Author: Dan

Just admit it. It’s something we’ve all done one time or another in our lives. Whether the road was “too long”, the hill was “too steep”, or the challenge was “too hard” – we’ve all quit. Sure, maybe we’re not proud of it, but, hey, at least we “lived to try another day”, right?

But, what if “another day” never comes or we never try again? What then?

Let me tell ya a tale. A tale of a man and his pan liner…

We were short-staffed in the bakery a few weeks ago. So, I had to learn a new skill – a skill that looked so simple, but yet one I am still attempting to master. Yes, I had to learn the “art” of folding the paper liners we place in the fruitcake pans.

Here, let me demonstrate…

Sure, it looks easy & simple, but try repeating that for 108 pans without error!

Mistakes happen; especially when you’re learning. And mistakes did happen. I became frustrated so frequently I would wad the liner up, grab a new liner and try again. I wouldn’t get more than two or three pans done before I was wadding up a well worn, but “failed” liner. Sometimes I wouldn’t fold the liner evenly or it would unfold as I removed it from the form. Oh, it was so frustrating. I wanted to quit. I mean, come on, usually we’re not ever short-staffed, so do I really need to learn how to fold the liners?? Really?? Fold liners??

But, this time I decided I wouldn’t quit. I had to figure this folding thing out. I’m not sure why. I just did.  It’s like I had a voice in my head telling me I could do this; that I HAD to not quit… that I HAD THIS! I set a goal to complete “X” number of pans no matter how long it required. I told myself to work slowly. I focused on resolving why the liner unfolded.

And ya know what, it didn’t get any better. I was still wadding up liners, but I eventually made it to my goal. Thank goodness I would never have to do this again. Whew…

Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!

One of the monks broke his arm while tree trimming, so we would be down a team member until he recovered. Guess who had to fold liners? Yup, me…and was I ever excited…NOT!

Over the next several weeks my skills improved to the point where I was no longer wasting liners. I’m still not as speedy as the monks (they can do 2-3 to my 1), but I am doing it! I felt so proud of myself for not giving up when it would have been so easy to quit.

I’ve begun noticing this “can do attitude” creeping into other areas of my life. I am getting more tasks accomplished around the house & work. I have fewer “small, lingering ” (the ‘oh, I can finish this later’) tasks hanging around –  simply because I carried the task all the way to the finish line. How? I DID NOT QUIT!

Of course, this got me to thinking…

“What if, when the going got tough, Jesus just up and quit? What did Jesus do when He was faced with trials and tribulation?”

Come on now, we all know life for Jesus wasn’t a cake walk. We all know he was tempted. It’s all right there in The Bible. What did Jesus do?

Jesus prayed.  Jesus submitted himself to God’s will.

Looking back, that’s what I did. I prayed. All those weeks ago I quickly muttered a prayer asking God for the patience I was lacking. I had all the time I needed, I just needed patience. And THAT would have to come from God.

What’s the point of sharing all this? Perhaps, to state “prayer has power”. Or perhaps,  “there is power in not quitting; that by ‘pushing through the barrier’ something positive happens.” Or maybe even, “we grow as a person by not quitting”.

Amazing! I learned all this from a pan liner.

What’s holding you back?  Your solution ->  “Quit quitting”

Oh, and pray!

After two weeks of organizing & planning, I’d like to say I wrote many interesting stories this week, but I can’t. I did get a story partially completed, however. Well, any progress is good progress; which means I am now one step closer to the finished product, right?

This week I’m going to share a story I had written previously. I’m hoping this “sample story” provides a bit of insight into what I aspire to by writing this book.  This is the first draft, which may eventually become several shorter tales…

• Earliest Memories

My earliest experience involving golf occurred in the third grade.  The grade school I attended, John S. Clark Elementary School, was located next to the Glen Flora Country Club in Waukegan, Illinois. I remember finding golf balls that were hit out of bounds into the school yard. If I was fortunate, the golfer who hit the ball out would come up to the fence and offer me a quarter for their ball. Sometimes the golfer would offer to buy all the balls I had found, which meant more money for my pocket.

If it was later in the day and there were no golfers, I would take the balls home and give them to my dad. My dad didn’t pay for many of the balls I gave him. He only paid a quarter for balls with the name “Titleist” imprinted on them. I’m not sure, but I think he gave all the other balls to mom.

There was one brand of ball in particular I was always hoping to find. It was a “Molitor”.  The bigger kids said you could get a whole dollar for those.  It was made by Spaulding. Molitors came in a triangular box containing 3 balls instead of the normal rectangular “sleeve” like the other balls. The Molitors were also unique because of a distinctive black inverted triangle printed above “Molitor”.

The balls I hated finding were “Top Flites”. Why? Simply because my dad did not use them AT ALL! He said it felt like he was hitting a rock when he played them. I remember him calling them “Top Rocks”; a name by which we still refer to them 40+ years later.

On days there was no school, my younger brother and I would yell to mom, “we’re going golf ball hunting” and out the door we went. We might be gone a short time or a couple of hours, depending on how busy the course was. Over time we learned the best time to go “golf ball hunting” was when the club was hosting a corporate outing or tournament. Events such as those meant the course would be packed all day long so the possibility of finding balls was greater. It also meant we would go home with a little extra money or to the A&W Rootbeer stand to celebrate our newfound wealth.

It’s in the same schoolyard I first remember seeing my mom and dad hitting golfballs. Later I learned it was called “shagging balls”. Mom and dad would stand 50-75 yards apart and hit the balls back and forth. If either of them hit a shot “fat” or “dubbed” a shot one of us three boys would get the ball and run it to the other side. I am amazed no one ever got hit by a golfball, but more on that a bit later.

Upon reflection, we didn’t have much growing up. Our family vacations meant piling in the car and driving the 12 or so hours to Ohio to see relatives. Our cars weren’t the newest or shiniest. Neither were our toys or clothes – lots of hand-me-downs. What we did have were a mom and dad who always kept a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs. Most importantly, we had each other…and later, golf.

There you have it – the first of many stories of my family’s
“love affair” with the game of golf…

Can’t wait to see what next week brings! See ya then!!

What comes to mind when you hear the word “rest”?

For many it means taking a breather from whatever it is they are doing. Workers view “15 minute breaks” and “lunch breaks” as part of their normal workdays. Parents of newborns get to rest whenever and however the baby allows. And when life is going badly, we often cry out “give me a break!”

Yup, “rest” must mean “stopping your activity”.

For about the past year I have been “listening” and have heard the words “be still and rest” from many different places. I have been hearing them in conversations at church, songs on the radio (Speak To Me, by Kari Jobe), as well as Marco Polo “chats” I have with a group of guys.

Interesting…but what did it mean?? Am I supposed to just stop everything I am doing and wait?? Really?!?!

I don’t know.

I do know my life has been “in transition” since I was let go from Walgreens about 9 months ago. Much has happened in that time. The most visible “transitions” were starting my job as a baker/mail order clerk at the abbey and buying a house. Ya know, I’m not really sure one would have happened without the other. Yes, it may have been easier acquiring the house loan if I had been employed by Walgreens,  but by being employed at the abbey my time was much more available – I had the time to go to open houses. I had time to prep for the move. I had time to move. I had time for all the “post move” crap. Time I most likely wouldn’t have had if I had been at Walgreens.

In that time I also scratched the surface of what the words “be still and rest” perhaps meant.

It would have been easy to cease ALL activity, but that’s not what God meant. The guys on Polo expanded “be still and rest” to “be still and rest in Christ”. That’s a whole ‘nother ballgame!

Ok, “Be still and rest in Christ”.  What does THAT mean?

Looking back, I do know whenever I became frustrated with the house search, I just wanted to stop the process completely, ya know, just sorta “be done with it” for a while; take a break from it. But yet, I never did.

What I did do was hand the search over to God. If we were going to get a house, He’d have to show us the way. I had to trust that God would deliver – which He did and ALWAYS does.

Ya know, same goes for the job. Yes, I love what I do at the abbey, but quite honestly, I could use a bigger paycheck now that we have a house and all the dreams for “this-n-that” which come along with the house.

So…I’ve been looking for a job. And ya know what? It’s not going well and I’ve wanted to give up, quit…but I can’t.

Why? Because I’m going to “Be still and rest in Christ” again, and trust that He’ll open the door when the time is right.

“Be still and rest” is not about “ceasing all activity and letting God do the work”. It’s about putting in the time, doing the work and trusting that in God’s time I’ll receive an answer. It’s just that for the “right now” I’m where God wants me to be – it’s about “being still and resting” where He wants me to be. It’s about trusting Him.

I’m not really sure how this happened, but in the past three weeks(?) I’ve gone from struggling to write a SINGLE blog a month to writing TWO completely different blog entries EVERY WEEK! I’ve also re-started the writing of the family golf story book. It seems like I have taken on even MORE ACTIVITY by “being still and resting”.

Interesting…Could it be that “Being still and resting in Him” lead to greater activity, greater blessings from Him?

Why yes, yes it did. This blog entry is “proof” of that.

“Be still and rest in Him” – It works for me. It’ll work for you.

This past week was all about getting organized, or perhaps, “better organized” would be a good way to put it. You see, I have started/stopped the writing of this book multiple times, so I thought it made a lot of sense to organize EVERYTHING I had written that was previously saved “willy-nilly” all over on my laptop to specific “Book Related Folders”. Seems pretty basic, right?

I actually took the time to create/organize the file structure on my laptop to kinda match what I had already written. Something interesting happened along the way though…my “BRF” layout ended up reflecting the outline I chose NOT to use!! CRAZY! I know!! I had written several stories about specific places and specific people. I also have first drafts of my “Acknowledgment” and “Forward” as well as other miscellaneous ramblings.

The current “BRF” looks similar to:

Golf Book

Miscellaneous -> Acknowledgement

-> Forward

The Courses -> Bonnie Brook

– >Glen Flora Country Club

-> Caddy Stories

-> Cast of Characters

-> Springdale Golf Club

Family Time -> Each Family Member gets his own folder for stories

Other Stories ->

Folders are in BOLD

Documents are ITALICIZED

Again, fairly straight forward and simple to use.

I ran into another difficulty while organizing my previously written stories – most of my “people” stories were contained in a single lengthy story. So, I also took the time to create a separate document for each person. It seems trivial,  but should be a great time saver when the time comes to put the stories in some type of order.

So, what did I learn this week?

1) Always start with organization! Always! It’s a time saver.

2) Be flexible!  Just because I chose the 1st outline, doesn’t mean I can’t make use of the second. Make note of any/all ideas that come to mind. You may find them useful sometime down the road.

Again, I hope this information is useful to you.

Now to get back to writing the stories. See ya next week!

There is a garden at the monastery at which I work. Brother Paul and Father Peter are the two monks who tend it. Brother Paul is probably 30-35 years younger than Father Peter and has “his way” of doing things which sometimes doesn’t align with Father Peter’s way. In the past both monks have taken responsibility for tending to the corn, which usually has gone well, except for their brief, intense conversations pertaining to how frequently to water. Br. Paul believes the corn requires daily watering. Fr. Peter believes less water yields better tasting corn.

This year, Br. Paul decided he’d rather spend his time tending to the berries – strawberries, raspberries etc  – and leave the corn to Fr. Peter, “problem solved”, right?

Well, err…not really…

You see, I work with both monks in the bakery and have had the privilege of hearing their conversations concerning this years’ planting and growing of the corn. It’s been dry, so of course Paul keeps telling Peter he needs to water – to which Peter responds with “The corn is fine. It gets plenty of water”. Peter has no concerns whatsoever about the lack of water. None. Zip. Nada.

This brief conversation repeats itself multiple times a month and then “wham” it rains. Paul then states “God must like you & your corn Peter, as He waters it for you when you won’t. God must be spiting me for telling you to water the corn.” Then Peter chuckles.

This “cycle” has occurred several times this spring/summer, which I find highly entertaining, but today, it reminded me of something I read in “Think and Grow Rich” by Napolean Hill – a book I have read on my journey of personal development.

I discovered I control the words and thoughts that get planted in my brain.  I have to be vigilant as to what I say and hear – as both good and bad pass through the same gate. I must be able to discern between the two; which can be more difficult than one would think. Being “present & mindful” every day adds value to my life and my relationships and are great tools for discernment

I am also in charge of pulling the weeds. I don’t like weeding the yard at home, so how the heck am I going to stay on top of the weeds in my head?  Daily affirmations, that’s how. By beginning each day with simple “I am” statements I stuff my brain with good, positive words/thoughts which simply leaves no “dirt” for harmful words to infest and spread. Simple.

It takes care and attentiveness to grow a plant from a seedling. The same goes for nurturing positive words/thoughts. I receive “water” from many sources – friends, family, church, and books to name a few. Sometimes even a walk in the park allows me the opportunity to pause and reflect on the direction I am travelling and altar my course, if necessary.

If I can do it, you can too.

Go ahead – Plant that first “seed” and start “growing” a better you today!

Welcome!

This is the first installment of “Write the Book Already!” Not sure what this string of blog entries will look like, but it’s going to be “something”. My initial hope is to document the writing of “Golfing with the Labs”.  I am going to openly share my creative processes (steps) hoping that “some aspiring writer somewhere, someday” stumbles upon the blog and is somehow inspired to carry on with his/her project.

Usually, when I write I just sit and write whatever comes to mind. However, this approach hasn’t been bearing much fruit over the past 18 months, so I need to try something, anything, so I can continue moving forward. I decided I needed to create an outline.

Yes, I know, and yes, I have been taught to always outline. But, I never ever do. Outlines are too restricting and sometimes I don’t really know how or what is it I want to write, so how in the heck can I outline what I don’t know?? Thus, just sitting down and writing had always worked for me.

But not this time.

I think an outline would help define the scope and layout of my book. It may help define the number of chapters, stories, etc that the book will contain. I guess an outline is the way to organize the thoughts in my head into a meaningful framework on which to build. Yes, I must outline this book.

Here are my initial thoughts:

“Golfing with the Labs”

Acknowledgements 0 stories (Not Written)

Forward: 0 stories (1st draft completed, needs polishing)

Section 1: “The Putting Green” – ? stories

Section 2: “The Front Nine” – 9 stories

Section 3: “The Back Nine” – 9 stories

Section 4: “The 19th Hole” – ? stories

Epilogue – (Can I have one without a “prologue”) 0 stories

Seems reasonable. Looks like the total stories will be at least 20, but more likely, it’ll be a few more.

I have also been toying with an outline similar to this:

“Golfing with the Labs”

Acknowledgements

Forward

Section 1: Bonnie Brook

Section 2: The Club – Glen Flora CC

• Caddy Stories
• Cast of Characters

Section 3: The Holey Land of Green Grasses (Springdale GC)

But think I’ll stick with the top (first) outline which would allow for a better mixing/matching of stories which I hope would be more entertaining for the reader. The chosen outline also seems “looser” so I can just write any story that comes to mind and slot in wherever I’d like. Yes, the first outline it is!

So, now that I’ve got a “functional outline” I guess I better go write.  I’ll update the blog next Tuesday (and every Tuesday thereafter) to share the roadblocks and/or progress I have made.

Wish me luck!

My mom used to wake my brother and I up each morning by opening our bedroom door and belting out “change cars for New York.” Apparently, she picked it up from a train conductor when she was younger. I’m not really sure if that’s true, though, as I don’t ever recall mom ever telling us the story behind her saying.

So, before I share what currently motivates me each morning, I’d like you to take a few moments to think about what it is that motivates you.

For many individuals motivation stems from their desire for food & shelter. Basically, they are scared of being hungry & cold. Ya know, I get that. I like to be fed and comfortable too!

Now, this is all well & good, but let’s say you’re in a position where you will never lack for food & shelter. What would be your motivation then? Would you even be motivated? Or, would you just be content being “fat & happy”, figuring this is as good as it gets?

I guess what I’m really trying to get at is simply this – what is the “one thing” you truly desire to do? You know, the “one thing” you keep putting on the back burner, the bottom of your bucket list, or keep telling yourself “I’ll get to it later once I…” and what is keeping you from doing it?

After pushing all your excuses aside, yes, every single last one of them…have you ever taken the time to chart a path to achieve your “one thing”? Really, have you? I’m telling you, your “one thing” just isn’t going to happen randomly or by chance. That’s not how life works. You gotta have a plan, man. You gotta have a plan.

So, what’s your plan, man? What’s your plan? I mean, isn’t your “one thing” worth taking the time and making an effort to work towards? Isn’t it worth making the numerous sacrifices you’ll need to make along the way? After all, IT’S YOUR ONE THING!!

Here’s the thing, though, these words ring hollow to me. If you asked me what I’ve done to achieve my “one thing” or if I had a plan to get me there, I’d have to say “no”.

It’s not like I haven’t started down the road. It’s more like I have started/stopped my trek so many freakin’ times I’ve become fearful of where the path will lead simply because I can’t “see” the final destination & don’t know what I’ll do once I’ve arrived. I mean, what do you do once you’ve done what you’ve always desired to do?

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to “write the next great American novel.”

Now, I won’t say that’s what motivates me to get up each morning, but I will admit that each morning I hear a little voice ask “so, when are you going to start writing that novel, huh, when? If not today, how about tomorrow? If not tomorrow, how about the next day? If you’re never going to write it, why are you wasting your time thinking about writing it? Just write it already, will ya?”

It’s not that I’m lacking for ideas. I have a fantastic idea for a book covering my family’s life-long relationship with the game of golf. I’ve even gone as far as asking my family members to write their stories and send them to me for compilation. I’ve written several of my own golf stories, but…I just can’t seem to “get over the hump” and get the book all “buttoned up” and ready to go.

And that frustrates me. Frustrates me so much I don’t really care if I ever finish the dang book! Ever!

Funny thing is, though, I do care. I care deeply. Maybe too deeply. These stories hold a special place in my heart and the hearts of my family. The stories are “ours”. The stories are “special”. The stories mean “the world” to me and us; what if others view them as just words on a page?

And there it is, my deepest fear, laid out like a big fat piece of meat on a plate for public consumption…

–> The fear that others won’t value the stories as much as me. That I’d pour my heart & soul into the project and then have my project rejected. <–

I have to ask myself  – is that a good enough reason or just another excuse to keep me from accomplishing my greatest desire?

If the answer is “yes”, then I should just give up this very second, right?

If the answer is “no”, then I should pull myself up by the bootstraps and just do it.

Obviously, this book is going to get written. It has to because it’s my greatest desire and I can’t give up on the dream.

Yes, I will write it starting this week. I will blog my progress. I will share with you my greatest joys and my greatest sorrows.

I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I am writing this book for me and that’s all that really matters. I write because I want to, not for glory or fame, but because, well, because writing is my greatest passion.

Now, if that ain’t motivating, I don’t know what is…

Why is it that when you give up on whatever it is you think you wanted, God has a way of providing exactly what you need?

Windy and I  wanted to live in the country on a big ol’ rambling piece of property. Yup, we wanted “the country life” and all it entailed: a wooded area that would attract deer and other “wild animals”, room for a garden, plenty of cleared outdoor areas for the grandkids to roam around and explore, and space for chickens and a coop to name a few.

Well, the more we looked, the more we realized it wasn’t going to happen. We needed to switch gears and be a bit more realistic. Actually, over time, I think we began to realize all the work that “the country life” would require and decided that maybe, just maybe, we just weren’t up to that challenge. So, needless to say, we were a bit sad when we said “goodbye” to that dream.

That’s when God stepped in. If you’ve followed my blog at all, you know all about Him showering us with His favor during the procurement of the house. If not, you need to go read my blog titled “Scary Good”  which will explain.

So, once we moved into the new house, amazing things started to occur…

First – we saw deer among the grove of trees our backyard overlooks.

Second – we had a turkey IN our backyard.

Third – we had a deer across the street

Fourth – we had MORE turkeys visit the patio

And finally, a few more deer visiting our front yard in the evening.

Oh, let’s not forget the horses (not pictured) that roam across the 9 acres with trees (not ours) that our backyard overlooks…

The “sitting view” from the patio (nice bbq, eh?)

Sure, we’re not actually IN the country, but we sure are receiving the benefits as if we were. Who would have imagined that?

As for the open spaces for the grandkids to romp and play? There’s a public park within walking/biking distance with swings, slides and all sorts of equipment for them to enjoy.

So, we’re living the dream – not quite  “the country life” we wanted, but “the country life” as provided by God. Who can argue with that?

“Why”

It begins a myriad of questions like:

Why did this happen?

Why do I never seem to catch a break?

Why is the sky blue & the grass green?

Why do I feel like a failure?

Why do I worry about what others think of me?

Why did I buy that stupid trinket?

Why did it take the Cubs over 100 years to win another World Series?

Why do I continue to drive when my gas gauge is on “Empty”?

Answer: Because

But, but, but…

Because WHY???

Answer: Maybe because humans are curious by nature?

Nice try, but “why“?

Answer: Why not?

Maybe it’s just that simple…

“Why?”

“Why not?”

I mean, what’s the alternative? Does an alternative even exist? If you figure it out, please let me know. Why? Because, well…why not?

I believe I was in the Second Grade when I experienced my first “Ego vs. Humility” moment. It occurred during “Field Days” at my elementary school. I was participating in the shuttle race. This race required running across the playground, picking up a chalkboard eraser, racing back to the Start/Finish line, dropping the eraser, running back across the playground, picking up a second eraser, and racing back to the Finish line. Oh, and you were racing against a classmate!

The winner of each race was placed in a “Winner’s Pool”. Once all the students ran, the kids in the “Winner’s Pool” raced again while the others kids went to start the next event. This process continued until an overall “Winner” was decided.

Oh, I remember the event like it happened yesterday. I easily breezed through the many “qualification rounds”. Nobody came “even close” to defeating me. In my mind, I was simply the best shuttle runner ever. I could not lose. And I bragged to everyone within earshot, “That blue first place ribbon is mine, you shouldn’t even bother running! Who’s the champ? I’m the champ! That’s who, not you!”

Until I wasn’t…

The second “Ego vs. Humility” moment I’ll share occurred in 7th Grade at Jack Benny Jr High School in Waukegan, Illinois. I was a participant in the annual Spelling Bee for 7th & 8th grade students. As I had won my home room spelling contest,  I was one of the 15 7th graders and 15 8th graders who made it to the preliminary contest leading up to the Bee. I simply had to be one of the school’s best 15 spellers to make it into the Final. So, that’s where I set my goal.

As the preliminary rounds came and went, the number of participants dwindled until there were just 15 of us. I had made the Finals. No biggie. No doubt about it. I “knew” I would. I thought to myself,  “Hey, I can win this thing.” I started telling everyone that would listen that I was going to be the champion. Again,  the “Who’s the champ? I’m the champ! That’s who, not you!” rang out.

Until I wasn’t…

The final “Ego vs. Humility” moment I want to share occurred about 17 years ago. I was a Unix Systems Administrator responsible for making “the call” when systems needed to be shut down for repair – whether or not it impacted the business or users.  I also was responsible for running & maintaining the scheduling software which executed the nightly “job stream” which generated capacity reports etc.  The company was still recovering from the events that occurred on 9/11, so there were lay-offs and downsizing. During that time I had convinced myself  I was “the man” by believing “the company simply needed me more than I needed the company.”

Until it didn’t…

There’s a “life lesson” in there, somewhere, right? For me it’s been more like a “life-long learning experience”.  Although I may continue to struggle balancing Ego and Humility the remainder of my days on earth, I have discovered an effective method to make both of them work for me, instead of against me…

I practice gratitude every day.

When I awaken each morning I let God know I am thankful for another day on the earth. While I’m preparing for work, I give thanks for 5 events/things that happened the previous day. And so on throughout the day.

I have learned that no matter how good or bad my “situation” happens to be, if I look hard enough, I can always find something for which to be thankful. Gratitude has definitely impacted my life and I’m sure it’ll impact yours.

Practice a little “Gratitude” today!