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Random archive letters from other years part 2 |
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Sportsmanship Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Fantastics! There is an old American proverb that goes this way:
The good sport always wins.
Did you know that it is more than just a proverb, but actually a true statement? A good sport wins because she realizes that it is a privilege to participate in competition. She practices the Golden Rule and helps create a positive, rich, healthy environment for everyone. She’s fair with her opponents, and encourages others to do their best. That’s the way it is and should be with great competitors. Let’s look at the proverb and examine it from the opposite perspective. Is a bad sport always a loser? Most people would say yes very loudly and clearly. Why? It is because a bad sport acts without dignity and respect. She yells at officials, blames others for her mistakes and laughs at an opponent’s errors. She shows no genuine respect for herself, for the opponent, or for the game in which she is a participant. One of the best examples of poor sportsmanship in my life, was when professional baseball player, Roberto Alomar, spit in the face of an umpire. It was an act of degradation and disrespect for authority. I remember that even people that didn’t like or have anything to do with baseball, had things to say about how atrocious that event was. The incident put a permanent blemish on his career and took a great deal away from his exceptional talent as a ballplayer. Complaining, whining, making excuses, attacking the opponent verbally, and trash talking, just keeps you out of the present and into a downward spiral of poor sportsmanship and the reputation of being a loser, whether you win a contest or not. A person must choose self-control when in competition. Self-control keeps you in the present with composure and a sound frame of mind. It permits you to do the very best your talent and your attitude can provide. Strive to maintain your self-control. Strive to be the good sport because in the greater scheme of things you want to be known as a winner. Keep this in mind also. The good sport will also be most receptive to adopting the “winner’s heart” that we spoke of yesterday. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Learning from Our Mistakes Thursday, November 2, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Learners! Everyday we are alive we learn something. It is part of our makeup to learn new things as we live, as we grow, and as we mature. One of the first lessons taught to toddlers once they are walking about the house is, “Don’t touch! It’s hot!” There are a few kids that simply accepted that statement and never got burned. Most children though will try to touch the object anyway. What happens? A three year old is crying crocodile tears and getting first aid for a slight burn. It doesn’t matter whether we are speaking of little boys or little girls; we will try things out in the learning process. Some lessons don’t need to be tried out. It is not necessary to run out in the street before looking both ways for us to know that in a contest against a 3,000-pound vehicle, the human child loses in a big way. Both the “it’s hot” example and the “look both ways” example deal with consequences that are physical. Not learning results in injury and physical harm. Listen to the quote from young adult author Chris Crutcher.
A truth about humans is that we are a trial and error species, we learn from our mistakes, not just our physical mistakes, but our emotional mistakes as well.
He reminds us that our trial and error approach to learning is also what we use in our emotional lessons. Most people by your age have, at least once or twice, been mean to another individual to see how they would react. We learned that our inconsiderate actions or just outright evil-doing hurts people. At this point, our individual response to what we did is what separates us into two groups of humans. The two groups are those that have empathy and compassion for others and those that are selfish, self-centered and immature. Most middle school students and adults have developed a sense of empathy. They have the understanding and desire to share the hurt that others experience. A few people in the minority get a kick out of the harm that falls to others. Getting a rush of pleasure from seeing someone hurt or belittled or embarrassed is a trait that falls in line with being a bully. When we make an emotional mistake and offend someone, the right response to show is empathy and care, and of course quickly and sincerely apologizing. The wrong thing is to enjoy it and get pleasure from the hurt caused by us. Since we learn from trial and error, I encourage you to show that you are unselfish, not self-centered, and demonstrate that you are mature, not immature. Show that you care and are concerned about the welfare of your fellow students and the adults in your lives. In fact, I challenge you to be generous with your empathy. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely. ________________________________________ Know Thyself Monday, October 16, 2006 Good day, Sequoyah Champions! When was the last time that you heard one of Aesop’s Fables? Have you ever taken time to read them? I have one for you today that teaches it is important to know yourself. Everyone should know what his or her strengths and weaknesses are. Listen to this fable carefully; it’s titled “The Stag at the Pool.” A thirsty Stag came to a spring to drink. As he drank, he looked into the pool of water and saw himself. He was very proud of his horns when he saw how big they were and what branches they had. But he looked at his feet, and took it hard that they should be so thin and weak. Now, while he was thinking about these things, a Lion sprang out and began to chase him. The Stag turned and ran. As he was very fleet, he outran the Lion so long as they were on the open plain. But when they came to a wooded place, the Stag’s horns became caught in the branches of the trees. He could not run, and the Lion caught up with him. As the Lion fell upon him with his claws, the Stag cried out: “What a wretch I am! I was made safe by the very parts I scorned, and have come to my end by the parts I gloried in!” When I was a kid I always liked Aesop’s Fables because they were short and to the point. My fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Turley introduced them to me. This one helped me understand that sometimes the most obvious strengths that a person has are not necessarily the ones that a person recognizes. One of the more obvious examples in my life would be my friend, Randy Stoltz. He grew up in California with me, and he was a great friend, but everyone in Mr. Freear’s sixth grade, including Randy thought that he was somewhat goofy at times. He was a jokester. He tried to be funny to take attention away from his appearance. He is what most people would call gangly. He believed that his arms were too long, but all of us thought that he was crazy. His arms weren’t noticeably too long. He turned out to be a tall high school kid a few years later. He was 6’5” when he graduated. He was also an outstanding tennis player. He covered the entire court as well as any tennis player in his days. He played for the state singles championship during his junior and senior year and came close to winning it. His strength may have been the length of his arms. Actually, I would say that it was remarkable how he played the court. His reach was amazing, and his racket speed was remarkable. I encourage you to find your strengths and honor them. Know yourself. Be true to yourself. Respect the strengths that have been gifted to you. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Honesty Is the Best Policy Tuesday, October 17, 2006 Good day, Sequoyah Spectaculars! “I lied.” That seems to be almost as difficult a statement as the one we discussed a few weeks ago. You remember how we spoke of Archie Bunker and his inability to say that he was sorry, even when he was grossly wrong. I think people have a hard time admitting when they weren’t truthful because everyone wants to be trusted and that includes when they tell a lie. Even if the intent was not to be dishonest, they struggle admitting a lie and correcting their statement to be truthful. In our world, there are basically two kinds of lies. There are those that are meant to be dishonest for some kind of gain and be protective of one-self, and those that are meant to be protective of someone else. How does a lie impact your life? What does it do to your reputation when you’re caught in a lie? Is honesty more important to some people than it is to others? If it is, why is that? Does lying impact a person’s health? Listen to these quotes about honesty. An honest man is the noblest work of God. - Alexander Pope No legacy is so rich as honesty. - William Shakespeare Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom. - Thomas Jefferson These great men of history had a strong position on honesty and where it fits into a good person’s life. Do you have a strong belief about honesty? Does it provide a formidable foundation for you to be thought of as a good person? Are you a person that can be trusted? Listen to another quote. Each time you are honest and conduct yourself with honesty, a success force will drive you toward greater success. Each time you lie, even a little white lie, there are strong forces pushing you toward failure. I encourage you to let the success force impact you the most. Conduct yourself with honesty. Attempt to always be truthful in your life and if you do lie, own up to it and say, “I’m sorry, I lied.” With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely. ________________________________________ Self-Control Monday, October 9, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Cougars! I want to share a story with you about self-control. Once upon a time there were these two friends walking to school. It was a beautiful, spring morning and they were going down the same sidewalk they always used to get to John Adams Elementary School. They were both fourth grade students in Mrs. Li’s (Lee’s) classroom, and had been best friends all year long. In fact, they lived next door to each other and knew they would be friends for life or at least to the end of fourth grade.
On this particular morning of sunshine, they were talking about their favorite major league baseball teams. The first boy named Billy was a great fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers and their two great pitchers, Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax. He thought they were the very best in baseball. The second boy, named Jeff, was crazy about the San Francisco Giants. He thought the batting line up that had Willie Mays hitting third and Willie McCovey hitting fourth was the best in the majors.
Their discussion turned heated when Billy said that the Dodger pitchers could strike out the Giants big bats anytime they wanted to do so. Jeff thought Billy did not know what he was saying and told him that. He told him that he was an idiot to believe in the Dodger pitchers that much. Billy got angry and told Jeff that he was dumb for even liking the Giants. Jeff called Billy a stupid jerk. Then the situation blew up.
Billy spit at Jeff and got him right in the middle of his left eye. Jeff reached to grab Billy, but only got his sack lunch. Jeff took the lunch and threw it on the ground and did a major dance on top of it. It was flatter than a watered down pancake. Billy took off running and Jeff gave chase. They ran all the way to school yelling at each other. They only got control of their behavior when they reached a teacher. The teacher helped them get composed. At the age of ten they had little self control once they were angry. They ended up making up and becoming the good friends they always had been. Their fight started with a disagreement and turned into an ugly argument because they had no self-control skills.
Jeff was a slow learner when it came to self-control, but his father always told him this:
Self-control is the key to respecting your friends.
I challenge you to always keep the key to respecting your friends in your forethought. Practice self-control every minute that you are able to do so. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely. More About Books Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Remarkables! I read a book this last weekend that reminded me of a book I had read in the past. Has that ever happened to you? The remembered book was a book that I have read a couple of times in the past. The Shepherd was written by Joseph Girzone (Gur-zo-knee). It is the story of a priest that works hard for the people that he pastors. He physically helped them with energy and effort, as well as, he spent hours on his knees praying for those in need.
I learned a great deal about human behavior from the story and was reminded several times about what is actually important in life. The story made the man appear simple in his approach to life, but the world around him constantly tried to complicate things. After years of working with his flock of people in the city, he left to live and work with a very few people in the desert in the southwestern part of the United States.
The shepherd was not concerned with his rewards here on earth. He did the things he did for people because they were the right things to do. He chose to make other people’s welfare more important than his own personal interests. He made these choices with his own freewill and never felt pressured to do things against his will. He was remarkable.
I am asked often why I spend so much time reading. The answer is that I gain so much value out of the books I choose to read, like The Shepherd. I get to know people I have never met. I have the opportunity to experience things that are new and different from what I normally experience. The reading takes me to places I have never been and I see things maybe that don’t exist any more or may be that don’t exist yet. Listen to what the great imagineer, Walt Disney, said about books.
There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.
I encourage you to be selective with what you read in your free time. I have noticed that more students this year seem to be carrying a book to read when given some free time. I think that is fantastic and it says volumes about you as students. In selecting your books make sure you choose books that you will enjoy and that will offer you something in return for your time.
With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
A Long Journey Begins Easily Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Journey Makers! Remember last week I reminded you that I love proverbs that time and wise people have given us. Listen carefully to this old Chinese proverb.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
This is a truth that many people have used to do extraordinary things in their lives. The long journey by our military in Afghanistan and Iraq began with a single step by the men and women in uniform for the United States. The difficult journey by the astronauts that leave the earth’s atmosphere to do essential research always begins with a single step. These are examples of extreme journeys, but it is also a quote that is used often by students that feel overwhelmed with homework or special projects as well. I am amazed at how much some of our students are committed to do each day. From homework to school sports teams to out of school athletics to private lessons in music and dance to every day chores and religious commitments, some of our students keep busy, busy schedules.
No matter how busy the students are; no matter what the length of the journey, you all begin the same way, with a single step. So what do I see as the difference between the many student journeys? It is when they start. Some students begin the journeys immediately, almost before they have their complete marching orders. Some students take a deep breath and plan the journey in their minds with the information they have before the first step. A few students hesitate for some reason and then move strongly on the first step. And very honestly, some students need to be pushed forward just enough to get some momentum. A parent or a teacher or even the principal can do the gentle push. It is always done with care and concern for each individual student that waits to take that first step.
Always keep this in mind; every student in our building at one time or another took a first step into Sequoyah. And check this out, all the adults that are here each day, also took a first step into Sequoyah. Regardless of who begins our common journey, we are all in it together. We all want to complete the journey through the middle school years. We share the journey, like we shared the first step.
With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Dull Axe or Sharp Axe Thursday, October 12, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Sharp Ones! When I was a kid living at home my father was always making sure that we had chores to do. Most of them were chores that had to be repeated, like taking out the garbage, mowing the lawn, washing the vehicles once a week, and cleaning our rooms. Once in a while he would have a project for us to do. I remember one day he came home from work with a trailer loaded with firewood. The problem that my brothers and I saw immediately was that the firewood was in huge pieces. Some of the individual pieces filled a large wheelbarrow by themselves. We unloaded the wood and moved it into the back yard, where the instructions to split and stack it were given by Dad. My father gave us an axe, two sledgehammers and four wedges. I don’t know if you have ever tried to split green wood or not, but it is like trying to cut rubberized concrete. My two brothers and I were splitting wood for a week. Of course, our idea was to wait a year and let the wood season some and dry out. It wouldn’t be easier, but it would delay it 12 months. That was an unacceptable option to the man in charge. He felt we already had enough seasoned wood and wanted to have a stack of green wood. We worked diligently on splitting the wood and stacking it in the woodpile for the winter. The sledgehammers and wedges worked best, but it took accuracy to hit the wedges repeatedly. My brothers and I argued about who would get to use the hammer and wedges. No one wanted to use the axe because it was not as sharp as it could have been. When we swung it against the green wood, it seemed like it just bounced instead of taking a bite. We didn’t even think about sharpening it until my dad saw how it was reacting to the wood. He sharpened it and we could see an immediate difference in it as a cutting tool. We had been using more energy and strength than we needed to because the blade was dull. The edge was simply not as sharp as it could have been. Listen to this anonymous quote.
If the axe is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength.
This quote is not meant to be used as only wisdom for cutting wood. The person who said this was actually talking about any task. An example for you might be in doing your homework. How do you do it? Are you focused? Or are you distracted by a television show? Are you at a table or desk? Or are you lying on a bed, trying to stay awake? Do you have the materials and books that you need? Or do you use missing something as an excuse not to complete an assignment? Are your tools dull, or do they have a sharp edge to them? Are you using more energy and brain strength than you need? I challenge you to examine your approach to your studies and the tasks that are presented to you in school. Don’t be like me, cutting wood with a dull axe. Be sharp and keep an edge to your homework responsibilities. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely. Dealing with Anger Friday, October 13, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Great Ones! I was 12 years old in 1967 when the Palestinians and the Israelis had a horrible series of conflicts that culminated with many people, both military and civilian, losing their lives. I remember watching the battles in the streets and communities on television and wondering why the heightened emotion displayed as anger from the two groups could not have been used in a positive manner.
The violence in that small area of the world that has occurred over the last 5 months has reminded me many times of my thoughts in 1967. It is an awful situation for all of the people involved. It is happening again when just a few years ago; I thought that peace was going to be established for both nations and Lebanon for the first time in their history. They have been in conflict with each other for almost sixty years.
This following statement is a truth I have seen for my almost 51 years of life. We live on a planet where people choose to express their anger in the wrong way. Most people choose to demonstrate their anger in violent, dangerous, and destructive ways. Every individual experiences anger at some time in his or her life, and we can all deal with it in many different ways. Learning to recognize our anger and what causes it, and learning to drive it in a positive direction is part of what makes us mature people. Remember, what we are about in life is learning to be mature in our decision-making. Mature people are considered grown up; it’s not big people in size necessarily. It is mature decisions that count. Listen closely to one of the people in history that I admire. Mohandas Gandhi was a pacifist and spiritual leader from India. He said:
Our anger can be transformed into a positive power, which can move the world.
His life was an example of transforming the anger into something positive that could move the world and give it a new direction. It definitely changed the world in which he lived, and indirectly impacted Martin Luther King, Jr. and the American Civil Rights Movement in our country in the early 1960’s.
Anger turned into a positive direction makes an impact in our lives.
I dare you to turn any anger you have into a positive direction and see what happens. In fact, I double dare you. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
________________________________________ Competition vs. Cooperation Monday, October 2, 2006 Good day, Sequoyah Super Competitors! Have you ever seen any of the eating contests on television? The competitive-eating phenomenon is crazy. The contests are for eating all types of foods and are held all over the world. The most famous contest is held every Fourth of July at Nathan’s on Coney Island’s boardwalk. The returning champion, Takeru Kobayashi, was again the winner by eating a record 53 and ¾ hot dogs and buns. Even though I watched it happen this last summer, I still find it hard to believe. Just seeing that many hot dogs stacked on a plate and imagining them being eaten in just twelve minutes is difficult to conceive. The people that compete in eating contests come in various sizes. Kobayashi is an average sized man from Japan. Eric “Badlands” Booker is a-420-pound-subway conductor slash rapper and the world champion for eating donuts. One of the more popular women eaters is Sonya Thomas. She is nicknamed the “Black Widow.” Get this! She is only five feet, five inches tall and weighs just 103 pounds, but has eating titles for asparagus, baked beans, chicken nuggets, chicken wings, eggs, fruitcake, hamburgers, jambalaya, tacos, and many more. She is amazing. I like the nick names that competitors pick up. There’s “Hungry” Charles Hardy and Ed “Cookie” Jarvis and Rich “Locust” LeFevre. Although competitive eating has a new level of popularity right now, there is historical evidence that it has occurred for hundreds of years. I have even been in a couple of contests. The last one was actually held in the Sequoyah Cafeteria in 1996. We had a pancake eating contest between the middle schools’ football teams. Each school was represented by four football players, a coach and the principal. It was fun, but it was a mess. We called it “Louie’s Pancake Eating Contest!” It was based on the character, Louie, found in the Gary Paulsen book, Harris and Me. Summit won that contest eating over 100 pancakes in ten minutes. The other eating contest in which I participated was after the spring high school sport season in 1974. The school held a pizza eating contest. Teams were made up of three people and pizzas had to be eaten completely for them to count. The contest was one hour long and Geno Lambert, David Judy and I finished off nine extra large pepperoni pizzas. When we quit, we thought we were going to die. If you tap your desk right now, you will know how hard the surfaces of our stomachs were. We were miserable. What’s the difference between my two contests and the ones at the beginning of this letter? I was part of a team. Part of the fun was sharing the challenge and then the discomfort. Misery loves company, and my friends and I talked about that experience for years afterwards. Could I have eaten 9 pizzas by myself? Not a chance, but with my friends it was possible. A team will always accomplish more than a person working alone. Always. Listen to this anonymous quote. More can be gained by working together than can be obtained by one individual. Our country became great by men and women cooperating, not by citizens competing with each other.
I challenge everyone connected to Sequoyah to find ways to cooperate. I encourage you to work together towards creating a great school. It will be something memorable for you. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely. Where’s Your Road Lead? Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Road Travelers! One of my annual gifts from my wife is a new atlas road map. Susan knows that I love to spend relaxing times just laying on the bed to study the newest maps of our country and really, the highways and roadways of our continent. I try to imagine many possible trips across the United States coast-to-coast or big loops that include driving to the Yucatan of Mexico or to the Alaskan frontier through the Northwest Territory of Canada. I love to travel by car and I can appreciate the interstate freeway system, but I also get a kick out of the older two lane highways, and I am not afraid to venture down a dirt road. There are so many possibilities of routes to get to just about any destination that I could drive every day for the rest of my life and never cover them all. I think that I would have loved being a traveling sales person in the first half of the last century. Each of our lives is much like an atlas road map book when we are young. There are an unlimited number of possibilities to get us to what ever our destination will be. One day in the past, some students in Mrs. Keller’s publication class interviewed me. They asked several great questions. One in particular, that caused me to think about it after the interview was over, was this one. “Why did you become a principal?” The answer was probably too wordy, and I’m not sure I explained why clearly. In a short version, the answer is in this quote from a young adult book I read last summer:
Sometimes a person gets to a certain place because that’s where his road leads him.
We all make choices that guide and drive us to certain places in our lives. I didn’t know thirty-two years ago when I graduated from high school in Santa Maria, California, that I would be the principal of Sequoyah Middle School in Edmond, Oklahoma, on October 3, 2006. But I did decide to go down the roads that led me to this point and place in my life. Likewise, you are making decisions and choices that will get you to a certain place someday. I like doing what I am doing now. Hopefully 35 years from now, all of you will have the ability to say the same thing. How can you be sure to get to the certain place that you want to get to some day? Make the choices that benefit you. Watch for life road signs that say, “No Outlet,” “No Turn Around,” “No Exit,” “Wrong Way,” “Curves Ahead,” and many others that may give you a heads-up-warning, well ahead of time. Make sure you get to a certain place someday, because that is where you carefully chose for your road to lead you. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
The Value of a Friend Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Students! What is the value of a good friend? That is a question that each of us will have to decide on the answer individually. Although our answers will be similar, there may be some differences based on our experiences with people. I can provide some of my ideas about how I would answer that question though. The value of a good friend is measured by the way my emotions and feelings are magnified or reduced. When I see a funny movie, my laughter is hardier and probably louder and longer with a good friend. My memory of retelling the scene is greater as well when the laughter was shared. Things that happen in life that are humorous are more memorable when I recall a friend’s reaction to it. When I ride an amusement park ride, the intensity and thrill is multiplied by sitting next to a good friend. The value of the ride’s excitement is intensified two fold. It becomes that much greater of an experience to tell others. There is a rush of enjoyment when sharing a thrill ride with a good friend. When I have a problem, the value of a good friend shows up in that she helps me keep the proper perspective of the problem. A good friend offers me a sounding board, someone who’s feedback I can trust and rely upon to help solve the problem. Sometimes that good friend can even assist me in reducing the stress that problems create. Even if the problem is not easily solved, the friend is with me and will support my decisions usually. When I have something that happens that is considered heartbreaking, a good friend is simply there for me. She physically is present and willing to stay present. A good friend will not abandon me when times get rough and tough, but will stand true to the friendship. What is the value of a friend? A friend makes me a better person every time we are together. A friend believes that she is a better person because of me. We both want to keep and care for the friendship because we recognize the value of it. We work to nurture and improve the friendship. It is a mutual treasure that is meaningful and significant in our lives. It is a treasure that time makes life richer and more precious. Listen to this ancient and wise proverb.
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
The friendships that we build and value are exceptional and extraordinary rewards for the work and labor we do with others to create them. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Hidden Treasures Thursday, October 5, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Treasure Seekers! Have you ever buried a “treasure” with the intent of finding it someday? I did several times as a kid. There is no telling what I buried that I forgot about during my childhood. I do remember a day in fifth grade, Robert Lloyd and I each putting a nickel in a baggie and burying it after lunch in the far reaches of the playground. We had chosen the chicken way to become blood brothers. Instead of mixing blood, we combined coins and buried them with the belief that as long as they were hidden in the ground our friendship was safe and would last forever, like brothers. As far as I know the ten cents is still buried there at Pine Grove Elementary School in California. The idea of hiding your treasures in the ground is as old as written history. Three thousand years ago in the Middle East, like elsewhere, there weren’t any banks to lock your valuables in for safekeeping. The earth became the safest place to keep a private treasure. It was a practice that when a person obtained some money or slight wealth that he buried it in a field. He would always make a map. Because of the laws in those days, the person who owned the property owned items found in a field. So sometimes a person buried their treasure in another person’s field and then went about trying to buy the property. Or if they found treasures in someone else’s field they would sell all their possessions with joy in order to purchase the property. People’s crude maps were regularly lost and therefore, the locations of small treasures and great treasures remained hidden. This mistake of losing the maps created a number of treasure seekers. Even archeologists, nowadays, are basically searching for hidden treasures. There are 3 ways to find hidden treasures. The easiest is to actually have an old map that helps a person find the location. The second is to accidentally find the treasure by working in a field or maybe even tripping over it as a person plows the property. The third way to find a hidden treasure is to have someone tell you where it is. Hang with me here, as I try to change directions just a tad. Most of you know how much I love proverbs from the wisest people in history. I have used proverbs from many cultures in my letters to you. From Confucius to Benjamin Franklin, from Mohammad to Jesus, I have used proverbs. What I like most, are the proverbs from a wise King named Solomon. King Solomon of Israel wrote the abundance of his proverbs about life around 1000 B. C. Listen to this one.
Search for wisdom as for hidden treasure.
In this proverb, he encourages us to look for wisdom like we would if we were searching for hidden treasure. Like hidden treasures, we can find wisdom in three ways. We can locate it with a map; basically we are searching for wisdom by reading about it or seeing it in a movie or hearing it in a song. Regardless of how; we are actively seeking it. The second way we discover wisdom is by accident. We stumble on it and keep it; we want it so much we are willing to give up what we thought was valuable for it. The third and final way we find wisdom is to have someone else tell us where it is. So I challenge you to do as King Solomon suggested, “Search for wisdom as for hidden treasure.” With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely. Perfect! Friday, October 6, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Baseball Fans! It’s World Series time again! Here’s a story from the history of baseball. Fifty years ago this Sunday, a unique, once in a life time event occurred in the wonderful sport of baseball. An average ball player set a record that can never be broken; it can only be tied. Don Larsen, a pitcher for the New York Yankees threw a perfect game. It is to this day the only perfect game pitched in World Series history. It was the fifth game of the 1956 World Series being played on October 8 between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Yankees. In a sense the game was quick with Don Larsen needing only 97 pitches to complete the historic contest, but I speculate it moved slower as it went on. Pitching a perfect game in baseball requires a full team effort. The pitcher has to make sure that he does not walk any player and throw as many strike outs as possible. The players behind him on the field have to make every play that comes their direction without any errors. If the team can prevent any opponent from getting on base for 27 outs, then the game gets recorded as a perfect game. It hasn’t happened often in major league baseball, and Larsen’s game is the only time it has occurred in a World Series. I would have loved watching that game. Imagine the momentum building and the anxious feelings that fans from both teams experienced. Don Larsen won the MVP award for that World Series. He said many times afterwards over the next 40 years that it was one of the greatest moments in his life and that he thought about it in reflection and fond memory everyday of his life after his baseball career was completed. Listen to this though. Larsen’s career won-loss record was 81 -91. He lost more games than he won. He was not a life time Yankee. He actually played for 7 different major league teams in a time when athletes just didn’t do that, that much. Only twice did he win at least 10 games in one season. To be honest, most people would have never heard of Don Larsen if it wasn’t for his remarkable performance on one day in one World Series game. Before the game that day he wasn’t thinking about pitching a perfect game. In fact, it wasn’t until half way through the contest that he thought about a no-hitter, and it wasn’t until the bottom of the seventh inning that the perfect game idea hit him. He was sitting in the dugout next to his teammate, the great Oklahoma ballplayer, Mickey Mantle, and he said, “Look at the scoreboard, Mick. Wouldn’t it be something? Two more innings to go.” And it was something to witness and people still enjoy reading about it. Don Larsen changed what he was thinking about during that game and in the last six outs he started thoughts about perfection and it happened. Listen to this quote from Maxwell Maltz. Within you right now is the power to do things that you never dreamed possible. This power becomes available to you just as soon as you can change your beliefs.
We can all do things thought impossible if we change our beliefs. It was once thought impossible to fly. It was once thought impossible to stay under water for a significant length of time. It was once thought impossible to transplant a human heart. What will you change believed impossible by changing your beliefs.
Now I would normally end this long letter, but there is more to the story that matters to us. I need to share it with you. Don Larsen said that the two most nervous people on the planet that day was himself and the last batter for the Brooklyn Dodgers. That batter, a pinch hitter, had only been with the Dodgers for two months. He had spent his eleven year career as a Cleveland Indian and in fact held many records for that team. He helped them win the 1948 World Series. That last plate appearance in the 1956 game was one of the last times at bat in his career. In fact his last at bat was a couple days later in Game Seven again as a pinch hitter. He had a career .312 batting average in the major leagues. Prior to professional baseball, he grew up in the little town of Colony, Oklahoma, and then played college baseball at the University of Oklahoma where he still holds the career batting average record of .467, with a senior season average of .507. That means that he got a hit one out of two times at the plate. He died in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1987. His name was L. Dale Mitchell. The University of Oklahoma honored him by naming their baseball park after him. Kind of neat, isn't it? With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely. ________________________________________ Reading to Know Others Monday, September 25, 2006 Good day, Sequoyah Cougars! Do you remember when you first realized how big the world really was? For me it was when I was in third grade. I went to Huston Elementary School in Blackwell, Oklahoma, and my teacher was Mrs. Fitzgerald. At that time the only other Fitzgerald I knew of was John Fitzgerald Kennedy. As a little kid I actually thought she was related to the President of the United States. I also thought there were only two Jeffs in the world, a kid on television and me. I had no idea how big the world really was. I remember that Mrs. Fitzgerald laughed fondly at my statement about her being related to the President. During the school year she introduced me to more people than any other teacher I had before or after. She loved biographies and shared that love with all of her students. That was the year I met Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Daniel Boone, Davie Crockett, Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Abraham Lincoln, Florence Nightingale, Knute Rockne, John F. Kennedy and dozens more people, living and dead. She started each school day reading a biography to us for thirty minutes and ended each day reading for fifteen minutes. We loved her. She has since passed away, but has left the desire to know others with me and I imagine hundreds of other former students. Listen to this anonymous quote.
The world comes in all sizes. It can be as small as your bedroom, as comfortable as your town, or as large as your imagination. Books enlarge your world. If you expand your mind, you expand your world.
I didn’t realize as a nine-year-old kid what gift Mrs. Fitzgerald was giving to me twice a day. She helped me realize that the world was much larger and I could even increase its size by choice. I challenge you to enlarge your world by reading and meeting others that have lived wonderful lives, as well as those that are experiencing fantastic lives as we speak. Who will you meet this year if you choose to read about others? What person in history will tell you about their life and the times in which they lived? Will you choose to expand you mind so that you can expand your world? My hope is that you will do so with energy and vigor and excitement! With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Owning Up to Errors Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Cougars! Have you ever made a mistake or committed an error and then chosen to not correct it? Have you ever had a friend that has wronged you and you can’t understand why he or she won’t apologize? Why do you think it is so hard for people to own up to their own errors and then apologize? What make s a person be stubborn, even to the point of losing a good friend or messing up a family relationship?
I remember watching a television show in the early 1970’s where the main male character could not say the simple words, “I’m sorry.” In fact, I have seen it as a rerun on Nick-at-Night and also on TV land. The man that could not say those simple words was uneducated, self-centered and intolerant. He was one of the more famous television characters out of the first fifty years of that medium. If you have watched it enough you know I am talking about Archie Bunker in All in the Family. It didn’t make any difference how wrong he was; he refused to say, “I am sorry.” No matter what the mistake was or what was at stake of being lost, he would not say those words. During the sixth year it was on television, after everyone believed that it would never happen, Archie slowly, painstakingly told his wife, Edith, he was sorry he hurt her with something he said.
Over the years, I have seen many people choose to lose friendships because they were too stubborn and proud to admit they were wrong and apologize. They chose to lose the great relationship rather than correct it. They gave up on a valuable friendship.
Listen to this quote from General Peyton C. March:
Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes is right, but it takes a slightly bigger man to acknowledge instantly and with out reservation that he is in error.
I challenge each of you to always choose to be a bigger person when needed and acknowledge any mistake that needs correction. It is a step in becoming a mature person. Some adults never get there; most kids aren’t expected to be there yet. You have the ability to make people see you in a mature light, grown up, and ready for difficult decisions. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Why Worry? Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Terrifics! Do you wonder why parents worry about you? Why do they worry about your future? Why do they worry about your health when you say you don’t feel well? What causes them to worry what is best for you as a student, as an athlete, as a person who someday will be independent? As a parent, I can try to answer those questions. It is because they love you, and they always will, even when you become an adult. So human nature creates a legitimate, affectionate concern for others when you love them. We expend a ton of energy on worrying about those people that mean something to us. That’s okay, but what if we are worrying about something that means a lot less. What if we worry about who is going to win a college football game? Or what if we worry about being in trouble when getting sent to the office? Or what if we worry about what time we need to go to sleep? Or what time we need to wake up? Are these types of worrying a good use of time and energy? Does it help in any way to be anxious about things like these? It would be nice if it were as easy as saying I am not going to worry about anything anymore. But it doesn’t happen that easy. A few years ago a popular song said it this way, “Don’t worry, be happy!” And that’s a great idea, and although a person can make that choice, sometimes human nature prevents it from happening. Listen closely to each word of wisdom in this anonymous statement.
Why worry? Worry is like a rocking chair, it will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.
This quote basically says that worrying will take a lot of energy from you, with no benefit of getting you anywhere. It’s like when I was four years old and I would be on my knees in my dad’s parked car. I would play like I was driving and make all the right engine sounds and the neat wheel squealing noises, but after thirty minutes of doing that I was still just in the driveway. I would choose to play and expend the energy, but find myself in the same place I started. Walter Hagen, a great American golfer, made this statement. You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way. I challenge you to take his advice. Don’t hurry and definitely don’t worry. Enjoy each and every day in your life. Some students actually spend time worrying about becoming an adult. I would advise you to stop that as quickly as possible and instead enjoy not being an adult. With words that I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life – or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Quality is Job One Thursday, September 28, 2006
Good day, Sequoyah Fantastics! All through the 1990’s the United States was concerned about quality in performance, in production, and in life style. There were a ton of questions about whether people in our culture were pursuing excellence. It didn’t make any difference whether you were talking about a major corporation like the Ford Motor Company or a simple issue like did a student do the best he could on an assignment. People wanted quality to be present. They still do. And even if you don’t recognize it, you also want top quality. Excellence is desired by all ages. Young people want high quality CD’s or well made clothing or videos/DVDs without glitches. You want the best-designed cell phone that picks up weak signals and makes them clear and easily understood, and that looks hot. You want to spend your money on the highest quality movies that are exciting and
-Melodic Time- · Mon Jun 16, 2008 @ 04:53am · 0 Comments |
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