A Big Dose of Common Sense

Love him or hate him, Glenn Beck can always strike a chord with the American people. He wrote this amazing letter to his daughter while she was attending Freshman Orientation. He later shared it at his commencement address at Liberty University. I heard it on the radio yesterday and was floored. I thought it was worth sharing.

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My daughter just started her first year in college and as I was flying here today, I didn't feel like I had anything to share with you that you hadn't already learned here. I took out my journal and looked up the things that I wrote to my daughter as she was sitting there listening to one of her professors on her first day as a Freshman. These are the things that I wrote to tell my daughter:

“You are never alone and there is never trouble that is beyond help. Your father loves you and your Heavenly Father loves you. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow may never come, but as long as we have today, it's never too late. Question with boldness. Read what they tell you not to. Challenge everything. The educated of this time are growing arrogant, and arrogance leads to darkness. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. However, sanitizer is a must, especially in New York City. In New York City, honey, it's best both times just not to touch.

“Look for the exits. They may save your life. Respect others. Know that they are most likely afraid, just like you. In fact, I found more arrogant and forceful they become, the more afraid they are. The worst thing in life you can do is dishonor yourself or your family and then go living a life without setting it right. Marry for love, marry for laughs, but most importantly, as my wife Tania taught me, marry with God. For without God, life's storms are too strong to withstand.

“Wealth and fame are an illusion. We've been rich, we've been poor. We've been happy both times. The only times I've truly been miserable is when I was lying to myself or to others. Alcohol and drugs make life easier for a very short time and then they destroy. There is no experience that is bad. Experience just is. It's what you do with that experience, how you'll use it. Will it shape your life for the better and help you become a stronger person? Or will you allow those experiences to smother and destroy you? Call 911 first and then call your dad.

“Always have a picture on your desk of someone you admire. Don't let life wash over you wave after wave. You're not a rock. Learn from the waves. Learn from the currents. Choose to sail. 'I am that I am' is the most powerful phrase in any language, as it is the name of God. Never use it in vain. Use it to create who you want to be. I am, blank. But know if you don't fill that blank in, someone else will. You can ignore it, but if you do, it will be filled in by others or just life. There will always be many that will try to fill that blank in but only you can fill it in and be happy.

“The Lord lives and He is personal. He loves you, and He's always there to help. But we have to train ourselves to hear it. We have to use our faith and exercise it like a muscle. The more we use faith, the louder He becomes. Serve Him in all things. Stand where He asks you to stand. Stand, for you do have a purpose. Your job is just to remember who you are, remember what you agreed upon. We're meant to be happy. But remember, no pain, no gain. Life is hard and then it gets harder. And then you die. But every single second of life is worth it.

“Always say what you mean and mean what you say. Turn the other cheek and always forgive. But don't forget so much that you put yourself in the same situation. Question authority, including everything that I've just told you. Make these things true because you know them to be true. You have everything you need. You have everything you need to be happy. May you figure that out before I do.

“Freedom, rights, are given to man by God. They are His. Protect them. You are the guardian. Private jet travel is the only material thing that can actually change your life. However, refined manner, gentleness, meekness, kindness, will be the only currency of any true value. Stuff doesn't matter. Forgiveness is divine. The atonement is real. You are worthy. Hell is an eternity of regret, not being able to forgive yourself. Walk a lot and never stop noticing things around you. When you do, change your ways or change your address.

“People are good. They want to do the right thing. Give them the opportunity. Shadows are darkest at noon, and it always gets colder before sunrise. It's never wrong to do the right thing. Learn to love others that you don't know or really don't like. Read the scriptures every day. They are alive, and He speaks to you through them. There are no coincidences in life. Learn, laugh, love. Sleep hard and sleep less. Pray on your knees.

“To whom much is given, much is required. You've been given the world and beyond. Only date those who love you as much as I do. Only date those who will treat you as I have tried. Never want anything too much. You'll always end up paying too high of a price one way or another. If you must shoot, shoot to kill.

“Labels are meaningless. Someone you meet today is afraid or suffering. Find them. Comfort them. Never let the sun go down without saying you're sorry for your wrongs. Your dad misses you. Call him. Call him now. What? Why haven't you called him yet? Life goes by far too fast. Keep a journal. Write what you think; write what you question; write what you know. There is order in all things. Stay in that order. Stay in the flow. You will find very few real friends in life. Cherish them. Things will change and you'll fall in and out of each other's lives, but when you do come back, it will be as if you never left.

“The hardest thing to do is to admit failure, to admit weakness. Only the very strong do. The weak never ask for help. Fasting is prayer. Fasting without prayer is a diet. And why? Why haven't you called your father yet?”

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Until Next Time, Dear Readers.

Just in case those concerned with the fact that Glenn Beck is a Mormon, this is not my support of him or his beliefs in Mormonism. Removing that fact, this is still a beautiful letter from a father to his daughter. For reasons why I don't support Mormonism, please read here:

http://www.seafox.com/mormons.html

Thank you.

My Favorite “Original” Christmas Songs Written Over the Past 40 Years

Every day for the past few weeks, I've been stuck in an office for eight hours a day, forced to listen to a somewhat limited variety of continuous Christmas music. A 'Soft Rock' station plays Christmas music 24/7 from Thanksgiving all the way through December 25th (Heaven help me if it plays through the New Year!) and it's the only time we can have music playing in our office throughout the whole year. Seems rather hypocritical, but I'm not even going to get started on that!

While trying not to puncture my ear drums throughout the day, it got me thinking about my favorite "original" Christmas songs over the past 40 years. Christmas music, in my honest opinion, can be separated into three catagories: Carols, Traditional, and Pop/Modern; but one can only be subjected to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Silent Night," "Little Drummer Boy," and "Winter Wonderland" among many others, before you end up in the psychiatric ward no matter which Christmas song I hear.

Thankfully, there are several songs, that no matter how many times I hear them, I never grow tired of them. And what I have listed below are those songs. These songs are in no particular order of preference.

Celebrate Me Home
By Kenny Loggins

Written by Bob James and Kenny Loggins in 1976, 'Celebrate Me Home' radiates great warmth and a nostalgic feeling every time I hear it. It’s very much in the same vein of ‘I’ll Be Home for Christmas’, with the core message of the song hinging on memories of home “whenever I find myself too all alone, I can sing me home.” It’s conveys the perfect emotional tone of the arrival home and a loving family's embrace.

All I Want for Christmas Is You
By Mariah Carey

Written by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff in 1994, ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ perfectly embodies the bubble gum pop of the 1960s while still staying fresh fifteen years later. It’s a great saccharin sweet love long that conveys the message that material gifts come in a distant second compared to spending Christmas with the one you love.

Christmastime
By Michael W. Smith

Written by Joanna Carlson and Michael W. Smith in 1998, 'Christmastime' sounds more like a modern day carol than a pop song. It encompasses the lyrical and melodic beauty of heaven and earth rejoicing the arrival of the Son of God. I could listen to this song a dozen times a day and never grow weary of hearing it. ‘Welcome to Our World’ and the instrumental ‘Hope of Israel’ are two additional Christmas gems, all located on the same album.

Tennessee Christmas
By Amy Grant

Amy Grant and her then husband Gary Chapman wrote this Christmas staple back in 1983. The album was a constant in our Christmas record rotation soon after its release, but only after moving to Tennessee and getting married here did it begin to hold a special place in my heart. Certain outdoor elements of Christmas may be appealing for some, but being surrounded by family and friends back home “is the only Christmas for me.”

Alfie the Christmas Tree/Carol for a Christmas Tree
By John Denver & the Muppets

John Denver & the Muppets released my all-time favorite Christmas album, ‘A Christmas Together’, back in 1979. It blended traditional carols, contemporary favorites, and new material with the crazy and joyful bliss that only Kermit and his pals could successfully deliver. Written by Lee Elwood Holdridge and John Denver, they bring to life a simple, yet charmingly sweet story of Alfie, a Christmas tree who doesn’t want to leave the forest until it realizes that there are children who still don't know the joys Christmas.