kenlassblog

When I was a child, we had just one TV set in our house. My parents insisted on watching the Lawrence Welk show on Saturday night. I hated it. Having to listen to all that old, corny music, and Lawrence’s broken English. But Mom and Dad reveled in it. They would tap their feet and even sing along. It took them back to their heyday. It made them very happy.

Now, some 65 years later, those Lawrence Welk reruns are still on the air. Even more surprising, I find myself watching them. Not because I’ve come to like the music, but because it brings back precious memories of my sweet parents smiling and full of joy. They are long since in heaven, but I still picture them reminiscing in their recliners. I miss them so much.

So much of what I am today is because of them. They left me with wonderful memories. I hope I can do the same. I hope we all can.

They call us baby boomers, but what we really are is the ‘Tweener generation. My parents never used a computer or the internet for anything their entire lives. My children and grandchildren use computers and the internet for everything, and their lives are deeply connected to it. I am the transition link. I know just enough to be able to turn on a PC and surf the internet. I can send an email or a text message. I can buy a pair of pants online and order food from an app.

Oh, and I can post these blogs. That’s about it. Beyond that, I have a deep distrust of the cyber world. I don’t like banking or paying bills electronically. I put little credibility in anything I read on social media unless it’s from a friend. Even then, sometimes you don’t know if it truly is your friend, or a scammer disguised as your friend.

I’m a bit worried about our young people. They have sold their privacy to the internet. My daughter says I’m just afraid of what I don’t understand.

She’s right. We all should be.

Loneliness has nothing to do with how many people are around you. It has to do with fitting in, feeling cared about. A recent survey by the Cigna company found that three out of every five Americans feel that nobody really knows them. Did you know that in 2023 the surgeon general declared loneliness a national epidemic? He stated that the lack of social connections is the equivalent to our health of smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.

If you feel lonely and left out, you have to be proactive about dealing with it. People are likely not going to come and find you. The culture is just not built for that. You’re going to have to make a move. Go to church, get involved in a small group. Do volunteer work. Join a pickleball group or a book club. Your local hospital always needs volunteers. So do your schools.

You’ll meet people. Friendly people. You’ll be surprised at how quickly relationships develop. So don’t sit around and mope. You have the power to cast loneliness aside.

Sharon and I just saw a wonderful, emotional movie that was based on a true story. I’m not sure why, but I always feel compelled to immediately search the internet to fact check films like this to see how much of it was real, and how much was creative license. Inevitably, I find out that many of the scenes never really happened, and even some of the characters were invented. That turned out to be true of this movie as well.

Interestingly, when I tried to tell a friend, who had also seen the film, about the departures from reality, she didn’t want to hear them. She says it will spoil the memory of the movie. She’d rather go on believing in the story as it was depicted.

Nothing wrong with that I suppose. It’s just a movie. Why not enjoy the fantasy? So long as we don’t accept a distorted version of real life. Striving for material success without a relationship with God is always going to lead to a sad ending.

There are all kinds of old adages and sayings for overcoming disappointment. We’ve all heard stuff like “If at first you don’t succeed”, or “Don’t give up the ship”, or “Get back up on that horse”, and many more.

The truth is, it’s not that easy to recover from failure and heartbreak. It can be personal, and embarrassing, and discouraging. We’re not built to just bounce right back from adversity. It’s okay to take a minute, draw a few deep breaths, relax and think through where you want to go from here. Seeking God’s guidance and vision is always helpful.

Your mountain may seem too hard to climb. But maybe you’re on the wrong mountain.

The worst thing you can do as you get older is nothing. Sitting and not moving, such as when you watch TV or surf the internet, is your enemy. Your body and mind need exercise, or else they will both turn to mush. It will happen more quickly than you think.

Go ahead and watch that football game or that movie, but every half hour, stand up, stretch your arms and legs, twist your torso, march in place for a few seconds, maybe take a lap around the house, or go get the mail, put a load of laundry into the washer. Just do something that requires moving. It wakes up your heart and lungs and improves your blood flow.

At least once each day, make your brain work a little. Read a book, do a crossword puzzle, figure out your budget, work a jigsaw puzzle, just something that makes you think.

Move it or lose it. It really is true.

These days there are surveys and polls for everything. One that caught my eye recently was a survey to find out how much time out of each day people spend worrying. Somehow, they came up with the figure of two hours and 18 minutes.

I’m having trouble understanding how one can arrive at this figure. When I’m worried about something, I pretty much think about it constantly. I suppose this proves it is possible to make yourself stop worrying. Which is a good thing. Worry is a wasted emotion. It does nothing to solve the issue.

I know people who are constant worriers. Maybe it helps them prepare psychologically for their challenges. Just keep in mind, that’s two hours and 18 minutes you’ll never get back. Better to spend it confident in the knowledge God loves you and is working for your good.

My ten-year-old granddaughter just got braces on her front teeth. They are tight and uncomfortable, and she’s afraid other kids might make fun of her. She’s heard other kids called names such as Metal Mouth and Brace Face. But she told me she’s willing to endure it because “one day my teeth will be perfect!”

Kind of like a metaphor for life, isn’t it? We endure pain, discomfort and adversity, and maybe even ridicule, but try our best to hold on to our faith, because we trust that, some day, we’ll be taken up to a place that is perfect. The reward is worth the journey.

Thinking about that should bring a wide smile to your face. Even if you’re wearing braces.

I am so thankful that you subscribe to these little blogs each day. I appreciate you taking a moment to read them. I try to keep them brief because your time is valuable. When you think about it, time is our most precious gift. Nothing else matters if you run out of time.

You only get so much of it. Once it passes, you never get it back. Spend it wisely. Don’t waste it on things that don’t really matter in the big picture. Use it to love, to serve, to encourage, to help, to console, to bring laughter, to support. When your time is up, you will be remembered for what you did, not what you had.

I would be honored if you would recommend my blog to someone else. Someone who might need a daily dose of a little encouragement. I promise I will do my best not to waste their time. Nor yours.

I’m taking my seven-year-old grandson to basketball practice tonight. It will be freezing cold outside. The practices are routine and kind of boring to watch. I’ll miss a good football game on TV. And truth be told, I don’t even think my grandson really wants to go. He’s into playing the games, not so much going to practice. So I don’t think either one of us is particularly looking forward to it.

It is, however, a chance to spend some time with him. I don’t take that for granted. Before you know it, he will be more into his friends and teenager stuff, and he won’t need grandpa to take him anywhere. He won’t miss our little journeys together. But I will.

Treasure whatever time you get with those you love. You only get so much of it.