When we visit
Hannah at the university she attends and lives during the school year, we
travel a serpentine road up through the mountains and I can say it is the
prettiest part of the trip. I like the
way the sun leaks through the tops of trees.
I like the smell of the crisp air.
I like the s turns, feeling a little like Matt Kenseth on the NASCAR
circuit.
Along the way as
we begin the assent up the mountain, there is a rundown, ratty, wooden house
that at first, we thought was an abandoned shack. I mean, it looked absolutely and totally
inhospitable and uninhabitable. In fact,
to this day, I still don’t know where the road is to get to that house. We look for that house each and every time we
make the trip.
One trip we were
shocked, stunned really, to see clothes hanging from a clothesline strung along
the front porch and to see smoke coming out of the chimney. It seems that what looked like an abandoned
shack wasn’t abandoned at all. And,
there was a newer pickup truck parked among the weeds on the side of the
house. The rundown, beat up house was
incongruent to the new pickup truck. The
clothes hanging on the clothesline looked misplaced. There is a part of me that
wants to explore the route to get to that house, knock on the door, and meet
the people who live there. I kind of
want to see the inside.
Now, I don’t mean
to sound uncharitable and judgmental. That
isn’t my intent. It’s like the old
adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover!” It’s just that the outward appearance is so
shocking to think that someone lives there.
At times, I’ve
found the reverse to be true.
When my family and
I moved to Virginia, we had to go house hunting. There were some houses that from the outside,
we didn’t even bother to see the inside.
There were other houses that looked great, had wonderful curb appeal as
they say, but when we saw the inside, we were disappointed. The outside didn’t match the inside.
Two houses with
sort of similar results. One looking
absolutely inhabitable, yet someone lives there, while another looking
inviting, yet on the inside, not habitable- at least we couldn’t live there
because I’m not handy enough to fix it up and we didn’t have the money to have
someone come in to fix it for us.
I’d like you to
consider the concept of Inside Out as it applies to people.
I believe,
strongly, that what resides in the heart shows itself very clearly in the words
and actions of the person.
A person can
espouse ugly, sarcastic, and hateful remarks.
A person can denigrate, belittle, and demean. A person can show indifference, a lack of
concern, and ignore the efforts, the pain, the suffering, or even the joy in
others.
Or . . .
A person can share
beauty and build up instead of tear down.
A person can bring joy, and raise someone up, lift a spirit, and
recognize the effort, the pain, the suffering another is mired in.
I contend that in
both cases, what resides in the heart shows itself very clearly in a person’s
words, expressions, and actions. For how
can it be otherwise? Human nature is
quick to discover the charlatan who speaks one way, but acts another. We are quick to recognize that perhaps the
purpose behind one’s actions might be less than stellar or honest.
So, what is in
your heart this day? Tomorrow? In your lifetime? And as you look in the mirror, are you as
honest with yourself as you are with others . . . or not? Do you seek to build up or tear down? Do you bring one joy or sadness? Do you reach out a hand to help or do you
ignore or discourage? Because what is in
your heart will . . . and does . . . reveal who you are by your words and your
actions. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
My third book, the
second book of the trilogy, Shattered
Lives, will be heading to the editor on February 16. People have been asking and I can tell you
that it will be available on Amazon either at the end of this month or the
beginning of March. It carries forward
the journey that began with the prequel, Taking
Lives, and with the first book of the trilogy, Stolen Lives.
The book blurb for
Shattered Lives is:
The FBI thought
the boys were safe. So did their
parents. So did the hospital staff. That is, until people began dying.
More than a
hundred arrest warrants were served and members of the human trafficking ring
were arrested, but six dangerous men escaped and go into hiding. Led by Detective Anthony Dominico, Brett
McGovern’s uncle and the man responsible for Brett’s abduction, they vow
revenge on those who forced them to run, including his fourteen year old nephew
and his family, George Tokay, a fourteen year old Navajo youth, fourteen year
old twins Randy and Billy, and their father Jeremy Evans. These boys, along with four others freed from
captivity in Chicago, are in danger and live in fear that at any moment, they
could be murdered along with their families.
To catch yourself
up, you can find Taking Lives at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MG2JAWE?ie=UTF8&at=aw-android-pc-us-20&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links
You can find Stolen Lives at: http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Lives-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00PKKN6W4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415908221&sr=1-1&keywords=Stolen+Lives%2C+Joseph+Lewis
jl