two days, two posts, and an apple

I was reading this morning about Steve Jobs. If you saw my tweet today, you have an idea where this is going.

According to what I read in Businessweek, Steve was not a very nice man. Brilliant, but not nice. He did not treat people well. He was laser-focused on whatever product was on the drawing board, and seemingly did little to nurture those people around him.

Now, what I've read may all be patently false, but I think there's a lesson in it. You can be the most brilliant man on the planet, but if don't have love? Clang, clang.

Perhaps it's the perspective that I'm coming from. Love changes people lives. Love has the power to make an impact more powerful than any piece of technology. You may disagree, but perhaps you just don't know love like I do.

On a side note, I'm not real pleased with the thought flow of this particular post, but I think it gets my point across. And I want to go to bed.

Goodbye 2010 and hello 2011

Christmas was great. I really had a fantastic time hanging out with my friends and family at home. It was a great time of refreshing.

I was reading a blog that I follow earlier this week and the writer talked about how anxious she was to return back to her home, after visiting with her family for Christmas. Anxious to the point of tears. Reading that saddened me. And I got to thinking about how blessed I am to have a home that I want to go home to. That I have parents who don't mind me crashing in the guest room for a weekend. Parents who have consistently sent food home with me whenever I leave their house.

I'm so thankful. I wish that everyone had the relationship that we have. But they don't. And that is one of the reasons why it's so important for us to show love to the people that we come in contact with. That woman you passed on the street? You have no idea what kind of baggage that she is carrying. And you have no idea what kind of difference a smile or a kind word can make in their life.

Consider making it a goal in 2011 to go out of your way to impact someone's day every day. Hold the door for someone, smile, offer a simple greeting, or offer someone a cookie (everyone loves cookies!!). It may require effort in the beginning to do it, but in no time, it will be routine and it will become a part of who you are.

Today I feel a weight

The weight I feel is the weight of those without hope.

Last night, a man walked into a gym in suburban Pittsburgh and opened fire on a room full of women. This man was hope-less. He had a website and kept some sort of a journal. In an entry dated 01/05/09 he wrote:

Life is just playing games. One or two dates with her, then the end. No matter how many changes I try to make, things stay the same. Every evening I am alone, and then go to bed alone. Young women were brutal when I was younger, now they aren't as much, probably because they just see me just as another old man.
I see twenty something couples everywhere. I see a twenty something guy with a nice twentyish young women. I think those years slipped right by for me. Why should I continue another 20+ years alone? I will just work, come home, eat, maybe do something, then go to bed (alone) for the next day of the same thing. This is the Auschwitz Syndrome, to be in serious pain so long one thinks it is normal. I cannot wait for tomorrow!

It saddens to me to see the despair that people have in their lives. This fellow is many years older then I am, but I can somewhat relate to his frustration of being single. The difference, I know, is the hope that I have in Christ. I know that God has a plan for my life and I am trusting Him. There have been a few rough patches here and there, but my hope remains strong. Because I know on what my hope is built.

Make a difference in someone's life today. Offer a kind word or a smile. Or both!

Be love.