Levin Miles was a teenager and was diagnose to have terminal cancer. He lived for two more years and wrote many post on his web page on the internet. His one about life and comparing it to hitting a basket of golf balls on the driving range hit home to me and I want to pass it along here.

Levin Miles writes: “I went to the driving range the other day and I was thinking.  I was thinking how you start out with a big bucket full of golf balls, and you just start hitting away carelessly. You have dozens of them, each individual ball means nothing to you so you just hit & hit. One ball gone is inconsequential when subtracted from your bottom less bucket. There are no practice sings or technique re-evaluations after a bad shot, because so many more tries remain. Yet eventually you start to have to reach down towards the bottom of the bucket to scavenge for another shot and you realize that tries are running out. Now with just a handful left, each swing becomes more meaningful. The right technique becomes more crucial, so between each shot you take a couple practice swings and a few deep breaths. There is a very strong need to end on a good note, even if every preceding shot was terrible, getting it right at the end means a lot. You know as you tee up your last ball. THIS IS MY FINAL SHOT, I WANT TO CRUSH THIS WITH PERFECTION; I MUST MAKE THIS COUNT. Limited quantities or limited time brings a new, precious value and significance to anything you do. Live every day shooting as if it’s your last shot, I know I have to.”

Like Miles suggested, we should treat each day as a precious ball of life. Take your time, take a breath and make a practice swing. Make each shot count and most of all FINISH STRONG.

God gives opportunities every day to make a difference in the lives of others and our communities.  Never pass them up saying , oh I can do that tomorrow. You never know when that tomorrow won’t come .

Each moment may be your last, take advantage of it to hit each ball as far as you can. Finish Strong and may the impact your life leaves when you are gone, reverberate down the valley of life, for a long time, in a very positive way.

He remarked, “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided the best option in life was to become a teacher? Those who can, do, Those who can’t teach.”

Then he turned to one of the guest and said, ” You’re a teacher,  Susan, be honest. What do you make?”

Susan, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness, replied, “You want to know what I make? I make kids work harder then they ever thought they could.

I can make a c+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor and a A- feel like an interrogation if the student did not do his very best. You know what I make?  I make kids wonder.

I make them question. I make them think with a critical mind and search for difficult answers. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them write. I make them read, and read, and read.

I make lids listen...to hear words as well as the love and caring behind my words. I make them grow in integrity, and faith by sharing values that will bring them authentic happiness throughout their lives.

I elevate them to experience music and art and the joy of performance, so their lives are rich, full of kindness and culture, and they take pride in themselves and their accomplishments.

I make them understand that God gave them brains so that they can follow their hearts. And I make sure they know that if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you pay them no attention.

You know what I make?  I MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

A awesome story by Taylor Mali, High School teacher and Poet

As I went on in life and became a Head Football Coach and Teacher; I would still head home to the farm almost every weekend. The draw of mom waiting up for me after a game and the knowledge that my dog, Chief, would be so glad to see me were irresistible  to me. Even if we did blow the game, Chief didn’t care, he would practically jump out of his hide to see me.

I hated to lose and after a tough loss I would drive the sixty miles or so back home from first Lake  Holcombe  and then later in my career, Ashland. I would make the turn down McLeod road, off of highway 27 and soon I would seen a light on in that old farm house. Mom would be waiting up for me and even if it was 1:30 A.M., She would be there. I would come in and she would say, “Bob is here” and my Dog, Chief, would instantly come awake and come bounding out to see me. I would get down on the floor and he would lick my face and tell me I was alright and he didn’t care if we had got our butts beat. Mom would mostly listen. If people would just learn that listening is the best thing they can do when someone is hurting. Even though I would get up at 5:00 A.M. the next morning and drive back to Ashland to do my radio show, it was worth it, to see that light on and to know the warm welcome that awaited me inside that old farm house. It is a memory forever etched in my mind and I will take it to my grave.

If you are lucky enough to have  someone wait up for you, be sure to tell them thanks and let them know it is appreciated. For it is sad to say, it is becoming quite rare these days. Thanks Mom, for always being there for me, and leaving the light on, at the old farm house on McLeod road.

My brother was showing me around campus and where he ran cross country. I was impatient and wanted to get going faster. My brother said there was a long hill up ahead that keeps getting steeper as you go down. I looked ahead and thought it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. So I ran on ahead. I started down the long grade and kept picking up speed. I had thought I would be all right and could stop at any time. I couldn’t, I had ventured to far ahead and to fast.  Now I kept gaining speed until I fell head first in the gravel. Bruised and scraped up but nothing seriously hurt; I limped back to my older brother. “I told you not to run ahead” he said. “But you wouldn’t listen, you had to go ahead anyway and now you have paid the price”.

How like God in our lives. We can’t wait for God to answer our prayers so we run ahead to find the answer on our own. We will be careful and we can always stop and come back. Then we get our heart crushed and wonder how we could have been so blind. Where was God, doesn’t He care? Yes my child, but you need to wait for me. I have the perfect answer for you if you would just have the FAITH to trust me for it. It is so much better to wait for God’s perfect answer than to rush ahead and settle for our second best and unhappiness for the rest of our lives.

God doesn’t want us to crash and get our hearts broken, or to see us end up in a dead end situation. It is so hard, but we must learn to wait on Him, or we will suffer a life time of regret and anguish. We think we are so smart, but God sees the whole situation and background, as well as the future. Trust Him and he will show you the right path, and only then will you find true fulfillment and happiness in your life.

Something is bothering them, something has them down.
You don’t know what, but you care, you want to help turn them around

They don’t want to talk, they just turn away
finally you put your arm around them and they start to sway.

A touch of kindness in the form of a hug, you can feel the tension start to ease
Your friend kind of opens up, and starts to tell why they don’t feel the breeze.

Everybody is going through some trouble or trial
a true friend can sense that and help  stop the betrayal.

When words don’t seem right and your friend is in pain,
a pat on the back or a hug can ease up the hurting without placing blame

It is a proven fact you know, that a act of kindness,
releases endorphin in your blood that gives you a natural  high and overcomes life’s blindness

Not only do you feel good, the person you do the kindness for feels better
and even some one watching will feel a warm glow and the release of life’s fetters.

So as you go through life reach out and touch someone feeling bland,
Let them feel the love from your heart flow forth through your hand.

The world will be a kinder place and we will all feel better
A simple act of kindness, is that to much to ask, to make someone’s life a little better.

So as you walk the halls of life today, reach out and touch someone’s shoulder
in a kind and loving way, Let them know someone cares and help make them a little bolder

A simple act of kindness, a touch, a hug, so  easy to do
Why don’t more of us do it and life wouldn’t be so blue

Coach McLeod

As I sat on a park bench over looking the beautiful Bay of Lake Superior.  I thought of our life as a Christian. God is the life giving milk that can sustain a stray cat and a new Christian. But God chooses to use other Christians as vessels to hold the milk for others. Each of us needs to pray each morning and ask God to use us as a vessel for him. There is some hurting soul nearby that needs the life giving Milk of Jesus Christ and He is looking for a vessel, a bowl, to serve His milk in.

Will you allow God to use you as a vessel today? It is a awesome experience to be used by God to help and encourager another person. Almost everyone you meet in life is going through some stressful or trying situation. They all need encouragement and a listening ear. Be on the look out for these hurting individuals and allow God to pour some milk into you so you can make a positive difference in that person life.

Coach R.M.

1.Power: The ability to force or coerce someone to do your will, even though they would choose not to, if they had a choice, because of your position or your might. This is an ability to get things done.
Drill Sargent in the Army. The bully in school, do it or I will beat you up. A lot of old time coaches, some parents. Do it because I said so. Do it or else.

2.Authority: The skill of getting people to willing do your will because of your personal influence. You show them that you really care about them as an individual person. For this type of coach or leader, you would walk through a wall for them. You do what they request because you trust them and respect them and know they wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t for the good of the team
This type of leadership is a SKILL..
Both types of leadership work. How ever with the power type, there is often resentment and fear. Once the child leaves home or the athlete moves on off that coaches team, they rebel against that type of leadership and there is seldom a bond of trust and love with this person.
When individuals were asked about a coach or leader that used the authority type of leadership. They used words like: They were honest and trustworthy, committed and caring, a good role model. They were good listeners and treated us with respect. They were positive, enthusiastic, and very encouraging. They appreciated us and still held us accountable.

This type of leader develops a bond with there group or team and years later they will come back for advice or to just talk. Most championship teams have great team chemistry and a special bond that is the result of a leader or coach that leads with Authority.
From Preston Gillham, Five characteristics of Effective Leaders

1. Effective leaders Listen    2. Effective leaders have Vision    3. Effective leaders are Passionate  4. Effective leaders are Facilitators 5. Effective leaders Empower others.

In his book, The Season of Life by Jeff Marx, he talks about the championship football team that had the motto, The coaches job was to love there players and the players job was to love each other.
In the Greek language there are four different words for love. In English they get lumped together in one word, love. The love Jeff Marx is talking about is Phileo love, which is based on friendship and the love of friends for one another. It also means, Storge love which is the love of a family for one another. Parents for their children, sister and brother love for each other. The special family bond. The love that holds family together through all kinds of hard times.
The other two Greek word for love are, Agape, which is not a feeling but an action, like love your enemies in the Bible, and Eros love, which our country has so distorted and pushed which is sexual love.
Successful teams have the love of friendship and family, That special bond of togetherness where each one cares more for their teammates than themselves.

It was July and my older brother Dan wanted to get me a special birthday present. He knew we didn’t need another dog but arrived one day with a big card board box. He sat it on our porch and then came out to the barn to talk to me and my brother Russ. After a bit I noticed the box on the porch and asked Dan what was in it. Dan said go look for your self. When I opened the flaps of the box, there was the cutest puppy I had ever seen. A Springer Spaniel, liver and white. Great big feet, long floppy ears and a short tail that never stopped wagging. I picked him up and he licked my face, I was hooked and this was my going to be my special dog. The farm was a perfect place to raise a dog. A very big yard and pasture  to run around in. We also had forty acres of woods with trails to walk and ski on. I didn’t like to have to tie dogs up or put them in a kennel and on the farm there was always someone around doing chores or just in the house.

Both Bonnie and Snuffles were jealous of Chief. They did not want to share me with him and they let him know it in no uncertain terms. Chief could not understand why they would growl and snap at him when ever he came over to play. Chief would get that hurt look on his face and look at me for an explanation. I couldn’t help but to pick him up and let him know I loved him with all my heart. This special bond would last for the whole 15 years of his life. Bonnie loved to curl up in my lap when I sat down in the house to read or watch television. Chief tried to crawl up too, but Bonnie made it clear, that wasn’t going to happen. So I had to teach  Chief to lay down by  the side of the chair so I could scratch his ears and pet his head.

Both of the older dogs love to go for walks in the woods. Chief was to young to go so I had a pen that I put him in. He did not like that one bit. He would sit and watch until we came back.  Finally I felt he was old enough to come along on one of our trips. He tried to keep up but would stumble and tip over a few times but always got right up and battled on. I was cutting brush on one of the trips along the trail and the other dogs were hunting around near by. Chief was too, but wandered away at some point. When I was ready to head back to the house I could not find him. I called and searched for a half an hour. I had chores to do back at the farm so I had to leave and go back. Dad saw chief was missing when I came back and said he would go down and look for him while I washed the big bulk tank in the milk house. My mom was a strong Christian and always taught us to pray and ask God for guidance when faced with the problems of life. I knelt in the milk house and asked God to help Dad find Chief. About a half hour later I looked out towards the woods and there was Dad and Chief coming down the lane. I was so relieved and thanked God right away for answered prayer and ran out to meet them.

Mom did not want another house dog so I put up a snow fence pen and build a solid dog house for you to sleep in at night. You never put up a fuss and would go right in at night when I put you to bed. But early in the morning you would be sitting up, watching the farm house door for me to come out and get you.

Chief was so special to me and I remember each incident that happened in his life. Once I wanted to get a picture of Chief up on one of our big, four-foot high, hay bales. When I backed away to take the picture, chief jumped off and jammed his shoulder into the ground. He gave out such a yelp of pain and dragged his body off to the house. He recovered quite rapidly but it took a bit to regain his trust. Another time Chief followed me out to the pasture and stepped on a hot electric fence gate that was open at the time. This time he ran to the house and stayed there the rest of the afternoon. Chief learned to go around every gate in the electric fence. Like all dogs Chief loved to roll in anything that stunk and then to bring it home for a treat to chew on at a later time. Mom would raise a fuss when he brought those treats up on the porch and I would have to burn them in the incinerator. Chief saw nothing wrong with drinking out of the toilet bowl or the Christmas tree stand during the Christmas season. Chief would give me that, so what look, a big lick on my face and I couldn’t help but hug him back.

I had a four-wheeler  and Chief would climb up on my lap for rides down the trails in the woods or just down in the pasture to get cows. Chief loved to go hunting and would retrieve birds well. He got that disgusted look on his face when I missed and always thought a shot meant game to retrieve. In the winter I would just have to put my cross-country ski boots on and Chief would go wild. He loved to race down the trail, stopping to smell every track along the way.

There were many health issues along the way. Like most long-eared dogs, Chief would get ear infections and several trips to the vet, which he hated with a passion. Part of which came from the time the vet stopped at the farm to treat a cow. His long antenna was touching an over head electic wire so  when Chief watered his tire he got the shock of a life time. Chief did not like to have his ears treated and cleaned and would cry out like a young boy. Russ didn’t mind and would do the complete job which I could not bring myself to do. After many year of this Russ said he had enough and we should just put chief to sleep. Mom knew how hard that would be for me so we both made it a real matter of prayer. On the next visit to the vet he tried some new medicine that didn’t burn so much and to dry the ears out he sewed them up over his head. After two weeks I was able to cut the thread and Chief lived another five years after that.

Then one friday I came back to the farm to learn chief had been hit by a car. The driver came in to the house to tell Russ and Mom that he had killed our dog. But when Russ got out there to the road Chief had come to and came running over. Chief had blood coming out his nose and threw up several times. Mom put the dog pillow down in the front room and Chief stayed there for several days. He did make a full recovery but  developed seizures later on. The first one scared me to death as Chief just got rigid as a board and shook all over. Again a trip to the vet and little white pills to take several times a day. It was a real trick to get Chief to take his pill. He was great at spitting the pill out of his mouth. I found if I stuck them in a little piece of hot dog that Chief would swallow them down just fine. Later in life Chief got lynes disease. More trips to the vet and more pills to get down. It was July and very hot so chief loved to go down in the old basement with a dirt floor. He could dig out a small spot and relax in the cool dirt. I would sit  on a wooden chair and read for a while and then try to sneak back upstairs. As soon as Chief woke up he would come right up stairs to find me.

It was always so hard to leave at the end of the summer and when I packed my suit case up stairs. Chief would lay on the other bed and moan. I would drive out the driveway and look back to see Chief sitting on the porch, watching me for as long as he could.

So many trials and troubles we worked through together. Your undying love made up for all the sort comings you may have had. I loved to have morning devotions with Mom and Chief right by my side. First we would have to give you part of the toast we were eating , or you would slap us with your paw. When Dad died and mom was alone at night, Chief was such a comfort, always right by her side. Mom loved to take Chief for walks around the yard. Chief knew my name and when mom would say, Bob is coming Chief would jump up and run out to meet me. We went though so many things together and I had to leave you in Gods hands so many times, we developed such a special bond and I didn’t know what I would do when you passed on. I was a loner and didn’t have any close friends. Very few girls would put up with a sour old farm boy so Chief was my best friend.

After a loss in a tough football game I would drive back to the farm and see the warm glow of  a light on in the front room. I knew mom would be up waiting for me and that I could lay down on the floor and just hug Chief and he would lick my face and tell me it was ok it I got my butt kicked at the game. The mean things that the fans said and the hurt inside of the loss would melt away. When I found out I had a tumor by my optic nerve and had to have a three-hour MRI. I survived by picturing Chief and Mom sitting out in the yard at the farm, praying for me the whole time.

Later when Mom died I drove back from Ashland every day to spend the night with Chief. We both missed her so much but we found comfort in each other. By then Chief was 15 years old and developed kidney stones. He had trouble urinating and the vet said he would have trouble the rest of his life and he was to old to take the surgery very well. I knew it was time. I held Chief in my arms and stroked his head  and told him how much I loved him and the vet gave him the shot to put him down. I carried Chief out in a body bag and took him home to the farm. I buried him out in the yard near the cook out place where we had so many happy memories. Then I drove to the cemetary where mom and Dad’s  graves were and told them Chief had died. I couldn’t come back to the farm for two weeks. It was so empty and cold  with out Chief and Mom there. But slowly the wounds healed and now I can go back and find comfort in the old farm-house and yard. The warm memories of the happy times flood my mind and peace returns to my heart.

Now when ever my heart skips a beat and I think this may be the end, I dream of that reunion in Heaven, Mom will say, Bob is here, and I can picture Chief running to jump in my arms. We will stroll over the green meadows and all be together again. What a reunion that will be!

When you help someone out and pick them up when they fall, do you just want to tell your friend because you know  they will be proud of you and offer a word of praise?
When they say they will pray for you, is it just words?  Or do you know with out a doubt that they will be on their knees praying for you with depth and determination and seeking God’s help to see you through to the very end of your problem or trial.
If all of these thing ring true, you are fortunate indeed. You have found a rare jewel of life. A special friend to call your own. It is said that we can go through life and be lucky to have two or three friends that we can call our own. If you have found one like this, it is a gift from God, cherish them, love them and  never let them go!!