StraightUpAmerican.com

A good friend recently confided that they had behaved in such a way as to hurt someone’s feelings. My friend told me how ashamed they were of their actions, and how ashamed they still are. The thing is, this happened over fifty years ago. My friend has been carrying this shame and guilt around ever since. Naturally, this got me to thinking of my own regrets.

We’ve all got them, those thoughtless things we said or did in our youth that somehow caused pain to someone else. When I was in high school the cafeteria food was not what you’d call delicious. So, someone came up with the bright idea of boycotting lunch. The idea caught on and word quickly spread throughout the school. My problem was that my Grandma worked in the cafeteria and faced with a choice of risking embarrassment among my peers or insulting my Grandma, I made the wrong choice. Of course, as Grandmas do she forgave me but I’ve never completely forgiven myself. However, I have learned to accept my regret for what it is.

Our regrets are working tools given to us by the Supreme Architect to help us sculpt our ashlar into that perfect square. Life is full of working tools and we are who we are and who we will become through the use of these tools. I learned a valuable lesson the day I looked into my Grandma’s eyes and saw the hurt that I had caused, and I did my best never to cause her pain again.

Regrets are an unavoidable part of living. So use your regrets. Accept them for the tool that they are and use them to chip away the gallets and polish out the imperfections. Make amends when you can and know that the penitent heart will be forgiven.

Fraternally yours,

Tim Couch

by Tim Couch

With all the hubbub surrounding the appointment of Roland Burris to the U.S. Senate by Illinois Governor ‘Blago’ Blagojevich one question keeps coming to mind. “Why are they making this such a big deal?”

I mean what’s the big news story here, that a politician is corrupt? Of course Blago is corrupt. We all know that. We heard the tapes, but if the Illinois Attorney General has the evidence she should’ve, could’ve and would’ve brought Blago up on charges already. She hasn’t and Blago is still the Governor. So, State law gives him the right to appoint whomever he chooses. Done deal. Get over it. Move on.

Now, if the problem is with Roland Burris then that’s a whole different matter. If any person knows of any reason why Roland Burris is unfit to serve as U.S. Senator then speak now. Otherwise, leave the man alone and let’s all get to work on matters that really matter.

We have a whole world of important issues that we should be discussing and this hullabaloo surrounding Blago and Burris is serving no real purpose but to distract us from those issues. I propose that we subject this and all future newsworthy ado to a simple test.

• Does this issue affect our National safety and security?
• Does this issue serve to improve or diminish the American economy?
• Does this issue serve to improve or damage the environment?
• Does this issue affect our relations with other nations?
• Does this issue affect our health and/or wellbeing?

If the answer to at least one of these questions is not ‘yes’ then forget about it. Save all the nonsense for the stage of American Idol. We’re letting our politicians and the media, once again, distract us from genuinely important matters. Why do we do this over, and over, and over again? Perhaps it’s not, “blah, blah, blah.” Perhaps it is “Baaaaah.”