The 4 H's

The view from my home office.
2/4/2021 dwm photo

 During the football season, I was intrigued by a device used by the Cleveland Browns to encourage team bonding during Covid-19 because the usual dinners and team outings were not allowed.

 Instead Coach Kevin Stefanski borrowed an idea from a basketball coach for his team.  Virginia Commonwealth coach Mike Rhoades used four questions to learn more about his team and players learn about the people who line up next to them.

 The questions are the "H's" in our lives.   

    * What is your History?

    * Who are your Heroes?

    *What was your Heartbreak?

    *What is your Hope?

If you give each query thoughtful consideration your answer will reveal how you became the person you are today.

My history usually makes up a lot of this blog's content.  I was born to Christian parents in the Midwest. Because of them I went to Lutheran school from kindergarten through ninth grade.  I became interested in radio early, then moved into journalism during college.  That's when I met the girl I married.  We have two boys.  Three careers and seven jobs later, here I am - blessed abundantly.

My heroes?  The older I get the more my Dad becomes heroic.  There are dozens of older adults I know through my work who are heroes.  It's a privilege to hear stories of women fired if they got married or became pregnant on the job.  One woman, a doctor, worked at the same hospital as her husband, also a doctor, and was told by the man in charge she could work there, but wouldn't be paid.  In the past year, we recognized heroes around us - doctors, sanitation workers, grocery employees, healthcare workers, and the list goes on.  Showing up to do your job when the instinct is to flee to safety is the definition of heroic.

My heartbreak? No doubt there are disappointments along life's road, but with the passage of time, events or moments that did some "heart damage" became scars that tenderized my perspective over almost six decades.

My hope? My hope eternally is solely because of the grace and love of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  My hope on earth is for a more civil society when it comes to politics and in getting along with the fellow men and women living on the planet.  If we "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" it will keep us from judging others based on what we think or believe.

Relationships are built a piece at a time.  A good base on which to build are shared experiences.  The Coronavirus Pandemic is the ultimate in collective experience.  Get acquainted by asking about their Covid history; their Covid heroes; Covid heartbreak; and their hope amidst the 'Rona.

We will forget most of the results from the just finished NFL season, but if we hold on to these four H-questions think of how much we'll learn!