I am called different things and names by different people, but the ones that get my most attention are the ones that say dad, daddy, pops, Papa or poppey. These come from my children, grandchildren, Great-Grandchildren and some friends. I love being called by those names. Thank you to all those who call me by one of these. I love You ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Transformation is a
metamorphosis.
A change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means. So the first step is a willingness, want or desire to be different.
On June 12, 1944, just six days after D-Day in World War II, a young lieutenant named Richard Winters led his men to the outskirts of Carentan. As the officer in charge of Easy Company, of the 101st Airborne, he was tasked to clear the large French town of its German defenders. It would be a small battle, but it played a significant role in the massive effort to rid the world of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
As Winters led his company up the road toward town, the company started taking machine gun fire from a German MG42. The men instinctively dived for cover into ditches on either side of the road, and stayed there—they froze. Not only was the success of the mission in jeopardy, but the men were easy targets for enemy machine gun and sniper fire.
What happened next proved to be the turning point in the battle for Carentan—it’s the stuff legends are made of. Lt. Winters went into the middle of the road and, with bullets hissing past him, started yelling at his troops to get up out of the ditches and engage the enemy. His words, coupled with his heroic action, motivated the men to get up, get in the fight, and gain a decisive victory over the Germans.
Winters’ disregard for personal safety in his effort to save his men from certain death didn’t just earn him a medal; his actions earned him the love, respect, and admiration of his men. They followed him faithfully from Carentan, through the nightmarish Battle of the Bulge, and on to triumph at Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest.
Soldiers are willingly follow leaders like lieutenant Winters and those who demonstrate acts of self-sacrifice in the most harrowing of circumstances.
In others words they refuse to be Mediocre, ordinary or average. I will often tell my grandchildren that any dead fish can float down stream. It takes a live, fighting fish to go upstream against the current. To many of us who are NOT on the front lines of war, settle in to be run of the mill people in our health, finance, relationships, jobs and every day living. We stop pressing, reaching and striving to be the best in life. I am 66 years old and still have a fight in me to be better. At times I become lackluster, average and at times dull in my communication skills. I often regret the things I say and how I say them. I eat things for pleasure and not to be better in health. I do construction projects, critique myself and determine that is was middle of the road.
In War, Athletics, business and everyday LIFE being Mediocre never produces Victory.
Mediocre: ordinary, average, middling, middle-of-the-road, uninspired, undistinguished, indifferent, unexceptional, unexciting, unremarkable, run-of-the-mill, pedestrian, prosaic, lackluster, forgettable, amateur, amateurish
3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 5 Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he [a]does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.
While watching the program “To Tell the Truth” with my dad in the late 50’s or early 60’s, I had my first introduction to a real life HERO.
Hero defined: A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities
GUNNAR SONSTEBY
I remember my dad calling my Aunt (his sister) to see if we were related to Gunnar. Aunt Frannie made the call to Norway and of what I remember based on their conversation, we were related in some manner.
When Kathy and I were in Norway about 10 years ago, we tried to look him up. We found out he was back in the United States at that time, so we missed out. Gunnar died in 2012, but yet he still is revered as a legend to the people of Norway and those who knew him.
LEGEND Defined: a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnar_Sønsteby
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/may/22/gunnar-sonsteby
I had ordered his book: Report From #24 a few years ago from Amazon and learned more of his amazing story.
The definition of detain is: verb hold, keep back; arrest.
As I was drinking my coffee at the Starbucks at 4th and Pine waiting for my lovely wife shopping at Macy’s, Four Seattle Police officers had hold of a very agitated individual. She was hancuffed, yelling and complaining to 2 of the officers on her right and left. After about 10 minutes, a patrol van arrived and she was placed in the van to be transported to, I assume King County Jail. She was held and then arrested simply because for some reason she could not or would not detain HERSELF. You and I are NO different. All of us have something that is holding, keeping back or arresting us from true ABSOLUTE ZOE LIVING. For some it is fear of the unknown, others not being able to let go of past failures or even past success. What about losing our breathe walking up a flight of stairs or getting rid of all the stuff in the garage. Try this for one week. Think hard on one thing that detains you from living beyond where you are at now. I can assure you, we all have multiply things that hold us back. Give it a shot, because it is not about what we have to lose, but what we have to GAIN.
The Road To Transformation 