Remembering our Veterans

This photograph, taken on Memorial Day 2011, reminds me that it is the young people like Julia Basford seen here that sacrifice the most. Sometimes it seems inconceivable that anyone would be willing to sacrifice themselves for their country. Yet men and women do it daily. This is why I ache when I realize that most young people really don't have a clue about all the sacrifices made on their behalf. I know it seems like I'm bashing them by saying that...and that there are some young people out there that do care. Unfortunately they haven't stepped forward as yet or they have been pressured by their peers not to care.

We need to remember our veterans though. We can't let the sacrifices that are being made even now go unnoticed amid the barbecues and cookouts. It would be a crying shame for those that are now serving like Julia Basford to come home without being recognized for their service. What message are we sending if we continue to ignore and not give honor to those who made the ultimate sacrifice? Are we in fact saying that it doesn't matter? It is criminal not to take some time, either by attending a ceremony, cleaning up a grave site or thanking an individual veteran for their service.

So what do we do about this? Can we stick our heads in the sand and ignore the sad facts that most of the ceremonies are attended by older folk? Do the young people have to be forced to care about the country they live in or is it only a matter of time before it really won't matter at all because we're one big global community?

Words to think about....as we head towards that one world government.

Overwhelmed and Pressed for time

Yep!...That's me. I am feeling so overwhelmed lately with all the pressure of trying to make this venture work. It isn't easy because frankly I'm introverted which means that I have a very difficult time warming up to people that I meet for the first time. Sometimes I just freeze up. Other times I stumble over words and feel like an idiot. I try daily not to put myself down or let the pressure get to me. I feel it though. I struggle to be someone I'm not because that is the way the world wants it. No one likes someone who doesn't speak up for themselves or presses to be heard.

The job market and the people in it embrace the extrovert. The pressure to "network, network, network" is overwhelming. No one takes into account that the introvert isn't comfortable reaching out to others like that. I know that if I had been in this job market five years ago, I wouldn't have survived it. It has only been through a concentrated effort and the Lord's leading that I've managed to survive being in the situation I'm currently in with no funds coming in.

I, like most of my fellow colleagues in the non-profit sector, are scrambling for funds. All of us dream of that one donor/foundation that will provide our organizations with steady incomes. Some of us are pressed for time as savings dwindle without any "light at the end of the tunnel." This means that we have to be sales people and sell ourselves and our services and hope that people will fund us before we have to close up shop.

I have a feeling that things will get better. I have to believe that or throw in the towel...hide somewhere and wait to die. Yes, I have to admit there are days like that...days when I want to give up. I can't. I have to keep going for the young people who need to know their history and for the old people who have that wealth of information they need to pass on before it's too late.

Planning things out or trying not to pull your hair all out....

It is hard to believe at times that I've been with this organization for over a year now. I know that I still have a long way to go before I see any profit out of this venture. I also know that I have to plan things out before I end up pulling my hair out. Once I have a plan in place and feel like I'm moving forward the better I'll feel. I can't let the struggle of trying to stay afloat or the lack of participation get me down. No one ever said that it would be easy. In fact it could be the hardest thing you'll ever do. At least that is what some say.

I am using skills I didn't know I had to do this job...and yes it is a job even though I have received no money for it. I am learning a lot too. My biggest challenge will be getting young people involved in local history. There is only so much I can do on my own. I have to trust that the teachers and superintendents will post and pass the information on to their students. I have to believe that at least a few, if not more of the students, will want to participate in the club....but most of all I need to trust God that he will bring all the groups together. That is the most important aspect of local history...Trusting God in all things.

So before I decide to tear my hair out....I should praise God for everything he has already done.

Trying to fit in and not succeeding...or Try, Try, Try...again

I have been having one of those really busy weeks. You know the ones....You go to a dozen different meetings and by the time you're finished you don't know where you are. You listen carefully. You think that if you are smart enough and organized enough that maybe you'll fit in.

Sometimes you just don't. Sometimes you're just not meant to fit in. Sometimes you just don't want it badly enough. As most of you who know me know, I am in the beginning stages of starting my own business. I decided this year that I wasn't going to get back to that secure place I had. I needed to take my life in another direction. I needed to focus on what God placed in my heart for these teenagers. I needed to find a way to help them make the connections that they need to make and at the same time help the historical societies in the area as well.

I haven't been succeeding too well yet. I have a lot of barriers to overcome. One of the biggest is the lack of funds. I have none. This is the stark reality which I have to deal with and move past to find those revenue streams. I know now that they are out there ripe for the picking. My short term goal is to find those revenue streams while trying to fit into the educational scene. It's only by going towards this avenue will I begin to see results and hopefully find the funding I need to start the local history club.