Author: kenlassblog.net

As I have progressed into my senior years, I have had so many friends and acquaintances who have lost their spouses. And I have noticed a definite pattern. Women who are widowed tend to join together and support each other. They travel together and socialize together and do their best to fill the gaps left from the loss of their husbands. They often live for many more years.

Men, however, don’t seem to do this. They either try to go it alone, or try to remarry as quickly as possible. Maybe we are just not as good at rebuilding life. Maybe we are too macho to show vulnerability. As a result, many men don’t last long after the death of their spouse.

There’s no shame in admitting that you are lonely and depressed. Don’t let yourself get disconnected and isolated. Your friends still love you, and still want you to be part of their fellowship. We men should take a lesson from the women.

Some people are social animals, while others are loners. Some folks crave the constant company of people. They thrive on interaction with others, and they are lost and miserable if there is nobody “to play with”. Then there are folks who sort of “tolerate” being around others, but are secretly most comfortable when they are alone with their own thoughts and desires.

A healthy life usually strikes a balance between the two. There are certainly times when we want and need to share our talents and enjoy fellowship with other people. Gives us perspective and the opportunity to serve, which is good for the soul. But we also need to spend quiet time, to relax and perhaps talk things over with God, listening for His reply.

It’s easy to become too busy or too lonely. Extremes usually don’t work.

I’m up early watching Saturday morning cartoons with my grandkids. What a flashback! I have vivid memories of Saturday morning TV when I was a child. But cartoons have changed a lot. We’ve come a long way from Looney Tunes, Mickey Mouse, Rocky and Bullwinkle and Huckleberry Hound.

For one thing, today’s animation seems so cheap and amateurish. Probably because it is computer generated instead of hand drawn. The characters and content are all tied to merchandising. Cartoons are basically one long commercial.

But one thing hasn’t changed. Kids still love cartoons. You just have to make sure the themes are wholesome and appropriate. Unlike my childhood, there are cartoons on TV today that are shockingly sexual, violent, and reflective of negative values. At least with Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote even us kids knew the violence wasn’t real.

One of the most frustrating things to deal with is when God says no. I have prayed intensely for certain things in my life. They never happened. God clearly said no. It’s disappointing and it will test your faith. May even create doubt as to whether He is listening. Or is there at all.

Then again, there have been so many blessings in my life that were totally unexpected, things I never prayed for. Didn’t even realize I needed. Things that took me in completely different directions from my plans. All of which led me to so much joy and fulfillment.

God will say no at times. But He probably won’t wait for you to pray for the right things. He will show them to you, if you’re paying attention.

I used to be uncomfortable with the concept of self driving cars. I figured it was one more submission to artificial intelligence, and one more step toward the dehumanization of mankind.

But the other day I was crossing the street in my neighborhood when a truck came roaring down the road. The speed limit in our subdivision is 25 mph, but this vehicle must have been going at least twice that fast. I had to literally break into a sprint to get out of the way to avoid getting run over. As the truck passed by, I noticed the driver was a young woman who didn’t even appear to see me. Our cars have become so powerful, and contain so many entertainment features, the actual process of driving has become an afterthought.

Maybe it’s not a bad idea to take away control of our cars from humans after all.

I was not one of those kids whose parents bought them a car when they turned sixteen. My mom and dad figured if I wanted a car, I would take better care of it if I earned the money to pay for it. So I went without one until I graduated school and got my first full time job.

The very first thing I did after getting hired was buy a car. It was a brand new 1971 Plymouth Gold Duster. It cost four thousand dollars. I paid for it in installments over the next three years. I loved that car. It was my treasure. I took care of it like a newborn baby. I washed it by hand because I didn’t trust a car wash with my precious possession.

My own children did get a car in their teenaged years, but they had to pay for part of it, and the result was the same. They really valued their vehicle. Kids are never too young to learn responsibility and work ethic. Thanks mom and dad.

When I was a boy, Superman was one of my TV heroes. Faster than a speeding bullet. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. How cool was that? Bad guy fires a bullet at him from point blank range, it just bounces off his chest. X-ray vision allows him to see through walls. Sign me up!

Yet even Superman had his limits. Kryptonite stripped him of his powers. He was helpless in its presence. But it was okay. He always managed to survive.

Got problems in your life? Worries? Stresses? Feel helpless to do anything about them? It’s okay. You don’t have to be Superman. You don’t have to have all the answers. Sometimes you run into your own kryptonite. You’ll survive. It will pass. God has you covered.

He’s the one who really wears the cape.

We human beings are complicated. Especially when it comes to social things. We have a need to feel connected to other humans. To feel intimate with someone. To be able to share personal feelings and thoughts with another. To belong and fit in with a larger group. If we don’t have any of these relationships, we can feel lonely and sad.

But then if there is too much going on in our lives, too many people interacting in too many ways, we can long to get away from it all. To spend some alone time to recharge and gather our thoughts. We crave solitude. We love our friends and family but sometimes we just need a break from them.

We all have to figure out some sort of balance to make life work. Just remember, as long as your faith is strong, you’re never totally alone.

I am writing this early Sunday morning. In a few minutes I will be getting ready to go to church. Just as I do every Sunday. I suppose I could try to live a Christian life without going to church. Many folks do that. But it wouldn’t work for me. I need to be with people who believe as I do, and who are openly vocal about it. I need to hear their prayer requests to help me realize how truly blessed I am.

I need to hear a preacher clarify spiritual questions for me. I need to be made aware of opportunities to serve others that exist all around me. I need smiles and friendly greetings, and to feel I am a part of something greater than myself. I need uplifting song, and the feel of an auditorium of people around me united for one cause. I need my spiritual battery recharged.

It’s Sunday. I’m going to church. I belong there.

On a recent car trip we had occasion to drive through the sprawling corn fields of Illinois and Wisconsin. It’s really quite a sight. Thousands upon thousands of acres of corn, stretching out literally as far as you can see to the horizon. I couldn’t help wondering how in the world people could eat that much corn.

Turns out, they don’t. The uses for corn have expanded far beyond food. Corn, and its byproducts, are now found in plastic, ethanol fuel, cosmetic and hygiene items including deodorant, cough drops, diapers, baby powder, matches, carpets, dyes, crayons, glue, even vitamin C supplements. The United States is the leading producer of corn, growing more than fifteen billion bushels every year, and looking at these spectacular corn fields in the Midwest, I can certainly believe it.

The world around you is cornier than you think. We should all be as versatile and useful.