The Four Cs

I’ve dealt with some unhappy times in my life.

That does not make me unique. Others might consider them minor, but the issues have forced me to find a “happy place” in my mind.

This has forced me to think about….and formulate….”the four C’s.”

The four areas of my life that provide happiness. The four things that make life worth living.

Carol is the first C. She has been life-altering. Her quiet determination to succeed captivated me in the beginning and her persistence to always “do the right thing” has continued to make me admire her. She adapts to the curves I throw and makes our life work. For that, and so many things, she is atop my happy list.

The second C is children. I was gifted three strong, healthy sons who have been a steady source of pride. I wasn’t a perfect father but I made sure my love was demonstrative. I continue to tell them I love them. When the Carol and Mike Show began, I came to know Carol’s children and they have been nothing but respectful of me. For that, I am grateful.

The kids have also been fruitful….and have multiplied. Grandchildren are the greatest gift God can bestow. I love being with them….taking pictures of them….and knowing their memories of me will long eclipse my own mortal life.

The third C stands for cabin. When of my longtime mentors, Terry Bruce, the former congressman and current CEO of the college district where I was first employed as a college president, says his cabin is a “life extender.” I understand. Since Carol and I purchased 20 acres of woods south of Fairfield, I have relished weekends. The land provides me a place where I can work with my hands (deer stands, cutting wood, moving rock, blazing trails). At camp, I actually see projects to their end. So many times in my career, I never really see the benefit of my work.

Carol’s father has designed and built (with help) a beautiful cabin. We built a pond next to it and this spring I will stock it with fish for grandkids to harvest. The cabin makes me smile. I hope Bruce is right and it extends my life.

Finally, the last C might surprise you. It stands for canine. In this case, canines. Our two basset hounds (Cletus and Jojo) are unruly, undisciplined, and smelly. They are siblings from the same litter and bonded for life. You can’t separate them. For me, there is something admirable about that kind of loyalty.

The dogs can be a pain. But they also can make me smile, and for that, they make the four C’s.

I pray each morning for the ability to make a difference with my life and many times I end the day praying the serenity prayer. It sometimes seems it was written for me.

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) is the author. It goes like this:

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

 Living one day at a time;

enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

forever in the next.

Amen.

 

It also helps to have the four Cs.