Now You See It, Now You Don't

Work for a cause, not for applause. 

Live life to express, not to impress. 

Do not strive to make your presence noticed, just make your absence felt.

~ Unknown

Maybe the fall is a time for reflection because of the sense of daylight and warm weather is quickly waning.

Just like the autumn leaves seem to be here one day and gone the next, one could take from the anonymous quote that a similar effort in our lives would be a good path to follow.

In a parable of Jesus' he talks about receiving an invitation to a dinner party and taking the good seat for yourself.  No, Jesus says, it is better to sit near the kitchen or behind a post and invited to come forward than to sit front and center and asked to move to another seat.

Lincoln provided sage advice for all of us, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."  By working for people and the things we believe in and by choosing to help others and do the right thing instead of looking for an ovation - we can let others reach their own conclusions instead of trying to take our own bow.

Yes, we are better off keeping our heads down and doing the work without regard for recognition.  Recently many of us in the United States are coming to realize the absence of federal workers and the jobs they do - daresay we didn't know many federal workers personally but are certainly noticing that they are missing.

We should do our best - strive to help others - and not worry who gets the credit.  As we recognize the curtain coming down on 2013, that's not bad advice at all.