Icewind's Ramblings

Memorial Day 2013 This post is one that struck me when it was first circulated in 2009 by the Anchorage Daily News as an opinion piece ran here: http://www.adn.com/opinion/view/story/807109.html It still holds meaning for me today and I wanted run it again as I think it captures the essence of this holiday and its true meaning in how it came to be and the fact that life goes on . . . Our view: Memorial Day We honor the fallen today with silence and taps and life Published: May 24th, 2009 04:40 PM Last Modified: May 24th, 2009 04:48 PM Chances are that when you opened this page you saw the photograph first, in the same second that you saw the headline.  When you look at it and read the caption, isn't it easy to imagine the grandfather buried beneath that headstone, wherever he is, taking great joy in the grandchildren who visit his grave? Today we honor the dead who served, from those killed in battle to those who died peacefully decades after t...

Life Observation # 169 - Patience  "Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a false messiah."           - Illusions by Richard Bach - Sometimes in our life we go through something and while in the middle of it may not understand why things are the way they are.  What I have learned is that you must trust yourself and stay true to your values even when the outcome and costs to yourself are on the line. I think it is about the value of a man or woman holding onto what they believe and having the understanding that it is not always in our hands or timetable to change the outcome. Patience was a hard thing for me to learn but after 7 months I think I have a pretty good grasp of it. Great things are on the horizon and I am spreading my wings to soar up to new heights to see it come to fruition! H...

Life Observation # 167 Purpose gives life meaning. The human mind has no elastic limit. Ice

Several months ago I watched the movie, “Moneyball” with Brad Pitt.  It is a baseball story on the Oakland A’s rebuilding their baseball team using on base statistics as opposed to high dollar ball players.  There was a song that Pitt’s daughter in the story played that has kind of stuck with me since and at different times kept going off in my head. Major league baseball slang for playing in the big leagues is called being in “The Show” which the name of the song is written by Lenka.  It is a catchy little tune but it kept going over in my mind how much like Life it applies for many of us.   “I'm just a little bit caught in the middle, Life is a maze and love is a riddle, I don't know where to go, can't do it alone, I've tried and I don't know why. Slow it down, make it stop or else my heart is going to pop', Cause it's too much, yeah it's a lot to be something I'm not, I'm a fool out of love 'cause I just can't get ...

I think sometimes as we live our lives we get wrapped up in all that is going on and forget what is truly meaningful within our existence.  I have stated over and over that we need to live in the “Now” moment as that is the only thing that really exists in our lives.  The past is just that, gone forever and the future is not yet arrived and is still in the fantasy state of our minds. There’s no way to get around the fact that life is here and now with our entire being a whole entity and indivisible from ourselves.  How you choose to think, feel, and be is going to be what you get back out of life in the experiences you have and create.  Create positive thoughts and for the most part you will experience positive things and people back in return.  If you wake up and choose to be negative then there is a great chance that you will have a negative day or experience the not so good things coming back your way.  It all stands to reason just as common sense ...

Many of us get wrapped up in things and continually have issues with time and our management of it in our lives.  There are so many different items to be sorted and dealt with as one walks along our timeline in this life. Is it easy, probably not, and how you deal with things will make you either totally stressed or worked up or as things become a little clearer in our thought process we may start seeing that calm that comes with a Zen-like living or lifestyle. Everyone has stresses and sometimes it seems like the waves of Life keep crashing in on you but do not be dismayed . . . you have the power to change things. “You can’t control the waves, but you can learn to surf” Challenges are going to come . . . but we’re not supposed to get sucked in.  We shouldn’t let them be too “heavy” and weigh us down because we have been given the amazing ability to surf.  We just have to choose to do it. Osho teaches us, once you have tasted the juice of the present,...

We all seem to have it lately . . . I guess it is that time of year when everyone has so many things going on in their lives that things build up for everyone.  Maybe it is that Late Winter/Early Spring time of year that we are all starting to go crazy waiting for the snow to melt and get breakup over with here in the far north. I saw this story on Peter Kovacs wall and wanted to pass it on as it shows us that many times we look at something from the obvious perspective but it we change our focus or gaze just a little bit it opens up a whole other thought process which can give us new insight or attitudes about things going on in our lives. A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience.  As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question.  Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?” Answers called out from the class r...

Words of Encouragement I saw this picture the other day and many of us go about our days trying to be upbeat and have positive thoughts.  Even on a crappy day it seems to make it go quickly so we can get back to a place where the positive takes over again. You never know the power of encouragement as you can see from the picture that early in life we received it and it started us on the mobile paths that we take each day as we go through our lives. Take the time to encourage those around you so that they can reach their individual potential and over time maybe there will be enough energy that we can have a Zen like transformation of our piece of the world making it a better place to live.  It starts off small but can grow to improbable things if we put in the effort. It started off with baby steps, went to a wobbly walk, and now we have the ability to run! Enjoy the moment as that is all that is real, and be positive to align yourself with a rewardi...

I am sure there are times in everyone’s life that it seems like the hard times are the ones that keep finding there way into our lives which create stress within that person’s being. Every one of us needs to find that center where we can rid ourselves of those things which we may not be able to change or fix.  Lose those feelings of helplessness and pain. Next time you are stressed; Take a step back, inhale deeply and laugh. Laughter will ease muscle tension and allow your thoughts to flow into calmness all around you.  Laughter releases endorphin's that help you feel better and maintain a positive attitude. Remember who you are and why you are here. You're never given anything in this world that you can't handle. Prepare yourself for the unexpected. Be strong . . . be flexible . . . love yourself and love others. Life changes and you do not want to waste opportunities in your life. Always remember, just keep moving forward. Neve...

Anyone can achieve their fullest potential, who we are might be pre-determined, but the path we follow is always of our own choosing. We should never allow our fears, or the expectations of others to set the frontiers of our destiny. Your destiny can't be changed but, it can be challenged.   Every man is born as many men and dies as a single one. How is your own endgame of Life? Live fully and be prepared for the unexpected! Ice

You have the power to change someone’s life tonight . . . a call . . . an encouraging email . . . an idea . . . a contact . . . a positive post . . . or even a smile. And the funny thing is . . . when you do . . . your own life changes too! Ice

It seems like this happens more and more these days as I received the call yesterday afternoon from an Old Friend that news of a family member having inoperable lung cancer was texted me so I would know what was happening.  Several phone calls later and with much anxiety details and some form of plan was put together on how best to prepare for things. It is never easy for anyone finding out news that affect your circle of family and friends but one which everyone needs to prepare so you can be the shoulder if needed or the foundation to give them your support and a pool from which to pull from your strength as needed while dealing with things. It is a bittersweet feeling that you are honored to be one of those who is trusted to give your thoughts on things but also the futility of not being able to “fix it” or make things immediately better.  All anyone of us can do is place things in “Others” hands to help everyone see things through as that is all anyone ...

It has been a little strange for me that since my heart attack that my being able to sit down and write just seemed to be stalled.  There was much to say and many notes to gain topics from which to write but it has been hard for me to sit down at the computer to write it down. I have tried many times in these last few weeks where I would sit and start and just as quickly stop not able to make my fingers hit the key strokes like they have so many times before.  It is strange in some ways as I could sit and write things on a notepad but could not bring myself to transfer the words from paper to word process.  I have wondered why that has been that way or what did not motivate me to sit and write during this time I have been in a state of convalesce since my hospital stay. It has only been two days now that I can seem to sit here and contemplate this state and start to put things down on what I would like to say again.  I have been editing my book getting it r...

It is such a needless tragedy on so many levels of American society and politics. Our hearts and prayers go out to those families affected by this tragedy and the effects it will have on this country in our efforts to secure our children’s safety and well being. "More than any time in recent history, America 's destiny is not of our own choosing. We did not seek, nor did we provoke, an assault on our freedom and our way of life. We did not expect, nor did we invite, a confrontation with evil. Yet the true measure of a people's strength is how they rise to master that moment when it does arrive. 26 people were killed a couple of hours ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut .  20 children from the school were killed and 6 adults in this needless act of violence.  Police were alerted after having been notified, they ran into the building to help get people out and protect others still inside and in harms way.  Ran into the building to help...

The True Sound I saw this post on one of my buddies from high school, Dewitt Law and wanted to share it for this holiday season. I am not a shopper by any means having only visited the Anchorage Malls less than 8 times in my over 10 years in Alaska.  I have no idea where this happened but it is pretty neat and reminds me of the days of old in Atlanta where everyone gathered on the streets below the skywalk at Rich’s department store on Thanksgiving evening to sing carols and await the lighting of the great tree.  It we were good kids we were able to ride the Pink Pig and get a treat from our parents. A much simpler time that mostly has been long forgotten with our own children as technology has overtaken us in our daily lives. Please watch and enjoy! Happy Holidays everyone. Ice

This morning I was watching Today Show and they did a really good piece looking back at this past year.   It covered almost any topic you can think of from world events, economy, sports, celebrities, deaths, and it was beautifully done.   I came away with several thoughts about the video and also about my own year in review. The most striking thing that jumped out at me was how much chaos and trouble there is all over the world.   The many conflicts going on in so many different regions and how they never seem to be resolved and continue year after year. The natural disasters that happened this past year seem almost unprecedented with the numerous earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and droughts to affect so many countries and people.   One could almost think the ‘end of times’ was marching quickly and everyone needs to take a look at their lives and how they are living it.   It is an interesting ‘what if’ thought process when you look at what the Bible says...

I had posted this in 2007 and thought it appropriate to re-post again this year and with FaceBook now in the forefront it can go around once again. In our troubling times that we live today and the uncertainties that face many peoples and nations, I am reminded of an earlier time in a place called “No Man’s Land” during World War I.   During that time an act of humanity happened that went beyond rank and reason . . . and so . . . Christmas Truce . . . * The truce began on Christmas Eve , December 24 , 1914 , when German troops began decorating the area around their trenches in the region of Ypres , Belgium , for Christmas . They began by placing candles on trees, then continued the celebration by singing Christmas carols , most notably Stille Nacht ( Silent Night ). The British troops in the trenches across from them responded by singing English carols. The two sides continued by shouting Christmas greetings to each other. Soon thereafter, there were calls for visits ac...

In this place, Alaska, I fondly call the ‘far north’ today is one of those very lucky days that doesn’t come around very often.   I awoke and saw the light dusting of snow from my window as I poured my first cup of coffee.   Winter is finally settling in here in Alaska so it was still dark outside.   A Friday morning like many others, I showered and ready to head out for a cup of coffee. It is Veterans Day and I will take time off from work.   It seems somewhat funny to me now as I think about how things have changed over the years.   We are just working stiffs who proudly served and take the time off remember our brothers in arms who have fallen or are serving this country right now on battlefields across the globe. There is something else we share. We are all military veterans. The purpose of Veterans Day is to honor all veterans. So how does this country honor them? By letting the veterans, the majority of who work in the private sector, spend the day a...

The morning dawned much like it did ten years ago with crispness in the air and clear blue skies.   How likely is that in days of fading summer in Alaska?   The similarities keen within the consciousness of the day for many people but there is also an overwhelming sense of loss . . . both in loved ones and in a broader sense in clarity. Before the events leading up to that tragic day there seemed to be a sense of almost mystical character that was America.   It had been chiseled into our beings by our forefathers and shaped the direction of its people would interact with each other and the world.   It reminds us of all that was good in our world and how things should be for our children.   As a nation we had grown up (from another attack on our soil in December, 1941) and moved to never let such transgressions happen again.   But somewhere as a country we were lazy in not recognizing how the world had changed around us and nothing prepared us for the so...

I have been asked by some friends on Facebook to post “A Soldier’s Prayer” but before I do I wanted to give a little perspective into the Civil War and the turmoil going on in this country at the time.   There are still problems in this country and around the world but we continually strive to live in hopes of a better world.   Do your part to remember those from our past and those of our future whose sacrifice gives us the Freedoms we enjoy today. July 2, 1863 during the battle of Gettysburg in the area of Devil’s Den this prayer was written by a dying confederate soldier.   There are conflicting stories over the years whether it was found folded in his pocket or written in blood on the floor next to his body.   Either way it gives great perspective into life and living. Casualty figures for the second day of Gettysburg are difficult to assess because both armies reported by unit after the full battle, not by day.   One estimate is that the Confederates lo...