Nothing at all that says it all

Sometimes in life, silence arises. For whatever reason, sometimes silence can be golden. Especially in a loving and deep relationship, silence can speak volumes. It's a given fact that couples learn one another's body language and through that body language, love is often displayed. There is an ultimate body language song in Keith Whitley and Allison Kraus's "When You Say Nothing at All" Here is the lyrics:


"When You Say Nothing At All"

It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart
Without saying a word you can light up the dark
Try as I may I could never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all

All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old Mr. Webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all

The smile on your face lets me know that you need me
There's a truth in your eyes sayin' you'll never leave me
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all

A smile, someone holding you near, truthful eyes and a tender touch are all ways in which we speak volumes, not through our lips, but through our heart. I have learned in my own life that I must cherish the golden moments of silence and learn to know that we really do say things best when we say nothing at all.

Tonight, the measure of a man or woman can sometimes be found in his or her ability to cherish the golden moments of silence and learn how much meaning is in them. Again, sometimes things are said best when we say nothing at all.

That my friends is just a few thoughts from a small town southern man.

Are they a number or a name

Is he a number or a name? Is she a number or a name? Are they a number or a name? Have you ever just taken the time to think about how people treat others? Have you ever take the time to think about how you treat others? Today, I was reminded to always keep in my mind what I think and how I treat others.

As a  child, I aspired to president, governor, an attorney, and a business owner among many different occupations. Rightfully, the occupations I just listed often come with a great deal of respect and reverence. Yet, sometimes we forget other occupations and the people who fill them. People like the garbage man, the truck driver, the farmer, the plumber, and the janitor often go unnoticed and un-admired.

I've been around all classes of society. I've been at dinners attended by dignitaries like a former president. I've been in the company of high ranking state politicians. I've been in the presence of people of high acclaim. On the other hand, I've been in the presence of the garbage man, the janitor, the truck driver, and the farmer.
Personally, if I had my choosing, I choose to spend the rest of my life in the company of the latter group.

You see, sometimes, we let accomplishments go to our head. I have trouble with that sometime. However, I believe God has humbled me lately and helped to realize the true value of all people from the president to the plumber.

Almost nothing in this world bothers me more than a person who thinks more highly of himself than he ought. When I look around in my own life, it's not the governors, or the senators, or the dignitaries that have meant the most in my life. No, it's the common man.

I have always been drawn to people who may possess little earthly possessions but an abundance of heaven's greatest blessings. For these people, are the ones that you can depend on to make this life worth living.These are the people who have compassion and pity for others but pride and respect for their own self.

Sadly though, the janitors and the garbage workers and the plumbers are sometimes just a number to some people. They're just a check on the payroll or a name on an insurance policy.

To me though, the janitor was Mr. Deas in elementary school and Mr. Wesley in middle school. To me, the garbage worker is Joe or Robbie. To me the truck driver is Donnie or Chad or Keith or just Pa. You see, these people are just that-people! They have families that mean the world to them. They've sacrificed. They've failed. They've succeeded. They have been a part of my world and always will be.

There's an old saying that says, "No matter how far you go in life, never forget where you came from or where you are going."

Tonight, I have a wish that people would learn to see everyone the same. I wish people would learn to see the contributions that all people bring to society-those who are rich and those who are poor, those who are educated  in academics and those who are filled with common sense, those who are black and those who are white. Can't we just see people for people? I sure do try!

Tonight, the measure of a man can be found in how hard he tries to treat people as a name and not a number. Who's your number or is it a name?

That, my friends, is just a few thoughts from a small town southern man!

A man ain't made of stone but he better have faith

Those close to me know that I am a fan of Randy Travis. His songs have a lot of meaning and truth in them. Well, meaning and truth are two things that should characterize our lives. Lately, and as I grow older, I have come to realize the meaning of things in life and the truth that just living life reveals. I was listening to a Randy Travis song that I haven't heard in a while. It's called "A Man Ain't Made of Stone" Here are the lyrics:

"A Man Ain't Made Of Stone"

I was supposed to be the rock that you could stand on
Stronger than an old oak tree
But all you ever wanted was the one thing
I never let you see -
The tender side of me
I tried to be a mountain, solid and strong
All it took was your leaving to know I was wrong

A man ain't made of stone
A man ain't made of steel
The way I feel right now
I thought I'd never feel
Sometimes all it takes
Is facing the night alone
And that's when you know
A man ain't made of stone

In this world of mine
There was no room for weakness
I covered every crack in the wall
But there ain't no way that I can keep this secret
Cos when you go like Jerico I fall
You thought I wouldn't shatter
Would I even care?
But there's more to what I'm made of
Than this broken heart can bare

A man ain't made of stone
A man ain't made of steel
The way I feel right now
I thought I'd never feel
Sometimes all it takes
Is facing the night alone
And that's when you know
A man ain't made of stone

Sometimes all it takes
Is facing the night alone
And that's when you know
A man ain't made of stone

That's when you know
A man ain't made of stone

Everyday, I look around me and see a certain category of people. This category is one that is seemingly growing larger every day. It's the category of "steel people." "Steel people" are the people who refuse to see things the way they really are. They're the people that put on a show in front of others to hide their problems. They're the category of people who, instead of confiding in others for strength and help, continue to struggle on their own. This category of people are those who don't realize that tenderness and compassion are actually more accurate measures of one's strength.

I'm from an area in the United States where, sometimes, men strive to be tough and strong with their emotions because they think that is what will make them successful and bring them the best in life. 

However, I also live in a part of this great country where many men were taught to be southern gentlemen. They were taught to show compassion, sympathy, respect and honor. These are all things that I wish to show and possess in my own life. Yet, as a man, I sometimes get caught in the "steel" category. With age though, I have come to realize that a man truly isn't made of "steel." A man is made of faith and character.

Faith and character go hand in hand. They're like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, green eggs and ham...ok not green eggs and ham. Seriously, a man's character says a lot about his faith. When a man has faith, his character shows. A man who has faith trusts in those around him and his maker. A man who has faith will learn to trust in God enough to know that strength doesn't come in being tough and hiding struggles, but in showing compassion, tenderness and love and trusting in God to provide a way.

A man that is not made of steel, is a man of faith- a man who has faith in himself, in others and most of all in his God and through that faith, he becomes a man of tenderness, compassion, honor respect, and humility.

Randy Travis also has a song called "Faith in You" Here are the lyrics:

"Faith In You"

I don't have faith in technology
Even though we created it
All this stuff just breaks down anyway
And you can never get it fixed
But I do have faith in you

I don't have faith in politics
But I do believe in the will of the people
I don't know much about big time religion
But I believe in the cross on the steeple
And I do have faith in you

And after all this time
The lie becomes the truth
We traded in our innocence and sacrificed our youth
But you give your love
The one thing I can't lose
You believe in me
And I still have faith in you

The more I search for my significance
Seems the more I disappear
And I wonder have I made a difference
In any body's life since I've been here
I can hear your laughter
It's the sweetest sound I've ever known
I don't know how love happens
But I know I'm not alone
And I do have faith in you

And after all this time
Sometimes I see the truth
But I'm touched by your innocence
And now I'm not confused
But you give your love
The one thing I can't lose
You believe in me
And I still have faith in you

I do have faith in you...

Do you have faith in others and what does that faith show about your character? Are you made of steel or do you find that the more you search for your significance you disappear? Do you see the truth? Have you made a difference in anyone's life? Are you made of steel?

Tonight the measure of a man cannot be found in a man made of steel because a true man isn't made of steel. He's made of character and faith!

That, my friends, is just a few thoughts from a small town southern man!

The Joneses live on the wrong road

Have you ever heard the phrase "keeping up with the Joneses?" Chances are you have and know that it means the same as trying to do what everyone else does when sometimes you either can't afford to do what the Joneses do or you shouldn't do what the Joneses do.

When you drive through certain neighborhoods, many times houses are similar and neighborhoods themselves are characterized by the people who live on a specific road.You see, the trouble with this is, the Joneses don't always live on the right road. Sometimes the Joneses live on the road to financial trouble. Sometimes the Joneses live on the road to friends that forsake you. Sometimes the Joneses live on the road to addictions that drag you down. Sometimes the Joneses live on the road to lost goals and ambitions, lost hopes, and lost dreams. Sometimes the Joneses just live on the road to unhappiness. Sometimes, keeping up with the Joneses is not a bed of roses, or at least that's what Thompson Square says. Take a look at these lyrics:

"Keeping Up With The Joneses"

Just one, I know I can handle that
Pull that bottle from its hiding place yea, just one
And I'll put it back
And it’s one after another till your key turns in the door
And I'll slur baby I'm sorry as you help me off the floor

[Chorus:]
I've been fighting my demons
I've been gaining ground
Crawling, walking then falling back down
It ain't been a bed of roses
Keeping up with the Joneses

That bottle, just won’t let me be
It’s killed everything that’s good in my life and now it’s working on me
Well I've come to believe, that whiskey is a spell
And you were sent straight down from heaven, to pull me out of hell

[Chorus]

Any man in his right mind would have set me free, given up on me
Said we're through
But baby not you
Someday I'll bury my demons deep in the ground
If I have never met you that’s where id be now
It ain't been a bed a roses keeping up with the Joneses [2x]

You see, so many times we search for happiness by trying to keep up the Joneses, by trying to emulate those who, more often than not, are not happy anyway. 

We all have areas in life in which we've failed or had difficulty. Sometimes we try to hide those failures and cope with them with things or wrong actions. The way you cope with things is by pushing through and by finding strength, not in keeping up with the Joneses, but in the helping hand of those who were probably there to help all along.

I really wish that people would realize that happiness in not found in the abundance of things one possesses or in actions that conform to the crowd. People put so much effort into trying to find happiness in the wrong place when it's right under their noses. 

So, I implore you today to forget the things. Forget the struggles. Fight on and look for happiness right where you left-in those who care the most!

And remember...sometimes the Joneses just live on the wrong road!

That, my friends, is just a few thoughts from a small town southern man!