Amid the Ruin, Still the Beauty

Amid all the ruin, still the beauty

still the dusty trailway beckons to wanderers

Pervasive sadness cannot sway the transformation

Sit among the damage and inspire

Exercising humility once again

after you swiffen your own demise

your own renaissance waits

around a corner that you’re blinded to

Amid the weeds, still the flower

alone in suffering grandeur

a touch is a million miles away

if it is forever

Tragic hero spurs his own undoing

Blame cannot be sorted

Only mirror tests spot the culprit

Growing stronger throughout dismal times

Amid the ruin, still the beauty

still the memories retain their form

Still the smile replays inside the mind

Still the touch is felt from far away

The Day I Marry My Best Friend

I walk the silent aisle slow
and look at faces turned towards me
as if they see the love that grows
inside my heart eternally
The raging glow that never dies
the embers waiting to ignite
as slowly I turn around to see
your lovely figure glide towards me

A day we thought would never come
Preparations without end
Every moment leads us to
the day I marry my best friend

Even now I still recall
the moment I first saw your face
The smile which caused my heart to stall
as if only you were in that place
The smile is still a melting one
and I see that smile inside your eyes
It warms me as the summer sun
It carries me to paradise

I even look through times of pain
much differently than times before
A gray and cloudy time of rain
a heart defeated, tired and sore
But God knew what would soon occur
and what I needed as a man
to love you as He loves us both
to give a future and a plan

A day we thought would never come
Preparations without end
Every moment leads us to
The day I marry my best friend

Someday on our porch swing
on a cool October day
We will sit hand in hand
and watch the little children play
Then we can both look back in joy
at years of trust and years of love
A scrapbook full of memories
A life that’s blessed by God above

These are the thoughts that fill my mind
and prompt my heart to pray
while I watch you glide towards me
On my best friends wedding day

Wishing you a Radiant Day

This morning as I was driving to Barnes and Noble to work on the website and on my Eight Pillars of Success program, I was appreciating what an absolutely beautiful day we were enjoying in West Michigan. Already in the 60’s, the weatherman said we would approach 80 on this early October day. Autumn is my favorite season and the short, sweet Indian Summer that falls within it is especially precious. It is the type of weather the Visitors Bureau dreams of. Who wouldn’t find Grand Rapids glorious on a day like today.

With that mindset in gear, I parked much closer than normal, a gift from a departing shopper just one row into the parking lot. My mind was firmly on the business at hand, with only one more day off my regular job, I knew I needed a productive and fruitful day. Upon exiting my car, I glanced casually at the car parked next to mine. There on the dashboard, stuck on the speedometer in all its Post-It Note glory was a little yellow message. On the paper, it said: “I hope your day is as radiant as your smile….Love K” . Wow! Suddenly, my mind went off task and my mind was filled with questions. Who is this “K”? And more importantly, who is this lucky devil who received such a meaningful and heartfelt message to begin their day? I think we all wish we were that person.

Ten simple words…Not a two page declaration of feeling, not a manifesto of complicated emotions. Ten words, only one of which has more than one syllable. And yet it says so much. To me, it reminded me of all of the times, I wanted to make that phone call to say hi to someone I cared about. It reminded me of how many times I wanted to put a note in my kids lunch box that they looked at and feigning embarrassment tuck into their pocket. It reminded me of how many thank you cards I wanted to write to family, friends, and customers who have helped me along the way. Most embarrassingly of all, it reminded me of how many people I told that I would pray for them versus how many times I got down on my knees. I didn’t intend this little message on the dashboard to spur so many “should ofs” in my own life, but maybe it is good that it did.

How long does it take to dial seven to ten digits to tell someone you are thinking of them? How long does it take to write your own sticky note message and place it on the dashboard or the lunch box or the bathroom mirror or the kitchen table if you are the first to leave in the morning? How long does it take to jot someones name down on a pad so that you remember their needs as you pray for your own? How long does it take to hang up your cellphone or take out your earphones and sincerely greet and thank the person serving you in line at your local coffee shop? The answer- not long.

So today, I take a new step. I set a new goal. I will begin to be more attentive when dealing with customers and baristas and salesclerks and waiters. I will be present when I am somewhere, not checking email, or listening to music, or playing mobile Scrabble. I will pray for someone when I tell them I will, thank them when they have helped me, and appreciate them when I do. I will seek to compliment others as it is a medicine more powerful than many on the pharmacists shelf. But most importantly, I will love, and never let anyone who is important to me doubt that they hold that place in my heart.

How long does it take? Not long. How difficult is it? Not very. What will it take to get you started? I cannot answer that for you, but for me it was ten little words on a sticky note on a dashboard: ” I hope your day is as radiant as your smile.”

I wish you a radiant day!!

Are You A New York Met?

On September 30, 1962, Felix Mantilla of the New York Mets walked back to the dugout after flying out to end a 5 to 1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. Mantilla, an eight year veteran at the time, had made many outs and had achieved moderate success as a major league ballplayer. This Sunday afternoon, however, as he packed his bags to conclude another season, he may or may not realized that he had just lived through the worst baseball season in the twentieth century. The New York Metropolitans, named after an obscure nineteenth century club, were the new expansion team in the National League and on that afternoon at Wrigley Field had just lost their 120th game against only 40 victories. As manager Casey Stengel so aptly put it “ I’ve been in this game a hundred years, but I see new ways to lose’em that I never thought existed”.

It may seem strange to start a book on baseball’s inspirational stories with a team that set the standard for sub-standard performance. Not since the Cleveland Spiders of 1899 with 134 losses did a major league suffer such a horrendous season. But the story of the New York Mets is like the story of you and I. We do not often start out on top. We do things wrong until we learn to do them right. Most “overnight successes” that you read about, aren’t. Across town from the Mets, the New York Yankees had defined success over the previous 40 years. From 1922 to 1962, the New York Yankees were in the World Series 25 times, winning 19 of those World Series, including 1962. Entire books have been written about the New York Yankees success and the dynasties that have been built in the “house that Ruth built”. No book of baseball inspiration would be complete without the stories of Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, of “too-old” Casey Stengel leading the Yankees to seven championships in twelve years, or of the amazing Jim Abbott and his 1993 no-hitter. I will tell those stories in this book, however, I am not necessarily writing this book to the “Yankees” of the world. I am writing it to the “Mets”, to the people who wake up every morning and have to battle the procrastination bug, who fight to survive and who want a better world for themselves and their families.

Baseball writer Roger Angell summed it up this way “ The Mets were human….there is more Met than Yankee in all of us. What we experience day to day in our lives is much more losing than winning, which is why we love the Mets.” Baseball fans concurred with Roger Angell. The loveable losers drew 922,530 fans, short of the Yankees attendance, but still among the top half of all 1962 teams. So if we identify with the Mets so much, where is our redemption? Where is our “win”. Over the next five seasons, the New York Mets did not give the loyal fans much to cheer about. 120 losses in 1962 was followed by 111 in 1963, 109 in 1964, 112 in 1965, and 95 in 1966. The fan base grew, however, to a peak of 1,932,693 in 1966, more than 800,000 more than the Yankees. People truly did identify with the Mets.

Behind the scene things were happening for the New York Mets. Wise draft choices and timely trades began to develop the Mets into something more than a laughingstock. Players such as Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan, Tug McGraw and Cleon Jones were brought up through the Mets farm system. In 1968, little indicated that the Mets were about to turn the baseball world upside down. Former Dodger great Gil Hodges took over the managerial duties from retired Casey Stengel and steered the Mets to a 73-89 record, good for ninth place, 24 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. A change to the structure of the National League to two six team divisions did little more than assure the Mets fans that their team could no longer finish lower than sixth.

1969 was a new year. For us that identify ourselves as more “Met” than “Yankee” it was the sign of hope. Through the first 42 games of the season, the Mets were an ordinary team, 4 games below .500 and 9 games behind the division leading Cubs. On May 28, 1969, the Mets played a game at home against the expansion San Diego Padres. Pitchers Clay Kirby of the Padres and Jerry Koosman of the Mets matched shutout innings through the ninth. With the score tied 0-0 in the bottom of the eleventh, shortstop Bud Harrelson delivered a basehit, scoring
Cleon Jones with the winning run. It was a win that would start the New York Mets on an almost unheard of streak of winning. What event will be your catalyst? What day will be the day you snatch a win from the grip of another bitter loss? The win for the Mets that day ended a five game losing streak and began an eleven game winning streak. From May 29th on, the Mets won 81 games while losing only 39.

At this point, we hold hope. We see the Mets going from 120 game losers to a 100 win season in 7 years. The Mets won the National League East that season and faced the Atlanta Braves in a best of five series. The Atlanta Braves had dangerous hitters such as Rico Carty, Orlando Cepeda and Henry Aaron. The Mets, however, had destiny. In a three game sweep that cannot even be considered close, the New York Mets advanced to the World Series against the powerful Baltimore Orioles. Even at this point, the story would inspire us. Through hard work, diligence in training and trading, and patience, the New York Mets had developed a respected pitching staff and a solid, if not overpowering lineup. Hard work paid off and by any stretch the 1969 Mets would be considered winners. But, as you may already know, the New York Mets of 1969 have gone down in history as the Miracle Mets. After losing the best of seven series opener 4-1, the Mets chalked up four straight commanding victories over the defending World Champion Orioles, allowing only five runs in those four games. At the tender age of 7, the New York Mets were World Champions.

Like the Mets, you are a champion. You have the dominating stuff of winners already inside of you. But like those Mets of an earlier era, it is hidden behind inconsistency, procrastination, mental errors and lack of focus. Throughout these pages, through the sport which I love, I will share stories to touch your heart, and light the flame of success in you. Stories of overcoming great adversity and showing remarkable dependability and longevity. There is a champion in everyone of us. Today may not feel like a championship day, but it could be your May 28, 1969. As the legendary Babe Ruth said, “ Every strike brings me closer to the next home run”.

I hope you enjoy this trip around the bases with me. I hope it enlightens you and inspires you. But most of all, I trust that it will help you to find your own championship season and pursue it with all of your heart.

The Eight Pillars of Success

I have set up the Facebook page for The Eight Pillars of Success, my life coaching and public speaking business. Eight Pillars of Success will be a business that will allow people to seek out their dreams and then find practical, value-filled methods to achieve the life of their dreams. Additionally, we will hold classes for men in the area of romance, in order to help men become more enlightened and aware in their most important relationships. Ultimately, the goal is to have inspirational and motivational products available in a retail setting.

Please hit like on the Facebook page and answer the romance based questions on the page in order to provide some valuable research data for our upcoming Romance newsletter

New Man for 2011

It is my fervent desire that  2011 is a new and special year for me.  I will continue to publish stories of inspiration and hope and share more of my personal journey to inspire and make a difference.   I will use the blog for quotes, stories and links that may allow you to join me in this journey of self-discovery…. learning more about myself will allow me to improve areas of character and habit and truly make me a new man in 2011. 

I have so much to be thankful for as 2011 begins.  I have two beautiful children who I adore.  I am successful in a job I enjoy and although I have many additional career goals before I hang up my hat, I am happy knowing that my first managerial year at my new store is nearly ended with our store in a top position.  I have a small, but comfortable apartment, some new friends that I look forward to strengthening friendship with, and a family that although many miles away, loves me and accepts me flaws and all.

One major obstacle I am seeking to overcome in the new year is procrastination.  Putting off what I should do each and every day to better myself has kept me from improving sooner.  Discipline plus preparation will get me where I need to be.

Here is a quote that I ran across tonight that I really enjoyed:

“Procrastination is attitude’s natural assassin.  There is nothing more fatiguing than an uncompleted task.” 

That quote is by William James and is just as true when he spoke it in the late 1800’s as now. 

One of my first tasks for my “New Man” project is to  understand and state my values and then live by them.  One that I know already is BEAUTY.  I  want to surround myself with and appreciate the beautiful things of this world and the beauty of Heaven that is promised to me.  A great quote regarding BEAUTY :

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing something that is beautiful.  Welcome it in every face, in every sky, in every flower.”

This quote is by my favorite author Ralph Waldo Emerson, who wrote so many things about the appreciation of beauty.  His essay “Nature” is a perfect study relishing beauty.

And finally here in the early morning hours of Martin Luther King Jr day, a quote from Dr. King:

” Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy to a friend.”

Stories of Inspiration-Volume 4

Never Say Quit-The Story of Tommy John

I have always been a huge baseball fan.  Occasionally as I look at biographies of players famous and not so famous, I find inspiration.  As a wannabe left-handed pitcher in Little League in the 1970’s, I had, of course heard of Tommy John.  What I didn’t know until recently was the inspiration of his story.  Thomas Edward John Jr was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on May 22, 1943.  He developed into a talented left-handed pitcher and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1961.  Tommy, as he was most frequently called, made his major league debut at age 20.  He was clearly not ready, but with the woeful Indians any healthy arm was brought up to the major league level.   Tommy John was winless in his first partial season with the Indians and had a disappointing record of 2 wins and 9 losses during the 1964 season.  Not seeing the potential in the young left hander, the Indians traded John to the Chicago White Sox.  Over the next several years, Tommy John was a stable, if not spectacular pitcher for the White Sox, helping them to get within three games of the World Series in 1967.  John’s six shutouts were tied for the league lead, and only a last week fade prevented his team from reaching the World Series.  John continued pitching for the White Sox until 1971 when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.  John had two very good seasons with the Dodgers and was well on his way to the best season of his career when in July 1974, he permanently damaged the ulner nerve in his elbow. In 1974, this meant the end of a baseball career.   Now Tommy John certainly did not have a poor career to this point.  He had won 124 major league games against only 106 losses.  He was an All-Star once and was a sturdy performer on the improving Los Angeles Dodger teams.  At this point, Tommy John was certainly an inspiration to many young athletes growing up in his hometown of Terre Haute, but he wasn’t the inspiration that he was to become.  Tommy John tried several alternate therapies to come back from arm trouble.  He was determined to pitch in the big leagues again. “A lot of players thought I was wasting my time,” said John. “Be that as it may, I wanted to play ball. I would have done whatever it took to play again.”

Tommy John would not accept that the damage to his ulner nerve was the career ending injury that it was widely accepted to be.   He said he would learn the knuckleball if his fastball would not come back, whatever it took to make a return to the mound.  It was then that Dr Frank Jobe, the orthopedic consultant to the Los Angeles Dodgers since 1964, suggested a radical new surgery.   Dr. Jobe suggested that by taking a tendon from John’s right wrist area, he could strengthen the elbow to pre-surgery strength.  Dr. Jobe’s belief in the procedure and Tommy John’s vow to pitch again forever linked their names together.  On September 25, 1974, John underwent what columnist Will Carroll called the “improvised surgery”.  “To this day there are few variations to what he (Dr. Jobe) improvised off the top of his head.  It was so close to perfect; I can’t picture anyone even trying to change it”.   So what happened to Tommy John you may ask?  Well, he took the 1975 baseball season to rehabilitate his arm.  He surprised fans and teammates alike by being a part of the Dodgers rotation in 1976.  Was he effective, you may ask?  Tommy John was 10 and 10 and won the Hutch award given to the ballplayer best exemplifying the fighting spirit and competitive desire of Fred Hutchinson, a baseball manager who bravely battled cancer before succumbing at age 45 in 1964.   1976 was just a taste of what John had in store for 1977 and beyond.  After the surgery, Tommy John had three 20 win seasons, pitched another 13 years and retired with 288 career victories, 164 of them AFTER surgery.  He retired in 1989 with just 17 men having pitched more innings than him, and he is the winningest pitcher not yet elected to the Hall of Fame.  The return to the pitching mound and the success that Tommy John had is certainly an inspiring story to not give up, to stand by your desire and be courageous in the face of the unknown.   Tommy John’s story inspired me even more deeply when I learned that the surgery, experimental in 1974 has become known as “Tommy John” surgery and has been performed hundreds of times with an 85% plus success rate.  It is estimated that between 75 and 100 current major leaguers have undergone surgery and have come back to very successful careers.

Today, Tommy John is a minor league baseball manager.  He is also an advocate for eradicating ALS, the neuromuscular disease named after another ballplayer, Lou Gehrig.  John became inspired himself to become a volunteer for the ALS Association through his former teammate Jim “Catfish” Hunter who John played with on the New York Yankees and who succumbed to ALS in 1999 at age 53.  Had Tommy John never had the surgery that resurrected his career, he would not have befriended Catfish Hunter and become so valuable to the ALS community.  Sometimes, inspiration leads to greater inspiration and if we are looking for it in our lives, we will find it.    Tommy John inspires through his perseverance, his outreach and his excellence on and off the mound.

DON’T MISS IT!

1.         Never say quit… had Tommy John retired in 1974 he would have had an above average, but not spectacular career.  Instead he retired ranked 23^rd all time in victories.  What hurdle are you facing that may need an “experimental” solution?

2.        Do not give up on your dreams. Tommy John did not give up on his dream.  To get back to pitching he would have learned  new pitches, tried alternative therapies and underwent whatever surgery necessary. He employed what motivational speakers call the “ant philosophy”.  To get where they want, ants will go under, over or around any obstacles.

3.     If you have an opportunity to see the 1977, 1978 or 1981 World Series on video, you can see Tommy John at his best.

4.    One of Tommy John’s favorite awards was the Hutch Award he won in 1976.  Go to www.fhcrc.org to learn about Fred Hutchinson, the award named after him and the Cancer Center that bears his name.

5.       Visit Tommy John’s website, www.tommyjohn.com , to read more of his inspiring story.

6.      Consider this quote by Tommy John: “ Always give 100 percent and you’ll never have to second guess yourself”.  I call this the “mirror” test.  When you look in the mirror each night, you can face yourself, knowing that you gave your best that day.Be inspired by Tommy John’s work ethic.  “You know what I’m most proud of?  What I’m most proud of and I don’t know if anyone from the surgery can say this, but I pitched 13 years after the procedure and never missed a start. I had not one iota of trouble.  I would like people to remember that about me, too”.

You may not be a major league pitcher or be facing an experimental surgery, but you can be well served by using Tommy John’s “no matter what” philosophy to overcome whatever it is that you are facing.

Stories of Inspiration- Volume 3

Courage Overcoming Fear-The Red Badge of Courage

 

Stephen Crane’s moving short story of Henry Fleming and his experience during the Civil War is a training book of lessons on fear, temporary defeat and, ultimately, courage overcoming fear.  Written in 1895, The Red Badge of Courage is a modern masterpiece written by a man who never experienced a battle, but who packed a full compliment of adventures into his brief 29 year life.  The hero, Henry Fleming is a northern boy who is sent off to war by his mother who worries about his safety, but also worries about Henry standing up to courage in the face of danger.  His mother tells Henry, “Never do no shirking on my account, if the time comes when you have to be killed or do a mean thing, why Henry don’t think of anything cept for what’s right because there’s many a woman that have to bear up under such things these days.  The Lord will take care of us all.”  We don’t learn about Henry’s background and we don’t learn about what he does after the war.  What we experience and what we can be inspired about in Red Badge of Courage is Henry’s very real fears, his very frank self-talk and his internal struggle to do the right thing.  Each of us has this same self-battle that goes on inside our head when it comes to business and relationships.  The book opens with Henry going off to join the Union army and after a period of boredom, engaging in his first action.  Although initially strong, a second Rebel advance scares Henry and he flees behind the lines.  When confronted by other Union soldiers, they assume he is injured.  He runs into his comrade Jim Conklin and watches him die. The soldiers talked about a “red badge of courage” a wound sustained in battle as the mark of a hero.   Through a confrontation with another fleeing soldier, Henry receives his “red badge of courage”, though through a hit to the head rather than a bullet.  Eventually, Henry is reunited with his regiment, and creates a fanciful story that increasingly becomes enriched as his regiment brags about his bravery.   As Henry recovers, he and his friend Wilson overhear the general talking of plans to send his regiment, the 304^th into battle the following days in what the general essentially thought would be a sacrificial effort.  Hearing that the general considered the 304^th an unprofessional unit, Henry and Wilson were determined to prove the general wrong.  During the ensuing battle, the two comrades captured the Rebel flag.  After the battle, the praise rung out for Fleming and Wilson and Henry is exemplified as the ideal fighting man, an irony that is not lost on Fleming.  Now, however, his shame is gone and his courage deserved.  The inspiration of overcoming negative self-talk, standing up in spite of fear and ultimately demonstrating courage over fear make The Red Badge of Courage a great read for anyone looking to do the right thing.

DON’T MISS IT!

1. Mark Twain said “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not the absence of fear.  Take a step today to overcome a fear.  Make a difficult phone call, have a difficult conversation, try something that you have been afraid of.  The first step, once taken will take a huge chunk of the fear.

 

2.      Never let negative self-talk sabotage your dreams and goals.  Immediately after setting a goal, negative self-talk will present dozens of reasons why the goal is not attainable.  Expect this reaction from yourself, but counter it by immediately listing the motivation behind the goal and the methods that you will use to reach the goal.

3.    Look for opportunities to be courageous.  Step up and speak the truth     in love when necessary.  Each courageous act brings a greater self-confidence and builds a foundation of self-respect.

4.   An excellent radio adaptation of The Red Badge of Courage is available for download from www.mysteryshows.com.  It was performed in 1949 by the NBC University players.

5.    Purchase a copy of Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.  Read it with your children and talk to them about courage.  They confront situations in school everyday where courage is needed.

 

6.      Use the buddy system.  Wilson was Henry’s support system and that support strengthened both men.  Who can you rely on to help you through your fears?       

Courage doesnt always roar.  Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow.                                           -Mary Ann Rademacher

Stories of Inspiration-Volume Two

The Secret keeper of Presidents- The Story of Ike Hoover

On September 17, 1933 President Franklin Roosevelt sent a telegram to the widows of former Presidents Benjamin Harrison, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge and to former President Herbert Hoover.  The country was in the midst of the Great Depression and President Roosevelt certainly had a lot on his plate.  What was the reason for the telegram?  President Roosevelt was sharing his grief over the death of “Ike” Hoover, who for 42 years was the chief usher of the White House.  This was a man who these presidential families knew and respected a great deal.   According to FDR “It was Ike Hoover who met me at the door when I first came into the White House as my home…his passing is a  tremendous personal loss…The nation, too, has lost a true and faithful public servant.”

 Irwin Hood Hoover was born in 1871 and began his career as an electrician working for Thomas Edison.  In 1891, he was sent by Edison to assist in installing electricity in the White House.   Electricity in homes was still a relatively untested and unknown improvement in 1891 and President Benjamin Harrison and his wife Caroline were afraid of this new technology.  They were so afraid, in fact, that they asked Hoover to stay at the White House to help with the transition to electric power.  Over the next few years his responsibilities increased until President William McKinley named him chief usher.   What does a chief usher do?   Among Hoover’s responsibilities were the running of all social functions of the house, the presentation of credentials from foreign dignitaries, the arrangement of seating at White House dinners and he is generally the man seen holding the Presidents umbrella.   Time Magazine in its March 4, 1929 issue describes Hoover as “…he who inspects all callers, engineers all receptions, arranges all of the First Lady’s teas and sends the White House motor hither and yon”.  The magazine described Hoover as tall and dignified, but what struck me as inspirational about Ike Hoover was not his dignified look, but his consistently dignified character throughout his 42 years of service.  Through the administrations of nine presidents, I am sure Hoover overheard more than his share of “presidential secrets”.   It is rumored that he was offered $50,000 to write a “tell-all” book about his White House experience, which he turned down.  “When I pass out, everything goes with me”, Hoover calmly explained.

At some point, Hoover did record his memoirs, which were published the year after his death.  These memoirs, however, were a witty perspective of the American landscape over his years of service, and not the scandalous gossip sheet that they could have been.  His commentaries on the presidents that he served ranged from his colorful descriptions of Theodore Roosevelt’s children turning the White House upside down with activity after William McKinley’s quiet, dignified tenure, McKinley’s constant cigar smoking and a touching description of the devastation of the stroke that disabled President Woodrow Wilson in 1919.

Some of his duties were humble and he was treated with varying degrees of respect by different administrations.  He oversaw the weddings of both Theodore Roosevelt’s daughter Alice and Woodrow Wilson’s daughter Eleanor.  He was privy to the courtship of President Wilson with his second wife Edith Galt after the death of Wilson’s first wife Ellen in 1915.  Some leaders, however, were less friendly.   President Herbert Hoover (no relation) resorted to not speaking to most of the White House staff during the onset of the Great Depression in 1929.  Nonetheless from the early 1890’s to the beginning of Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency in 1933, Ike Hoover ran the White House like a smooth machine.  Democrat or Republican, it made no difference to Hoover.  This is the inspiration I found in Hoover.  Here is a man who did his best work behind the scenes, who was obviously excellent at what he did and who displayed discretion and respect both for the office of President and for the men who held the office and their families.  He can be held as an excellent example of work ethic, discipline and devotion to duty.

DON’T MISS IT!

For an intimate look at the life of White House servant staff, view the DVD Backstairs at the White House, a 1979 mini-series based on Lillian Rogers Park’s memoir My Thirty Years at the White House.   In the movie, Ike Hoover is portrayed by actor Leslie Nielsen. 

 

2.     Although out of print, copies of Ike Hoover’s memoir  Forty-Two Years in The White House are available at used bookstores and large excerpts are available online.

 3.        The White House usher is often seen holding the President’s umbrella.  It a humble job, but important.  Whose umbrella do you hold?  Become an umbrella holder, do something out of the limelight because it is the right thing do to, without seeking the credit for it.

      4.   There is a common saying “Loose lips sink ships”.  Imagine the discretion and self-discipline that Ike Hoover must have possessed. Are   you as trustworthy?  Begin today to be a person that others can trust. 

5.      Ike Hoover was originally hired to wire the White House, a six month job.  He stayed for 42 years.  You never know where today’s adventure will lead.  No matter what you do, put your stamp of excellence on it and you may find yourself invited to stay on longer than you ever expected.

Stories of Inspiration- Volume One

  A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words- The Edward Hopper Story

On the wall of the Art Institute of Chicago is a painting that has become an American icon.   As you stand in front of the painting, you cannot help but immerse yourselves in speculation about the characters in the painting.  It is a simple canvas with several non-descript customers sitting at an all night diner.

We are viewing their night through the front window of the diner and we wonder what conversations are taking place, what stresses each of the diners have dealt with that day and how just taking a load off at this diner is relieving that stress. We imagine conversations; we give meaning and depth to the bleakness of the all night diner. The painting is called Nighthawks and was painted by the American artist Edward Hopper in 1942.  It is the most famous of Hoppers’ works and depictive of his simple, scarcely populated paintings that nonetheless awaken our imaginations.  It has been parodied, re-populated and animated. It’s most famous parody was the replacement of the obscure characters with Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Humphrey Bogart and Elvis Presley.  The parody is called Boulevard of Broken Dreams and like the original Nighthawks has become a part of our American landscape.  

Edward Hopper was born July 22, 1882 in Nyack, New York.  He was a prolific painter with over 3000 canvasses painted, however, what inspires me most about Edward Hopper is first, his ability to say so much with so little, and his ability to overcome years of obscurity to finally, become an “overnight success” at age 41.    A person only has to study some of Edward Hopper’s most famous paintings to see how much he “says” with a seemingly empty landscape.   Hopper began studying art in 1899, first at the New York School of Illustrating and then at the New York School of Art.  He studied under Robert Henri and William Merritt Chase, who in turn was educated by famous American painter John Singer-Sergeant.  Hopper remained at the NY School of Art for seven years as he was considered a slow learner.  In 1906, he left for Paris and was to spend most of the next six years abroad.  At age 31, in 1913, he finally sold one of his paintings Sailing.  He could not support himself with the sales of his oils or his watercolors and spend the next several years as a commercial illustrator to make ends meet.  In 1920, The Whitney Studio Club offered Hopper his first solo exhibition and Hopper contributed 16 paintings, but did not sell a single one.

Finally, in 1924, two things happened that would change Edward Hopper’s life and help him become the inspiration that he is.  First, he married a fellow artist Jo Nivison, who herself was an inspiration to Hopper.  Next, he had his second solo exhibition at the Rehn Gallery and this time his exhibition sold out.  He was 42 and suddenly people couldn’t get enough of Edward Hopper.  Often what is seen as overnight success is actually years of toiling in obscurity waiting for a breakthrough.  Over the next 20 years, painting after painting appeared that piqued the interest of critics and the public alike.  Paintings such as House By the Railroad (1925), Chop Suey (1929), Early Sunday Morning (1930) and Gas (1940) are still discussed by art students today.  He has been described as a “prophet of loneliness” and a pictorial poet who recorded the starkness and vastness of America.  Hopper never gave up on his dreams and from 1925 until his death in 1967, enjoyed his place as a celebrated American artist, probably the most well known of the American realist painters.  He is an inspiration to young artists and to middle age businessmen chasing their dreams to not give up, to continue to work hard and to achieve the object of their goals.  As Susan Goldman Robins, author of Edward Hopper: Painter of Light and Shadow wrote, “Hopper’s is a story of determination, hard work and success.”

Don’t Miss It!

1.      Visit the Art Institute of Chicago to see Nighthawks.  Sit in front of it with a notebook for a good 15 minutes and record everything that comes to mind about the painting.  Think about the relationship between the man and woman at the counter.  Think about the day the lonely businessman has had, imagine the thoughts of the waiter.  The key here is to get your imagination running and slowing your pace down enough to pull observations from the seemingly vacant painting.

 2.  Visit an excellent website on Edward Hopper www.edwardhopper.com where you can purchase reproductions of his prints, books on his life, and view many of his most famous works. 

3.    Never give up on your dreams.  At 41, Edward Hopper had painted over 20 years, sold one painting and had to make a living as a commercial illustrator, something that by all accounts he hated.  At 42, he was newly married, and had an entire exhibition of his work sell out at the Rehn Gallery. From that point forward, finances changed and Hopper was able to paint what he wanted, when he wanted.

 4.    If you have a budding artist in your house, purchase the book Edward Hopper: Painter of Light and Shadow by Susan Goldman Robins, published by Abrams Books for Young Readers.  It outlines the story of Edward Hopper in an especially inspirational way for young artist.

5.     Edward Hopper said “The man is the work.  Something doesn’t come out of nothing.”  Does your work reflect who you are as a person?  Does the quality match the quality you want to display to the world?  Is your signature on all that you do and is that signature distinguished?