Sacred Ground-Arlington

Our Honored Dead

Today is a day of remembrance for all those who have given their lives in service to our country, Memorial Day. Once known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day pays honor to the U.S. men and women who died while in military service. In the beginning, it was enacted to pay honor to Union soldiers of the Civil War, but later after the World War it was to include casualties of any war or military action. This nation's liberty and freedom has (and continues to be) paid for by the blood of our honored dead. The men and women of the United States military.

Memorial Day is a time we should remember that, "Duty, Honor, and Country" are much more than mere words to those who wear the uniform. They are the code by which they live and die.
Memorial Day is a special day. A day that should be special to each and every one of us, and never forgotten. How can anyone walk through Arlington...and not leave a different person.


Recently, a man who carries the title of President of the United States visited the European continent, and made "apologies" for what he called "American arrogance". I submit to all of Europe that the apology came from the man, not the nation. It is obvious to me as a citizen, that Barack Obama has little respect or regard for the military. He seems to even be at a loss to which citizens of which country give him the power he carelessly wields. I believe more Americans are in opposition to his condescending behavior, than those who are approving it. This man and his wife may not be proud of America, but make no mistake, we the people "are"!

As an American, and as a veteran...I find Barack Obama's apologies for American arrogance to be "offensive" to me as a citizen and a veteran. Our country and its soldiers never fought and died on foreign soil out of arrogance. An arrogant man would not die for a cause called "freedom", they would however try to find ways to minimize the fight and death of honorable men. Perhaps men such as Barack Obama who have never worn the uniform do not understand. If you ask me, there is a vast difference in being a solider and being a community organizer.

A partial count of American soldiers buried in European cemeteries totals over 104,000. And, that is not all of them. Then we have Arlington and all of our military cemeteries around this country where our veterans are buried. Thousands of our people, fought and died for freedom and on European soil. Tell me...who is it that owes whom the apology? Could it be that the Europeans should apologize to Americans. In how many places was the blood of nation's youth shed for the Europeans? The man who calls himself President of the United States, has offended his nation and its people. There will be many of us, especially veterans, who will not forget his "apology". They tell me that a picture is able to speak a 1,000 words, then please allow the above pictures to speak for me. The first picture is a cemetery in Cambridge, England with over 3,000 Americans buried there. The next two pictures are of Arlington. Until the next time.

I Can Only Imagine

Tonight, I have been sitting and listening to Ivan Parker as he sings the song "I Can Only Imagine". It is without a doubt one of my favorite songs, and every time I hear it...it touches me as deeply as it ever has. Have you ever just taken time and thought about how it will be in Heaven? If you have, then I know you also echo these words, "I Can Only Imagine".

I can only imagine what it will be like...when I walk by His side. To walk beside Him, and know that all sorrow, pain and death are gone. I can only imagine. To see my loved ones coming to meet us...and my daughter running to my arms. What will I see as I look on His face...I can only imagine. On bended knees before Him...what will my heart feel? With my heart filled with praise...will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine. When that day comes and I stand in Your Presence...I can only imagine. To stand in Your Glory...to forever worship You, I can only imagine.

When I think of Heaven and what awaits us there, how could I not want to go? It will be a place of beauty beyond compare and a land that knows no suffering. When I think about Jesus and home, "I can only imagine" how it will be. I can only imagine. Until the next time.

Kenny Hinson--Tribute

I recently came across this tribute to Kenny Hinson and thought you all might enjoy it. I have often posted about Kenny and I know there are many of you who loved to hear him sing. I hope this video will bless you as it has me. There was, and only will be, one Kenny Hinson. Until the next time.

The Life of a Goal Achiever--John Goddard

A couple of years ago, I came across an article about a gentleman named John Goddard. I was extremely impressed by this man's life and with his philosophy of life. There have been many articles written about him from Life Magazine to Reader's Digest, and currently Mr. Goddard has been featured in over 200 T.V. shows.

John Goddard, at the age of 15, sat down and created a list of 127 goals for his life. His life from that day forward, has been an amazing lifelong quest in achieving each and every one of them. The goals that John Goddard set for himself were not small and meager goals, by any means. His life's journey has included "retracing Marco Polo's route through the Middle East, Asia and China", "reading the Encyclopedia Britannica cover to cover", "climbing Mt. Everest", "explore the longest river in the world"--just to name a couple.

John's foremost goal was to explore the Nile River, the world's longest at 4,220 miles. He felt that the Nile was very important, especially due to its influence on the development of civilization for thousands of years. John Goddard became the first man to explore the total length of the Nile River and he did it on a kayak! During his journey on the Nile he met with thunderstorms, crocodiles, raging rapids and even water pirates. John Goddard successfully overcame each challenge he faced and completed one of his 127 life goals--exploring the Nile River.

John Goddard created his list of life goals in 1940, as a young man of 15. Throughout his life, he refused to give up and consistently strove to achieve all those 127 goals that he had listed. When at the age of 70 he was asked about age, Goddard replied, "age is only important in terms of wine and cheese...The man who taught me to hang glide was 76 at the time". I have often asked myself how long I will be able to continue working, being active and achieving the goals I have set for my life. How will I know when I should stop or if I should? John Goddard did not allow age to hold him back, he just kept charging forward.

I read about Ulrich Inderbinen, who died at the age of 103, and was the world's oldest mountain guide. Ulrich had been a lifelong resident of Zermett, which can be found in the shadow of the Matterhorn. He first began guiding in his 20's, for climbers and later for skiers. It was during the 1930's that Ulrich built his own home and for 70 years did without a car or a telephone. He served on Swiss Ski Patrols during World War II and when necessity required he labored as a carpenter, electrician and lumberjack. He was later able to support his family solely on being a guide. When Ulrich's time came, he left his life's work much the way he had climbed...one step at a time. Ulrich made his last climb shortly before his 90th birthday, the last of over 370 climbs up the Matterhorn. He later gave up guiding skiers at age 95, and mountain guiding at age 97. It is reported that he quit guiding when he realized "that he had taken 10 minutes longer than it should have" to descend a 13,600ft peak near his home. Ulrich lived for another 6 years afterwards.

John Goddard and Ulrich Inderbien both demonstrate that age is only a number. I'm sure each of these gentlemen would tell us to "wear out...not rust out", keep pressing on and never give up.

I'm including the list of goals that John Goddard created at age 15, so that you can see how "great" these goals truly are. The ones that have been completed are identified. Until next time...may the life of John Goddard encourage us---to be goal setters and "goal achievers".

John Goddard's "Life List"

EXPLORE
No.	Achieved	Goals	Comments
1		Nile River
2		Amazon River
3		Congo River
4		Colorado River
5		Yangtze River, China
6		Niger River
7		Orinoco River, Venezuela
8		Rio Coco, Nicaragua
STUDY PRIMITIVE
9		The Congo
10		New Guinea
11		Brazil
12		Borneo
13		The Sudan
14		Australia
15		Kenya
16		The Philippines
17		Tanzania
18		Ethiopia
19		Nigeria
20		Alaska
CLIMB
21		Mt. Everest
22		Mt. Aconcagua, Argentina
23		Mt. McKinley
24		Mt. Huascaran, Peru
25		Mt. Kilimanjaro
26		Mt. Ararat, Turkey
27		Mt. Kenya
28		Mt. Cook, New Zealand
29		Mt. Popocatepetl, Mexico
30		The Matterhorn
31		Mt. Rainier
32		Mt. Fuji
33		Mt. Vesuvius
34		Mt. Bromo, Java
35		Grand Tetons
36		Mt. Baldy, California
37		Carry out careers in medicine and exploration	(studied premed, treats illnesses among primitive tribes)
38		Visit every country in the world	(30 to go)
39		Study Navaho and Hopi Indians
40		Learn to fly a plane
41		Ride horse in Rose Parade
PHOTOGRAPH
42		Iguacu Falls, Brazil
43		Victoria Falls, Rhodesia	(Chased by a warthog in the process)
44		Sutherland Falls, New Zealand
45		Yosemite Falls
46		Niagara Falls
47		Retrace travels of Marco Polo and Alexander the Great
EXPLORE UNDERWATER
48		Coral reefs of Florida
49		Great Barrier Reef, Australia	(photographed a 300-pound clam)
50		Red Sea
51		Fiji Islands
52		The Bahamas
53		Explore Okefenokee Swamp and the Everglades
VISIT
54		North and South Poles
55		Great Wall of China
56		Panama and Suez Canals
57		Easter Island
58		The Galapagos Islands
59		Vatican City
60		The Taj Mahal
61		The Eiffel Tower
62		The Blue Grotto
63		The Tower of London
64		The Leaning Tower of Pisa
65		The Sacred Well of Chichen-Itza, Mexico
66		Climb Ayers Rock in Australia
67		Follow River Jordan from Sea of Galilee to Dead Sea
SWIM IN
68		Lake Victoria
69		Lake Superior
70		Lake Tanganyika
71		Lake Titicaca, S. America
72		Lake Nicaragua
ACCOMPLISH
73		Become an Eagle Scout
74		Dive in a submarine
75		Land on and take off from an aircraft carrier
76		Fly in a blimp, balloon and glider
77		Ride an elephant, camel, ostrich and bronco
78		Skin dive to 40 feet and hold breath two and a half minutes underwater
79		Catch a ten-pound lobster and a ten-inch abalone
80		Play flute and violin
81		Type 50 words a minute
82		Make a parachute jump
83		Learn water and snow skiing
84		Go on a church mission
85		Follow the John Muir trail
86		Study native medicines and bring back useful ones
87		Bag camera trophies of elephant, lion, rhino, cheetah, cape buffalo and whale
88		Learn to fence
89		Learn jujitsu
90		Teach a college course
91		Watch a cremation ceremony in Bali
92		Explore depths of the sea
93		Appear in a Tarzan movie
94		Own a horse, chimpanzee, cheetah, ocelot, and coyote	(yet to own a chimp or cheetah)
95		Become a ham radio operator
96		Build own telescope
97		Write a book	(About his Nile trip)
98		Publish an article in National Geographic Magazine
99		High jump five feet
100		Broad jump 15 feet
101		Run mile in five minutes
102		Weigh 175 pounds stripped	(he still does)
103		Perform 200 sit-ups and 20 pull-ups
104		Learn French, Spanish and Arabic
105		Study dragon lizards on Komodo Island	(Boat broke down within 20 miles of island)
106		Visit birthplace of Grandfather Sorenson in Denmark
107		Visit birthplace of Grandfather Goddard in England
108		Ship aboard a freighter as a seaman
109		Read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica	(Has read extensive parts in each volume)
110		Read the Bible from cover to cover
111		Read the works of Shakespeare, Plato, Aristotle, Dickens, Thoreau, Rousseau, Conrad, Hemingway, Twain, Burroughs, Talmage, Tolstoi, Longfellow, Keats, Poe, Bacon, Whittier, and Emerson	(not every work of each)
112		Become familiar with the compositions of Bach, Beethoven, Debussy, Ibert, Mendelssohn, Lalo, Liszt, Rimski-Korsakov, Respighi, Rachmaninoff, Paganini, Stravinsky, Toch, Tschaikosvsky, Verdi
113		Become proficient in the use of a plane, motorcycle, tractor, surfboard, rifle, pistol, canoe, microscope, football, basketball, bow and arrow, lariat and boomerang
114		Compose music
115		Play Clair de Lune on the piano
116		Watch fire-walking ceremony	(In Bali and Surinam)
117		Milk a poisonous snake	(bitten by diamondback during photo session)
118		Light a match with .22 rifle
119		Visit a movie studio
120		Climb Cheops' pyramid
121		Become a member of the Explorer's Club and the Adventure's Club
122		Learn to play polo
123		Travel through the Grand Canyon on foot and by boat
124		Circumnavigate the globe	(four times)
125		Visit the moon	("Someday, if God wills")
126		Marry and have children	(has six children)
127		Live to see the 21st century