In the movie "Saving Private Ryan", the Captain of the platoon (played by Tom Hanks) lies mortally wounded. His dying words to Private Ryan (played by Matt Damon) are "earn this". It's a powerful moment at the conclusion of a brutal film. Those two words have remained with me ever since.
How much of what each of us are given do we earn vs. take for granted? I have had a supportive family and friends for most of my life. I've tried to be grateful for those people and for my other good fortune. But to me, simple gratitude is not the same as earning what has been given to me. To earn it, I have to go beyond being grateful; I have to remain worthy. That's where I've sometimes come up short. How about you?
One friend who reads this blog regularly told me I sometimes sound depressed here; I am not depressed. On my more pensive days (like today), I'm aiming for authenticity without morbidity. But I'm interested knowing your view on all days about whatever I write here. If I wait to write on only my sunny days (and during just the sunny hours of those sunny days), I believe I'll sacrifice some authenticity. I don't want that to happen.
About Me
- Pat Barton
- My most recent single release - "My True North" - is now available on Bandcamp. Open my profile and click on "audio clip".
this is another case of your mother's voice playing in your head (blog post Learning Balance) you have spent most of your life as a public servant EARNING what you have You deserve unconditional love just for being on this planet. You do not need to re earn over and over again. You are aware and grateful of what you have and that's enough. You are worthy. You have overpaid what you've earned by your commitment to seeing the good in all people, accepting people as they are, telling the truth in a non-hurtful manner, guiding, encouraging, laughing with them, sharing and giving.
ReplyDeleteThe real question for today is: what are you going to do with the rest of your life? For a man who has so much AND has a talent for giving of himself (almost effortlessly) why limit yourself to unconditionally loving only those that are lovable? The real challenge is to love those that are hard to love. This is a challenge not a requirement to be worthy of all that you have.