Some would say it’s the ONLY question.       .       .

Some would say  WE  all do it, but only with a small

“S”

Some would say.           .          .

What say  Y   O   U ?

It’s never really a matter of to serve

or not to serve

as much as it is

WHO’S       SERVING       WHOM?

I use to play a game each Fall when Youth Groups would get back together again from Summer vacation. A nice, kind of lame Ice-Breaker that would allow us all to get to know each other and re-acquaint with old members graduating and new members moving up. It went something like:

Are you more of a Mountain or a Valley?

Are you more of a Lake or a Ocean?

Are you more of a Forest or a Desert?

Are you more of a Jingle or a Symphony?

Are you more of Lion or a Lamb?

Are you more of a Ladle or a Bowl?

Even now as I read those examples, like you, I’m answering them, maybe in a different way that I did well over 30 years ago.          .          .

Hey, we’re  allowed  to  C H A N G E  aren’t  we?

And  although,

CHANGE    IS    THE    ONLY    THING    THAT’S    CONSTANT

and that it’s literally inevitable

and at times very exhilarating,

it still doesn’t always have to be obeyed or observed.          .          .

Anyone who practices any degree of

Ladle-Living

knows how absolutely the Benefactor

receives so much more than the Benefactor-ee.      .      .

Being in hospice since 1994, I’ve found that,

without a doubt,

I am one of the most selfish person’s I’ve ever met,

known

or heard of.          .          .

Once you not only POSSESS the Ladle,

but actually USE it,

without thought

or account of repay,

Life becomes a series of

G     I     V     I     N     G     S.          .          .

G  I  V  I  N  G  S

that are intoxicatingly addictive.       .       .

TRANSLATION:

YOU   CANNOT   GIVE   AND   NOT,

 N   O   T,

NOT   WANT   TO   GIVE   MORE,

a g a i n      a n d      a g a i n,     a n d      a g a i n.       .       .

So. . .

Are you more of a Mountain or a Valley?

Are you more of a Lake or an Ocean?

Are you more of a Ladle or a Bowl?

Are you more SERVING or SERVED?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm,

the     answers     that     need     no     pondering     are     the     most     truthful;

especially   since   we   KNOW   before   the   Questions   are   asked !

Here’s to a little more Ladle-Living for each of us. . .

even if it means make-shifting a handle

on the not so shiny bowl

we’ve been carrying around for way too long.          .          .

well  now,

that’s  a

CHANGE   THAT   CAN   BE   CONSTANT

.          .          .e  v  e  r  y  t  i  m  e  !

and    simply    remember    the    greatest    of    truths:

T  H  E      E  L  E  V  A  T  O  R

is always in

S E R V I C E

and it doesn’t matter so much

 W      H      O

purses the Buttons

as it does

WHICH      FLOOR      YOU      DECIDE      TO      GET      OFF.          .          .

I flat out got my BUTTONS pushed this past week

My FUSE

not only got lit

I found out painfully just how short it was

on this particular day

because of this SCRUPULOUS  Reason.         .        .

WHAT    CLOGS    YOUR    DRAIN.          .          .

I RE-DISCOVERED what stopped mine up

to less than a trickle.          .          .

I was asked to do the funeral for

a person I had never met:

N  O  R  M  A  L

I got at the funeral home to meet with the family I had never met:

N  O  R  M  A  L

I talked with the Funeral Director for any additional information about the Person:

N  O  R  M  A  L

He told me the reason the family asked for someone they had never met to conduct the services of their loved one:

M E

Was because the family’s minister, when called by the Funeral Director to ask about his availability for the service told the Director that the Deceased had not paid his Church Pledge and he would be glad to conduct the Services FOR $650.00 because the HE  IS  RUNNING  A  BUSINESS  AND  NOT  A  CHARITY.       .      .

ALL OF MY BUTTONS GOT PUSHED/JAMMED simultaneously 

ALL OF MY BELLS AND WHISTLES  screamed

ALL  OF  MY  FLAGS  went high up/off the Poles

 ALL  OF  MY  LIGHTS  went Red Flashing

ALL  OF  MY  WEAKEST  LINKS  snapped

E          V          E          R          Y          T          H          I          N          G 

I despise about Organized Religion

went off like an ongoing 4th of July Firework Session

gone amok.          .        .

I was way past

I N C E N S E

a n d    straight    to    the    dark    heart    of

I        N        C        E       N        S        E        D

and then we were in the service

and his friend stood up and Eulogized him so perfectly

and   it   h i t   me:

I am not THE CARING CATALYST.        .          .

but I am  A  CARING CATALYST

and as it turns out

a   not   so   perfect   Caring   Catalyst.          .          .

T R U T H:

I          A    M            P    E    R    F    E    C    T    L    Y          I   M   P   E   R   F   E   C   T

and one of the Biggest Hypocrites I’ve ever known.          .          .

Here I am espousing all of this

Peace on Earth

Goodwill

Forgive

Give no matter what

All of this:

and even more of

and dashes and doses of

and pinches of

I   come   to   RE-DISCOVER:

I          A    M            P    E    R    F    E    C    T    L    Y          I   M   P   E   R   F   E   C   T

Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst:

So        is           everyone          E  l  s  e.          .          .

    E               V               E               R               Y               O               N               E

P     E     R     I     O     D

I on/off stewed

I on/off complained

I on/off retold

I on/off obsessed

over this

all-too-live-all-too-real-button-pushing-bell-whistle-blowing-red-light-blaring

s t o r y

and this poor excuse of a Caring Catalyst

who is most

 P    E    R    F    E    C    T    L    Y          I   M   P   E   R   F   E   C   T

came to this humble-less-than-ever-honest-with-himself:

S     E     R     V     E          T     H     E          U     N     D     E     S     E     R     V     I     N     G

o  r

S E R V E    N O    O N E

No

if’s

an’s

but’s

or’s

unless’s

excepts

until’s

Join me

You      Perfectly       Imperfects

JOIN       ME

JOIN ME, JOIN ME, JOIN ME, JOIN ME, JOIN ME, JOIN ME, JOIN ME, JOIN ME, JOIN

m e

Let’s be Pieces of the Puzzle

who come together

and become better as

ONE

than we could ever be

by our PERFECTLY IMPERFECT SELVES

SERVING     THE     UNDESERVING 

.             .           .THAT’S  not so much thinking out of the box.          .          .

IT’S       O B L I T E R A T I N G       IT

And the Biggest Discovery Since one of Columbus’s might be

Let    your    Imperfect    YOU

J  O  I  N

My Imperfect  ME

The SERVED

is not always the DESERVED.          .          .

LET’S       SERVE        THEM        ANYWAY