LOOKING FOR AMERICA

 

We recently celebrated my wife’s __?__ birthday in April.  She used to celebrate a normal birthday.  But thanks to her friend, who put a bug in her ear.  “We celebrate my birth MONTH!” You guessed it: we now celebrate my wife’s Birth Month annually. That makes things more costly.  I’m retired, but now I’m thinking of taking a part-time job to pay for the added celebration. Some things are worth celebrating, especially when they are 250 years old.          

I would especially like to have you, our readers, contribute to this 250^th Birthday of America.  Do you have someone in your family, ancestry, or a friend who contributed to making America great?  Maybe you have an interesting family story. Then please share that in the “Connect” box in the upper right of the home page.  Please try to keep the word count to 700.  Your contact information will be kept confidential.

From now through July 4th, each weekend, I’ll be sharing some tidbits of American history and culture. I believe you will find them entertaining and educational.

 

I know this dates me, but I remember the Bicentennial of America. (Yes, I was born in the  1900’s.) My wife made us colonial period costumes that we wore in a July 4^th  parade and church.  There was a covered wagon that crossed America, and a now-defunct restaurant gave out wooden coins that offered free coffee (see photo).  

Below is a picture of the 200^th birthday issue of Time magazine that I kept:

How does one “find” America? Obviously, we must look at our past, but also the present, and consider the future. It’s interesting and frightening that immigrants today who want to become American citizens know more about our history than our current citizens.  A course that all high school students took at one time was Civics.  It taught us about our country and how to be good citizens.  Today, you would be hard-pressed to find any school, especially a public school, that has such a course.  Our young people are worse off for it.  The famed actor, Richard Dreyfuss, has an initiative to bring back Civics to schools.  He said, “Teach our kids how to run our country, before they are called upon to run our country…if we don’t, someone else will run our country.”  I guess you can say, “A good citizen is an informed citizen.”  Many of our public schools are cranking out uninformed citizens.  Put “students can’t answer simple questions” in your YouTube search.  Be ready to laugh and cry.

Okay, people, let’s get informed. We’ll continue to learn about our country and the people who made America great in the weeks to come. 

 

Journey Reminders

Have you, like me, come across something that reminds you of an event or person on your journey?  It happened to me…again.  We live in the Pacific Northwest, where it rains a lot.  I grabbed an umbrella from the car to go into the house.  Later, I was putting it away, and I saw on the bottom of the handle “Mr. J.”  That is what my middle school students called me when I was teaching many years ago.  Just as dominoes tip over and contact the next in line, that umbrella brought memories back to me.  It nudged me to remember other memories.  My first thought when I saw “Mr. J.” on that handle was my eldest son.  I taught history, and a year after I left the school, my son took over teaching the same topic in the same room.  What did they call him?  Yep, “Mr. J.”  The first time I substituted for him, a student came up and asked, “Are you the original Mr. J.?”  My name had been stolen, or at least borrowed. 

One day, while I was subbing, a student came up to me and asked, “Mr. J., how old are you?”  I smiled and said, “I’m so old that when I was born, the Dead Sea was only sick." His eyes got big as he exclaimed, “Wow!” (If you heard that joke before, you’re better off than my poor wife, who hears them repeatedly. It’s a small sacrifice to be married to me). I smile as I think about that encounter, and I am grateful to have many more.

Life is a mixed bag; sometimes the memories are sad or difficult.  I call those “The Growing Kind.” 

Reminders can trigger us, especially in grief.  It could be a sight, sound, smell, or even touch. When the stories are good, we sometimes like to have a physical item to help us remember.  They are part of our collective story. 

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What about you?  Do you see reminders occasionally that bring back memories?  Care to share one with our readers?  Just email me, Wally, at journeyintostory@gmail.com.  500-700 words.  I’ll get back to you if we can use your story.

 

Stepping Back Into The Future

Plenne L. Wingo

Have you heard of Plenne L. Wingo? He was an American man who walked backwards from Santa Monica, California, to Istanbul, Turkey, about 8,000 miles (13,000 km), from April 15, 1931, to October 24, 1932, at the age of 36. He remains the Guinness World Record holder for "greatest extent of reverse pedestrianism".  (Click here to read further about Plenne Wingo).

We just finished the first month of 2026.  We often wonder what a new year has in store for us.  Seeing ahead may not be as important as looking behind.  

At most graduations, a speaker will say something like, “And as we face the future ahead of us…” What would you say if I told you we step backwards into the future!  

I heard a preacher named Dennis Kinlaw share an illustration that should help.  He said that to ancient Hebrews, a man faces east.  That represents the past.  North is left, South is right.  West is back or behind. A person faces his past and steps back into his future. This messes up all the graduation speeches you might have heard.  We see our past as we gingerly step back into our future.  Does that sound scary?  It would if we didn’t trust our journey to God, who sees the future.

Here are some things to consider:

Look at the past:

The past can be painful.  If you live long enough, life will provide the pain.  I was once asked to do a critical incident stress debriefing for some missionaries in Malawi. A Critical Incident Stress Debriefing is a process whereby all of those involved share what they experienced, their thoughts, and feelings around the incident. This helps them step back into the situation and reframe it so they can begin to grow out of the experience. One of those missionaries was killed when his car swerved off the road.  His wife, kids, and fellow workers were traumatized.

Many of us would like to change the story of our past.  We somehow believe we would have been better off not having to experience the pain.  In reality, those incidents prepare us for the future and can enrich our lives.

My grandkids help me to step backwards. Sometimes when my grandkids hug me, they turn backwards.  So after we hug, they say, “Grandpa, you have to walk backwards now!”

Anticipating the future:

If little is known of the future behind us, we might do well to step backward and hope for the best with God’s help.  

There is a Wii game where the character is traveling in the dark and can only see a couple of feet ahead to stay on the path. Sometimes God gives us just enough light to see one step behind us into the future. 

That reminds me of the movie, WHAT ABOUT BOB, starring Richard Dryfus.  Bob is told by his shrink to take baby steps to overcome the fear of moving.  We must trust Him to be there for the next baby step.

Think about the life stories of those who intersected with yours in 2025.  What have you learned from those encounters?

Christmas Past

I have been writing this blog for several years now.  Some have read all or most of my Christmas posts.  For others, this may be the first.  I invite you to place "Christmas" in the search bar on the right column of this webpage.  You will then see a list of articles to choose from.  

I wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

Breakfast Surprise

 

We went out for a post-Thanksgiving breakfast.  Geo, our friendly waiter, greeted and seated us.  A young couple occupied the table behind us.  Our “neighbor” got a phone call.  One could easily hear that he was congratulating and encouraging a co-worker.  He got a second call later from someone else and was just as encouraging.  I certainly was impressed.

On my way back from getting to-go boxes, I walked up to them and said, “Excuse me, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but hear your last two phone calls.” 

“Oh, was I speaking too loudly?” he asked.

“No”, I responded.  “Being inside and next to each other, it was hard to miss.”  I continued, “It sounded like you were talking to a friend or fellow employee.  You sounded very encouraging and complimented them on their recent accomplishment.  You did the same with the second caller.”

“Yeah,” he added, “I like to encourage others.  It encourages them, and me.”

“Well, I’m very impressed.  We need more people like you,” I concluded.

I told him about this blog, Journey into Story.  I explained that the purpose is to learn others’ stories.  The more we know each other’s stories, the more we take steps towards mutual respect.  In the end, as it spreads, peace is passed along.

His friend, a young woman, is maybe 20 years old. She is a drift car racer.  (What is “drift racing?”  When finished with this post, click the link at the bottom of the page.)

As I was leaving, I shook her hand and said, “Be careful.  You are too pretty to get into a wreck.”

After they left, I spoke with Geo.  He said, “Your bill has been paid by the couple you sat next to.”  Nice, it made my day, so I put my arm around Geo’s shoulder and put a nice tip into his hand.

Please consider listening to others’ stories and sharing your own.  In the process, everyone receives benefits.

Drift racing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK8Gc4vH2YM

Strange Things In Unusual Places

 Have you found anything that seemed out of place or unusual?  If you have kids or grandkids, you probably have.  Years ago, Anne Murray sang a song, “Hippo in the Driveway.” Talk about things that are out of place! Take a couple of moments and listen to this song, then we’ll talk...  

My wife said to me while I was putting on a shirt, “I wouldn’t wear that shirt, it has a gorilla on the back (see photo at the top of this article).  You guessed it, one of our grandkids put it there.  After they visit, I’m always cautious as to what I’ll find.  Once I climbed into bed, I hit a cowbell!  I have discovered action figures, stuffed animals, and socks, among other things.  Years down the road, we will remember these times and smile.

These kinds of remembrances become part of our story.  They are the threads in the fabric of our lives.  They help us embrace our memories.  Yes, there are some memories we might rather forget, but they are still part of the fabric.  Without them, we end up with holes in life’s fabric.

What are the surprises in your story? Perhaps you can share them with us by tapping "Comment" below.

Remember...If we tell our story in a vacant woods, does anybody hear it?  The way to be heard is to share.

The Tale of Two Communicators

What would happen in our daily lives if people couldn’t communicate well?  It would probably end up like the movie, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.”  Good communication is vital.  We need to speak, listen, write, and think about what is being communicated.  Unfortunately, in today’s climate, that doesn’t happen often.

Our first communicator, Jesus, 33, was a great communicator. He communicated on a human level, which is pretty good considering the Bible says He is God.  He wanted the listeners to think about what he said, and sometimes spoke in parables. A parable is a simple story illustrating a religious or moral lesson.

The Pharisees thought his words were inflammatory and wouldn’t listen to reason.  They were afraid of losing their power base.  They killed him.

This is similar to our second communicator:

You are probably aware that Charlie Kirk was the 31-year-old man who travelled countrywide, visiting college campuses, and was assassinated at a Utah campus on September 10, 2025. He politely encouraged young people to think through their positions.  Some have said that he used inflammatory language, but I’m not sure they actually ever listened to his debates.  It’s kind of like the guy who said, “I thought I knew a lot about the Bible, until I met someone who read it.”  Charlie was polite, unlike some of his questioners.  He gave people a chance to share their viewpoint and then shared his.  Many times, when people didn’t have an answer, they got upset and said Kirk was inflammatory.  Inflammation is an emotional reaction rather than a thought process.  In America today, many react. They killed Charlie.

It seems that we Americans get offended when others hold differing views and we can’t prove them wrong.  Then it turns to name-calling and a shouting match.  It’s no wonder we can’t communicate. 

Some colleges cancel speakers because of their stance.  I thought college was supposed to be a place to share ideas.  One can have their ideas as long as they align with the institution's agenda.  A few years back, there was to be a debate between an evolutionist and a creationist.  Shortly before the event was scheduled, it was cancelled.  What was there to fear?  The truth?

Is it possible to talk to each other and listen to what the other has to say?  In the end, we may not agree, but we can respect the other's right to do so.  If we can’t, we may resort to violence. Can our nation survive without good communication and listening skills?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. III said, at the 50^th anniversary of his father’s “I have a dream” speech:

“We must learn non-violence, or we may face non-existence.”

Communication can be a weapon or a tool.  Will you join me in practicing good communication without taking offence?  Isn't that what our nation needs right now?