Diamonds in the Rough of Reality-TV

Got inspiration from a very unexpected source tonight: the reality show "So You Think You Can Dance". They're showing the best and the worst of the tryouts, which is usually either wildly comical or very impressive, but tonight there were two stories that were tremendously uplifting.

The first was a heavyset girl who danced extremely well despite her size. Unfortunately, she only made it one level in the competition and the judges were very honest about her career prospects, but they were very encouraging and even touched by her work.

The second was a young man from a bad neighborhood who admitted to being mocked when he first pursued a career in dance, but he's made the best of it and he did a fabulous job. As part of the story they interviewed his father, who admitted to being skeptical at first, but who whole-heartedly supports his son... and the rewards were obvious.

A Talk by Miss Utah 2007 Heather Anderson

This is a classic case of an event which transcends words. I only wish I could adequately describe Heather's sunny and honest personality, or her obvious ease with kids, or the expert way she told her stories. Suffice it to say that it was a great pleasure to watch her draw the kids close to her and leave an impression on us all regarding the danger of drugs. Listen to her if you get the chance.

Thanks, Heather.

A Novel with Integrity and Determination

I finished Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" a few months ago, and the story has stayed with me. I'm going to recommend this to my girls -- and any young person -- because Jane displays a wonderful strength of character that makes her an inspiration for anyone.

Jane makes choices in the book that might not be right for others in the same position, but she makes them her own. She explains herself as she makes choices on small and large issues, from how to deal with her family and friends up to marriage and her life's work. In each of these situations, Jane makes a choice that is all her own, sometimes even creating an option that forces others to take stock of themselves. But the most enlightening part is how she arrives at each decision... and how she keeps her integrity and determines to live and deal with the consequences of each one.

One other marvelous part of the novel is Charlotte's description of the main characters. She manages to create realistic people having qualities to which I can relate, and she clearly identifies their quirks and sometimes subtle weaknesses. Personally, I don't even perceive these things in other people, and usually not in a way that I can consciously put into words.

I need to read more... at least, more works like "Jane Eyre".

a husband's loving example, years later

This past week was my parents' anniversary, and today is my dad's birthday. Dad died a few years ago; Mom now lives here in Salt Lake, and she decided to go back to Missouri where he is buried to memorialize him this week. I drove her to the airport, and we ended up discussing some of the issues (AKA problems) of the family out here in Utah, and she talked a bit about Dad's example to her.

Dad was more patient and hard-working than most, and although things rarely worked out the way he planned, he always focused on the blessings in his life; he always trusted that things would work out, and he continually kept up a cheery attitude. This was remarkable to us while he was alive, and we respect it even more now that he's passed on. Mom is no exception: she admits that she sometimes took a grim view of things when they didn't have much money or stability in their lives, and she admires Dad all the more now because he was steady even when she was not.

So she mentioned some of the things that are difficult for her now. It wasn't an expression of self-pity, and there was no sense of complaint; there are some things that she is enduring, but even more than that she's trying to make situations better even where there's almost no hope for things to get better. That's the type of attitude that's inspiring: rather than harboring resentment or giving up, you attempt different things and push doggedly through the never-ending problems until you find something that helps. That's Dad's attitude. She cried as she explained how good he was when they first moved to Missouri and didn't have anything; he was good even though he had frustrations and he felt her frustrations. That example keeps her striving to be better and kinder in whatever tough personal issue comes up.

That's how loving-kindness changes lives, even years after the fact.

"Forever Strong" - What a legacy!

A week ago we saw Forever Strong, about a rugby player in trouble who found a place on his rival team Highland High. It's based on a true story, and the Highland rugby team really has won 17 national championships with their 367 wins and only 9 losses in the last 30 years. It's fascinating! I have never heard of this before watching the movie, and it's hard to believe I have such a triumphant organization here in my state that I've never known about. And it's an interesting individual story depicted in the move; I've searched around for more details, to no avail.

But with Larry Gelwix's sustained focus and integrity over the course of 30 years, there must be at least 30 other stories just as interesting. I'm sure everyone who has been through those teams must have been inspired, not to mention proud of such accomplishments. This kind of legacy, quietly but steadily built, is the grandest: it'll endure through many lives and possibly even generations.

The following is from a newspaper article:

---

"It's not about rugby," he says. "It's about helping young men grow up with their feet on the ground and hopefully avoiding a lot of the junk of life. Rugby is just a vehicle. It's infinitely easier to turn out championship teams than championship boys."

Gelwix has one primary rule: Don't do anything that would embarrass you, your family or the team. "Everything is covered by that," he said. More specifically, alcohol and drugs are forbidden. Lying or dishonesty of any sort is the gravest sin on the team and results in suspension.

---

After reading that, you must read the rest on the last page of the article. This is exactly the way to lead a life of greatness.

The movie was decent, but I was impressed and moved as I watched it knowing it is reality.

How a biker aids medical workers in Africa

Andrea Coleman is a biker, and she describes in this podcast how she applied her skills to improve the conditions of medical workers in Africa. She points out a few specific examples:

• One of their early technicians has progressed to the point where he helps manage their whole African organization.
• Their workers have been able to travel out, do their work, and return home and have a life, rather than their old way of walking out, sleeping over, and walking somewhere else on another day. One of them was pleased to have gained "a stone" of weight since using the bikes (though she's still thin).
  
• They have shown how they have enabled medical workers get "five fold increase in the number of patients seen, and five times more visits for each patient".

I've realized that these podcasts are inspiring to me only partly because of the stories of helping people out; it's been awesome to hear how these entrepreneurs are pursuing their passions and really being creative in solving problems to make the world a better place for others. It's fantastic to hear about.

Oprah's Big Give: Eric & Stephen's first challenge

You've probably heard of Oprah's Big Give series; I recommend the whole thing. I must spotlight one effort: Eric and Stephen did an incredible job on their first challenge. After they met the widow they were to help, I thought, "I hope the contestants on this include some kind of personal touch in their gift." Sure enough, these two came through, both in the kinds of gifts and in their presentation. They gave the kids a shopping spree, they got the whole neighborhood together for the presentation, they got a local parish to set up the scholarship... it was impressive. Then came something incredibly thoughtful: they had the family members write a note to their Dad and send them up in balloons.

Wow.

In addition to all that, I believe the donations they gathered far eclipsed every other project; it was all the above plus mortgage money. Impressive. Thanks, guys.

(PostScript)

Guidance in 2 Friends' Lives

I had dinner last night with two long-time friends. It was marvellously entertaining, and part of what made it great was that they spent a minute talking about gifts from God. They are each convinced of His divine intervention in their lives, and they shared a few stories. One was a small thing, being directed to look for an item while at the store, but it was a notable blessing because she was not well and it saved her a trip to another store; I could tell it was a huge help. Another experience happened while organizing a long camping activity for young people: the leadership was stuck trying to determine some assignments, but as soon as they replaced the assignees in question everything came together nicely. There were other experiences, involving having children and creating presentations and selling homes and organizing a charter school.

Now, I don't see God doing much for us; if He does, he certainly isn't looking for recognition by the vast majority of us, so we make our way without looking for Him to help. But I do believe we all have perceptions beyond the five senses; at very least, you have to admit there are parts of our humanity that we continue to learn about all our lives. So we all get these kinds of messages that are felt in our "soul", and it's important to learn and listen to the ones that direct us for the good.

So that's why I'm telling of our little discussion: my friends are touching examples of looking for and following inspiration, so this was a great reminder for me. In addition, it was fun to feel their gratitude and share in their wonder about some of the special incidents in their lives.

I'm so grateful for fabulous friends.