deserved so much more,

Who am I to question that God knows what he truly deserved?

I lost my dad far too soon,

Who am I to question God’s plan?

Barry D. Blanton

In loving memory of Don Blanton

January 6, 1935 – June 23, 2007

Leadership

Positions and titles can cloud the judgment of leaders.  Often when leaders reach a certain level, or status, they seem to think they are required to independently have all the answers.  It is like they believe that with the title comes the obligation and ability to answer every question immediately and correctly themselves.  They put undue pressure upon themselves to respond with authority even when they may not be confident of the answer.

Great leaders do not fall trap to this thinking.  They know that quality leadership requires a decision making process.  That process may require time and it may involve other resources.  Good decision making does not come as the result of a title or a position, but is the result of experience, wisdom, and thoughtful processing of the circumstances.  Making the ultimate decision is different from feeling like you must have an immediate answer to every circumstance.  Great leaders are always prepared to step up and make a decision.  But in doing so they know they don’t have to respond immediately and have all of the answers themselves.  They know to consult experts, conduct research and fully consider all options.  Our responsibility as leaders is to make sound, well thought out and rational decisions, not to simply have an answer.