Category Archives: March 2018

2018 Archives, April 2020, Driving away depression, March 2018, StreetLights on a Saturday night, Uncategorized

Streetlights on a Saturday night 1 0f 3, April 1st, 2020

Leave a comment

Part 1 of 3
James

Occurred March 25, 2018

James was scheduled to leave Denver late. It was Saturday. He had been away from home and his wife Emily, and their two daughters for almost two weeks. First was Phoenix, training. That was held over a day because it was determined they needed to make changes to the syllabus he had spent the better part of a month preparing. Then, on to Denver, where his company is headquartered. It seemed like nothing went right this trip. And, he felt like there were some precious memories he was missing at home in Frisco. Both his daughters had music recitals and sports activities, none of which James could obviously attend.

The Denver leg came with its own calamities. The first night, his room at the Fairfield had some environmental issues. The thermostat didn’t seem to be working so the heat was on or off. James was able to move to a different Marriott property altogether closer to his company’s address day two but that was the least of day two’s obstacles. His rental car had some kind of electrical failure. He had to use Lyft to get to HQ, late of course. Finally, he was given a nice Lincoln to drive for the remainder of his stay.

He had a late flight Saturday because he had expected to be in meetings most of the morning. When the meetings were cancelled, James decided to try for an earlier flight with American to get home to his family.

James went to fuel up the Lincoln before turning in. While fueling the vehicle he called his boss. Just as his boss said hello, James heard something splashing on the ground and turned to see fuel going everywhere because the nozzle didn’t auto-shutoff. He didn’t see an emergency shutoff button so he wrestled with the nozzle until it shut off while spewing gas everywhere. He had to call his boss back.
It didn’t stop there. Once he got the Lincoln, which was drenched on the side with fuel, back to the drop off, he began removing his stuff. He placed his trusty Starbucks coffee mug on the trunk of the car and then moved to the other side to pull out his bags. The attendant had already begun checking mileage and other items in the car without really acknowledging James’ presence. James once again called his boss to update him. The attendant popped the button on the trunk, sending James’ coffee mug flying through the air straight toward him. Instant reflex kicked in and he caught it but down went the phone with his boss still on the other end. The attendant didn’t notice anything and hustled away. James had a nice new cracked screen. But, he at least was able to finish the call with his boss.

James was starting to wonder, what next? Well…

There were two earlier flights on American to DFW and both were overbooked. American was looking to get 17 people on the first flight alone to volunteer to take another flight. James heard from another passenger, American offered one traveler $1,000 to give up his seat.
Okay, so no going home early. Now James would just have to settle in and wait until his 5pm flight. So his plane would arrive around 345 or so and then he would board after they fuel it and load bags, etc. A few minutes after the plane landed and most of the passengers had departed, there was an announcement that the flight would be delayed due to a technical problem. Exhausted and eager to get home, James asked the gate agent what was going on. Apparently, a departing passenger somehow triggered an emergency inflatable device (wasn’t clear exactly what this was, but assuming a raft?) inside the aircraft and now maintenance was trying to figure out what to do and whether or not the plane would be returned to service.

Now James was a seasoned business traveler so he knows there will always be issues from time to time but on this particular trip he was feeling cursed. It was finally determined the aircraft would not be airworthy in time to fly James and his fellow travelers back to DFW, so American announced they would be flying another aircraft in for their flight but it would take another 3 hours or so. And get this, it was coming from DFW!

The plane did arrive and the passengers were loaded and swiftly air born, bound for Dallas! James began to feel some momentum. Could he be leaving the curse behind in Denver? Nope! There was a 25 minutes delay with the baggage system. Ha! Now James was feeling completely beat down and defeated as he dragged his bag out the door of Terminal C, praying to God, “Please Lord, I just want to go home.”

James opened up his Lyft app and requested a car. The nearest one was 17 minutes away. Standing outside the terminal, well after midnight, James tried Lyft one more time. This time the nearest driver was 11 minutes away. James made the request and stood there aching and tired and wishing he could be home with his wife and his girls, wishing he could finally sleep in his own bed. He checked the app and sure enough, here came the vehicle he requested, he could see the Lyft light in the dash matching the color on his phone so he knew that one was for him. One more leg of this trip and he was home. “Please let this ride be smooth and without any issues…”


#Kindness #purposefulkindness #Whatawonderfulworld #hope #peace #love #joy #StreetLights #TheKindnessClub #Grace #weareallconnected

2018 Archives, April 2020, Blogs, Driving away depression, Kindness posts, March 2018, Music, People Profiles, StreetLights on a Saturday night

streetlights on a Saturday night 2 of 3 April 1st, 2020

Leave a comment

StreetLights on a Saturday night

Part 2 of 3
Last Ride


Occurred March 25th, 2018

It was late Saturday night, after midnight. Okay, early Sunday morning!

I am exhausted. My whole week went sideways. It seems to do that often. I haven’t slept well in days. My restless legs have kept me up. It’s a nice bonus every time I get one of those steroid injections in my neck for a collapsed disc. My goals for the week were on the horizon but now have completely vanished. A few more rides like the last one and I am just done.

It is day 110 of recovery from depression rock bottom back in early December. I have managed to keep clear of the fog, for the most part. That nasty shadow has been chasing me, but hasn’t been able to catch me. I have been keeping it under control.

I am so tired. No way to hit that bonus. I think it may be time to head home. I will start again in the morning. Means, I miss church again but, need to work.

I was on highway 114 coming back from the west and looking to make the highway 121 exchange to head home.

The Lyft app began chirping with a request. Wow, its 17 minutes away. I accepted it. It turns out it was coming from the airport. I guess there is a real shortage of drivers in the queue at the airport. It isn’t common to get an airport pickup 17 minutes away. So, I headed in. I didn’t get far before the rider cancelled. I guess he didn’t like the wait time.

Well, I am headed toward the airport anyway. I will take just one more rider. I will make this one count and then head home to try again tomorrow. Just one more trip. Just then, the app started chirping again, 11 minutes away this time. I accepted it. Wow, another airport request. Bet they cancel. But I am going that way.

This request wasn’t canceled. It was a pickup at DFW Airport Terminal A. Really late for activity there. I was exhausted and feeling beat down. I could feel that shadow starting to move around me. I was feeling sorry for myself and I was feeling like a failure, my mind was getting dark. But I am going to get this one last rider home.
As I approached the Terminal I saw my passenger, looking at me. Man, this guy looked worse than I feel. You could tell he was running on empty just by watching him move as I pulled up.

Just this last ride. Just one more ride and I will head home. I feel like I haven’t seen or spent time with my family in weeks. I have missed church and my friends there. Now I am going to miss everyone again. I will GET UP and keep fighting again tomorrow, I guess. Starting to wonder what the point is. I am so tired. Just one more ride tonight. Just one more Saturday night drive. Ok, time to put on a smile and get this guy home. Clearly he needs to get there. Got to keep movin’. Got to keep fighting. Else, who am I?

Hello James. Welcome back to DFW. Let’s see where we are headed…

#kindness #purposefulkindness #Whatawonderfulworld #hope #peace #love #joy #StreetLights #TheKindnessClub #Grace #drivingawaydepression #Peopleprofiles #weareallconnected #lifeisbetterwithasoundtrack


2018 Archives, April 2020, Blogs, Driving away depression, Kindness posts, March 2018, Music, People Profiles, StreetLights on a Saturday night

streetlights on a Saturday night 3 of 3, April 1st, 2020

Leave a comment

StreetLights on a Saturday night
Part 3 of 3
Silver Linings

Occurred March 25, 2018

In the struggle of life, especially those long stretches of time when we try to change, to improve, there is a strong counteracting force. It will knock you down, kick you, and steal your lunch money! You get the idea. Change is hard. When we attempt it, we often fail, and then fail again.

There are often times of sorrow or sadness. We are emotional, loving beings. When we are away from our loved ones it takes an emotional toll. When we lose someone, it takes a toll. When we become sick, it takes a toll.

When we must isolate ourselves at home, it takes a toll.

Something I know to be true, God is active in our lives. God puts people in our lives when we need them. God won’t give us more than we can handle. And, God has a purpose for each of us.

Last Saturday I was run down. Last Saturday I was feeling depressed. I was driving late, and I was exhausted. I picked up James from the airport and took him home to his house in Frisco. James seemed to fall into the car feeling exhausted himself. We got through the introductions and started the trip. I asked him if he had been traveling all day and he smiled and said he had a horrible trip. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. He said he desperately just wanted to make it home with no more issues, problems, or delays.

“I’ve got you covered!” I said. “Now tell me what happened on this horrible trip.” So James began telling this remarkable story of bad hotel rooms, broken rental cars, setbacks at work, and crazy flight delays. When he was done, I told him we needed to get him home as fast as we can so he can get out of my car and take that bad mojo with him! He laughed, but said the odds were against us. He was tired of travel and sad because he missed his family. I could certainly relate to that.

“James, your story alone is hilarious. Yes, it was all troubling and difficult to endure, but that was one of the worst travel experiences I have listened to, which makes it funny! And here you are on the final leg of your journey home. I will get us there!”

James asked me how my week went. I told him, not so well and explained all the things that went wrong with my week. After each of us had a chance to tell our stories to each other we both began to look for the silver lining, and we found it!

James ended up closer to his headquarters as a result of an issue with his first hotel room in Denver. He got upgraded when his rental car broke down. He could have been on the flight when the raft was triggered. It could have happened in the air. As far as his phone goes, well, stuff happens. But how cool was it that the trunk was triggered, sending his coffee mug right to him. That must have been quite a site. I told James I thought he now has a great story to tell his family in the morning to make them all laugh.

My week wasn’t the worst. Sure, I was tired. But I had so many wonderful interactions with people. I picked up some job leads and received help from numerous friends. James asked me what was most important in my life. I told him, my family. He said forget driving in the morning and get to church. He was right! I needed to be with my family. And I needed to recharge spiritually.

Sometimes, we need help gaining the right perspective on things. God is active in our lives. Meeting James was God’s doing. James was his messenger. And I was God’s messenger and delivery service for James. I delivered him to his doorstep at 1:58 AM. No issues or problems occurred.

Two weary travelers offering each other kind words and an ear. Just what each of us needed at the time. And our journey continues…

April 1st, 2020

Easter is almost upon us. I can’t think of a better time to use kind words and to listen. In doing so, we can alter the trajectory of someone’s life, in a very good way!

We can do even do this from home.

We are all connected.

Be safe. Be love. Be kind.

#Kindness #purposefulkindness #Whatawonderfulworld #hope #peace #love #joy #StreetLights #TheKindnessClub #Grace #weareallconnected



Blogs, Kindness posts, Links, March 2018, Music

March 19, 2018

Leave a comment

I have always loved Bob Marley and this song was always stirring. Recently, I took the time to learn the true meaning behind the lyrics. They are somewhat prophetic and have become transcendent of race alone.

“We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is your only ruler, sovereign. The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind…”

Those lines were taken from a speech given by Marcus Garvey in Nova Scotia during October 1937 and published in his Black Man magazine

Bob Marley made them iconic in 1979…

“I carried Bob Marley’s Redemption Song to every meeting I had with a politician, prime minister, or president. It was for me a prophetic utterance or as Bob would say ‘the small ax that could fell the big tree.’ The song reminded me that freedom always comes with a cost, but for those who would prepare to pay it, maybe ‘emancipation from mental slavery’ would be our reward.”

— Bono of U2

Learn. Pray. Hope. Fight. Love. Learn

Blogs, March 2018, Photos, Uncategorized

March 18, 2018

Leave a comment

Caught this during yesterday’s travels after the first set of storms blew through. Thank you Lord! Yesterday, as I came across dozens of people trying to get from one place to another, I was reminded and amazed once again that people are generally kind, courteous, and caring for each other; even total strangers.

My last ride last night was a man named Mack. I picked him up at 2:58 a.m. in North Dallas. He was going to Cedar Hill. He was pretty quiet and so was I. It was my last ride after all and I was pretty tired.

Just after we crossed through the downtown area, Mack spoke up and said that this was the best ride he had ever had. Of course, I found this rather surprising since I had not really made any effort to speak with him or to provide any type of extraordinary service.

So I asked him what he meant. He said that this ride was the first time he had just stared out the window and enjoyed the lights of the city. The roads were quiet. Mack travels up and down the highways all the time for work. But when you are driving on a bustling highway, it’s hard to really look around and appreciate the sites. Mack hasn’t lived in Dallas very long, so this was the first time he really got a good look at downtown without having to focus on the road.

It’s great to stop and look around from time to time.
#StreetLights #Kindness #purposefulkindness #WhataWonderfulWorld

2018 Archives, Blogs, Driving away depression, Kindness posts, March 2018, Photos

March 17, 2018

Leave a comment

I heard that phrase again yesterday, “…lost in the woods.” Reposting from December. I think it is worth repeating. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day all.

“The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain.”

Saint Patrick

Christopher Lloyd CarlsonDecember 29, 2017

Trees.

“Getting lost in the woods” is a phrase often associated with dark or troubled times in life.

If you are lost in the woods, take a moment. Take a deep long breath. Then look around you. The trees that surround you are not your enemy or your obstacle.

Look close and you will see, God has put those trees around you.
They are there to protect you, to give you sustainability. They help form and define your path.
Those trees are life giving and life saving. They offer you love and joy. Those trees are your friends and family, and safe spaces.

If you ever feel lost in the woods, take a breath, look around and know, you are not alone! Trust me, I’m an Oak…

2018 Archives, Blogs, Kindness posts, March 2018, Music, StreetLights on a Saturday night

March 11, 2018

Leave a comment

StreetLights on a Saturday night…

I began looking for God to show me a sign, a sign he was present and real. I began looking a long time ago; perhaps, when I was twelve or thirteen. We all ask for signs, don’t we? And, quite often we see them. Maybe you ask God to show you a sign regarding a big decision in life. You pray. Then you ask, and sure enough a butterfly appears, or a cricket chirps loudly. Or, maybe a bus honks it’s very loud horn as a car cuts it off right in front of you. BOOM! You just got your sign right?

There is a TV show I am very fond of. I never grow tired of watching each episode. I just love this show. If you don’t know, ask me and I will tell you. But for now I only wish to reference a story once told by a priest in this show. I am paraphrasing but you will get the idea:

‘A man lives on the edge of a river. His friend who is a fireman stops by to give him some alarming news. The river is going to flood and he must move further back, uphill. The man tells his friend, “I believe in God, if the river is going to flood, he will give me a sign.” And, so his friend goes away. Next the town priest comes along and says, “Friend! Come away with us. The river is going to flood! You will be washed away!” The man tells the priest, “I believe in God, he will give me a sign if I need to move. He will save me.” The priest says a prayer with the man and leaves. Sure enough, the waters began to rise. The man’s home started to flood and he climbed to his roof. Along came a helicopter and one of the crew yelled down while dropping a ladder, “Climb the ladder! We are here to rescue you. The flooding will get worse!” The man waived the helicopter off and said if he was truly in harm, God would give him a sign. “I will be fine.” He said, and was suddenly washed away and drowned. When he reached heaven, he asked the Lord, “God, I believed in you. I prayed to you. Why didn’t you give me a sign I was truly in danger? The Lord responded, “I sent you a fireman, a priest, and even a helicopter! How many signs did you need?’

I found my sign a long time ago. Street lights. Every time I see a street light flicker, go out, or come back on as I am passing, I know that is God. Maybe it’s just faulty wiring or an old bulb. But, I prefer to believe it is God letting me know he is there, watching over me. I don’t look to streetlights for answers. I learned early on it doesn’t help. That isn’t the way it works. That would be Easy Street. I don’t speak with any authority here, but in my humble opinion, God will always let us know he is with us if we ask him to. But, it is up to us to choose left or right, up or down, good or bad. If God just gave everything to us every time we asked for it, what would be the point of life? Really! What would be the point?

I am also confident in my belief that regret is a waste of time. To be clear, if I sin or if I do harm, I do regret that action, and often feel sadness or shame. What I mean is I am who I am, and you are who you are, right now, because of each and every decision or action we have experienced in our linear lives. Perhaps my thinking on this will change if we ever learn how to control time. But I doubt it.

In the meantime, I would just like to say thank you. Thank you to each and every person I know and love. Hey, thanks for some of those folks that I am not so crazy about too. Like, that nice lady in the silver Cadillac who failed to yield to the off-ramp traffic (me) and then spouted out a few colorful phrases while also providing SIGN language. I got the message…I love you too, Lady.

We are all struggling. There is always an obstacle, an unpleasant task, a heart crushing loss. There will always be pain, and there will always be sadness. The amazing part is there will also always be hope, peace, love, and joy. There is one very very simple ingredient to life that can bring all of that beauty. Just one little thing that we can share with each other so that together we can feel the warmth and light of God’s love, and love for one another…

Kindness.

Reset your clock peeps.

To LT. Joe and Lena, congratulations on your wedding and good luck in New Mexico.

To Lars, Dude! No, I don’t make money while you have a ten minute conversation with the back door of my car open, one foot in, one foot out. But you did apologize and Lars is a cool name so, it’s all good.

Honorable mention tonight goes to my last rider, Omar. Omar, you sir, are hilarious. For the entire 22 minute trip, I only understood two words while you spoke almost the whole ride. Son, Tequila is for grown-ups. Next time stick to beer.

#Kindness #purposefulkindness #whatawonderfulworld

2018 Archives, Blogs, March 2018, People Profiles, Photos

March 6, 2018

Leave a comment

People Profiles

Mark

So Last night, my first passenger was Mark, who needed to get to DFW Airport. Many of you may already know Mark. But, for those who do not, Mark is a member of my church and also the leader/teacher of my Sunday school class known as the Ragamuffins.

I can truly say my life changed when Mindy and I, along with our children, joined Broadway Baptist Church. All of our lives did. I never thought I would find a church where I felt fully accepted or fully respected, until Broadway. Last night Mark was describing when he and his wife Aubin found Broadway. He described a moment, being in the sanctuary for the first time for service, and having such a powerful spiritual feeling that connected them to the church. “There is no other place quite like Broadway Baptist Church.”

That is how Mindy and I felt the first time we attended Broadway. We instantly felt at home; like this is where we belong. And much of that is because of the wonderful friends we have made there, the immediate acceptance and love we received from everyone we met there. And, the incredible leadership in the church, including Mark and Aubin.

Mark is truly a kind and generous man. He doesn’t judge (unless you speak ill of the Baylor Bears:)) and he offers great leadership and support.

Thanks Mark for being a great leader, teacher, friend, and continually shining your light brightly so that others may find their way through the darkness.

Broadway Baptist Church is an incredible place of love, diversity, acceptance, and joy. Broadway challenges old ideology. It is unlike any church I have ever known or attended. And it is wonderful. Below is an excerpt from the last Ragamuffins weekly email that Mark sends out. He describes how the class got it’s name. Peace be with you.

#kindness #purposefulkindness #Whatawonderfulworld Broadway Baptist Church – Fort Worth

“Fellow Ragamuffins,

Aubin and I had the opportunity to share our story with a class at Brite Divinity School this week. In my portion I shared about our class and the wonderful community we have become. In sharing, I recalled the source of our class name, Brennan Manning’s The Ragamuffin Gospel. This is from Manning’s introduction.

The Ragamuffin Gospel was written for the bedraggled, beat-up and burnt-out.

It is for the sorely burdened who are still shifting the heavy suitcase from one hand to the other.

It is for the wobbly and weak-kneed who know they don’t have it altogether and are to proud to accept the hand-out of amazing grace

It is for the inconsistent, unsteady disciples whose cheese is falling off their cracker.

It is for poor, weak, sinful men and women with hereditary faults and limited talents.

It is for earthen vessels who shuffle along on feet of clay.

It is for the bent and the bruised who feel that their lives are a grave disappointment to God.

It is for smart people who know they are stupid and honest disciples who admit they are scalawags.

The Ragamuffin Gospel is a book I wrote for myself and anyone who has grown weary and discouraged along the Way.

[“The ragamuffin church is a place of promise and possibility, of adventure and discovery, a community of compassion on the move, strangers and exiles in a foreign land enroute to the heavenly Jerusalem. Ragamuffins are a pilgrim people who have checked into the hotel of earth overnight, bags unpacked and ready to go. Regrouping and retrenching, squatting and debating, are not their poses and postures.”]

This is the basis for our class. Thank you for who you are!!

2018 Archives, Blogs, Kindness posts, March 2018, People Profiles, Photos

MARCH 6TH, 2018

Leave a comment

People Profiles: Virgie

Monday morning I was fortunate to meet Virgie. She needed a ride to pickup her glasses. She was so excited she was getting them. Virgie wants to get to know the streets of Dallas better by driving around with her daughter

Virgie is a devout Christian and through her own journey to Christ has come to know the bible well. She now serves as lead teacher at Reconciliation Outreach Dallas. She is passionate about helping 4th and 5th graders develop a relationship with God and biblical teachings.

We had a great talk about God’s calling and kindness. Virgie you are doing incredible work and making a difference in the lives of those kids. Keep it up! It was such a pleasure to meet you. Good luck exploring Dallas!

Blogs, Kindness posts, Links, March 2018, Music, Photos, Uncategorized

March 4, 2018 Hope at Broadway

Leave a comment

Today is Sunday. Today is a day to be peaceful, to be joyful, to be loving, and to be hopeful. Today, reach out to God.

And, as always, be kind.

If you need a safe space, a place to connect with God, a place where your thoughts, and your beliefs are welcome, then come to Broadway Baptist Church.

It will change your life!

http://broadwaybc.org/
Broadway Baptist Church “There’s more than one way to be a Baptist!”

Thank you Mindy for sharing this song.

#Kindess #purposefulkindness #WhataWonderfulWorld