When it comes to expressing our emotions, some of us are reserved while others go out of their way to ensure everyone knows how their feeling. I am in the subdued camp. But I enjoy observing a very expressive person. This led to my feeling animated cartoon.
If I had the time and animation skills, I could see this cartoon as an animated GIF. Maybe the girl’s arm would sway back and forth. Or she would lean into her nemesis. Alas, that is not in my wheelhouse today.
The other day, I was in a Sunday school class when two boys began wrestling. One of the boys was in the school wrestling program and wanted to show the moves he learned on the other. I watched closely since it would be bad for a fight to break out in Sunday school. As I made sure it didn’t get out of hand, it reminded me of the Bible story of Jacob and Esau. Voilà! I had my cartoon idea for January!
The Jacob and Esau Bible story usually perks the ears of young boys. Since I am the firstborn son in my family, it certainly got my attention. Of course, I had not heard anything until the story of Moses and Passover made me cringe. Hey! Why were things so hard on the firstborn kids? I thought we got all the goods, not a death sentence!
As a child, part of the story made sense because Esau was prone to make rash, unwise decisions. Still, that Jacob was a deceiver. His name in Hebrew suggests that. Later, it made me uncomfortable to learn Esau’s name meant “hairy.” The poor kids didn’t have a chance. How would you like to be introduced as Hairy and Deceiver?
Their father’s name was Isaac. That means “Laughter.” It makes me wonder if he was laughing while his two sons were squabbling. In fact, for this cartoon, I shall hereby name the dad in this cartoon Isaac. It seems appropriate enough.
One of the many lessons of this story is to be careful what you name your kids. It can be a self-fulfilling prophecy!
I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.
J.R.R. Tolkien was born 130 years ago today. It has me thinking about a quote from The Two Towers.
“There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”
Tolkien, J.R.R. “A Quote by J.R.R. Tolkien.” Goodreads. Goodreads. Accessed January 3, 2022. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7601379-there-s-some-good-in-this-world-mr-frodo-and-it-s.
― J. R. R. Tolkien
It is a special quote for me because it has inspired my son and daughter to help others through counseling. The quote comes at a point The the Lord of the Rings trilogy when all seems lost. And there are days when that seems the case today. But there is still good in the world. We must be the good and show good to others.
Fight the good fight. Fight with love, peace, and mercy. Do not succumb to evil or the tactics it employs. Fight with wisdom and discernment. There is still good in this world and it is worth fighting for.
“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2021. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/benjamin_franklin_141046, accessed December 30, 2021.
Frequently, our culture encourages us to confront others. If they don’t believe what our group believes, they are heathens that we should deal with. Media and advertisements tell us we’re okay and if there is any problem, it’s because of “those” people.
This philosophy is enticing because it takes the responsibility off of us. We’re off the hook if everyone else is the problem. We don’t have to change and our kids are all right!
However, the problem with this outlook is nothing ever changes. We discover the other group thinks they are in the right as well. So we have a choice between trying to coerce someone else to change or changing ourselves. And who do we have more control over?
And of course, if the other group is the problem, we must confront them. We should tell them that they’re wrong, ridicule them, shame them and if necessary, fight them. When we do this, we join a proud tradition of going to war.
In this quote, Benjamin Franklin reminds us it is only ourselves that we can change. We have plenty of vices to work on. Let’s start where we are and make this next year a better one.
Have you ever noticed that when someone is in a bad mood, they’re rarely interested in a dose of optimism?
My family was getting ready for a spring break trip. For whatever reason, my wife was having a bad day. It’s entirely possible I wasn’t doing my share of the preparation. It could be that the kids were tired and grumpy. For whatever reason, she seemed to be down and I decided it was my duty to cheer her up.
The last one was a big mistake. Even though we were married, I voided her personal space. There’s only so much my poor wife could take. I went from being a purveyor of good, clean fun to just being obnoxious and annoying. She snapped. I realized my mistake and began to pout.
Minutes later, I noticed something. She was in a much better mood and I was the one in the dumps. My efforts worked, just not in the way I expected. She poured the glass of optimism all over me and she felt much better.
So how do you stay optimistic in a world that isn’t having any of it? I learned three lessons that day.
We ended up having a great trip. I learned a valuable lesson about relationships. And yes, we both have learned a lot about optimism over the years.
