THANKSGIVING

In our world today many will ask, "Why should I give thanks?" or maybe ask, "What do I have to be thankful for?"

We have had so much turmoil in our world and in personal lives.  Storms, murders, personal loss, illness and injury among loved ones, war casualties, national morale plummeting...  Even those who know better are falling into the complaining trap and not seeing that there is much to be thankful for.

Last week We had the Nor'Easter storm that many people here are still reeling from...  tremendous damage, much loss, some injuries, some death.  The week before we had the massacre at Fort Hood accompanied by unbelievable emotional pain and loss.  The Congress is monkeying with health care, the economy and the futures of all of us and seemingly they are disregarding all of the voices of citizens trying to get their attention according to all of the polls and the people I converse with.  The President is avoiding a decision on more troops for Afghanistan while we are losing more and more lives there almost daily...

Personal loss seems to have touched most everyone in some manner or another...  My daughter is in greater pain with this current wound following surgery than any I can remember before...  This wound is also harder to keep safe and the wound vac functioning properly because of where the wound is located and the natural creases in the flesh surrounding the wound... 

Are you aware that the colony established at the landing at Plymouth Rock had so much trouble even getting started from Europe that it almost did not make it to New England at all...  Even turning back to repair the one ship that made it to America and losing another ship that had to be abandoned in England.  When they were half way across the North Atlantic they hit such a violent storm that they feared they would never reach land.  When they reached North America, they had intended to establish a colony in Northern Virginia but the weather, the seas and shoals prevented their course down the coast of New England and they turned back to the landing at Plymouth Rock.  The weather was so bad that they could not disembark.  Finally they were able to build a storage building but they had little to store in it. 

They left England with 102 settlers including 50 men, 20 women, 32 children plus a ship's crew of 40.  The plan to establish the colony had been plagued by financial shortages from the beginning.  Before they disembarked they signed a pact to have all goods and all produce of their labors in common among all the party members.  (This is commonly called Communism.  It was even tried in the first church but disappeared in the course of growth and practicality.)

The first winter took the lives of almost half the population including 13 wives, 19 single men and totally wiped out 4 families.

The common property idea failed...  They almost starved to death because of the grousing among the men in the party.  Most of them were single and could not see the advantage of working to support the families of the men who had wives and children, so the production was not as successful as it could have been.

William Bradford, the leader, made an entry in his  journal of what happened next...  The having of property in common caused much confusion, pilfering and discontent and hindered much employment that would have been to their benefit...  So the communal property idea was dissolved and replaced with each individual being responsible for his own support and production.  Men and families worked harder and longer and put forth greater effort because they were then doing it for themselves and they could see the benefits of their own labor.  The change was to the benefit of all because each was allowed to keep the products of their own work and have excess to use for bartering.

They survived by help from the local Indians, grew to 7000 population, and were absorbed into the Massachusetts Colony when it was established.They came looking for a new life and religious freedom.  Just surviving was tough in the beginning for them, but we now celebrate Thanksgiving because they celebrated their first harvest with the Indians giving thanks for food and survival.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving (and really we should celebrate thanksgiving daily) let us remember the lessons learned by those Pilgrims 389 years ago and be thankful they they were finally wise in their decisions, resilient in their efforts and they persevered in their dream to establish a new life in a new world where they could live and worship as they desired.  Daily that dream they came here to nourish is threatened by something.  Life is never going to be simple and totally peaceful in the external events.  The only place that total peace is capable of being experienced is within the human being.  Unless we are at peace within and with ourselves we are not going to experience peace externally for any great periods of time.  If we do not have peace within, we allow the agitations of the world around us to draw us into it's troubles and destructive activities which then increases our frustration and agitation.

Now we are engaged in so many activities that are asking for changes or are pushing changes upon us so fast that most of us wonder where the changes will stop and whether we will be able to survive all of the changes on the one hand and the lack of specific needed actions on the other hand.

I received this today and it fits so very well here...

Four Things to Learn

=====================

I have four things to learn in life:

to think clearly without hurry or confusion;

to love everybody sincerely;

to act in everything with the highest motives;

to trust in God unhesitatingly. 

~Albert Schweitzer~

Concise, clear, short and to the point...  In the annals of history, the ones who brought about good changes were the ones who thought and acted in accordance with these four things.  In the past 2000 years, most of them have been believing, respectful, God-Fearing men who acted with resolve and determination to achieve great good and great goals.  Such men were our Founding Fathers.  They had studied the ideas and methods of others.  They resolved to apply what they learned to establish a new and better way...  It seems that ever since they got it started there has always been somebody or other trying to stop it, destroy it or change it to something less effective in the name of progress or in the name of "change"...  And it seems the longer I live the more I see of these efforts of individuals or groups trying to stop what this nation is and change it's future course according to the ideas of individuals or groups that do not care for the United States of America to continue to prosper and function as she has for all of the years since she was formed and put forth to function as a vital part of this world...

Each night when I lay it all aside and begin my rest, I am thankful to have survived and achieved the goals or solved the problems that were mine in that day...  Even if I did not get to all of them and there are many left hanging over waiting for me tomorrow.

Each morning when I awaken my first thoughts of decision are to be thankful for the gift of a new day and for the blessings previously received...  Then to prepare myself for the day with the Lord's Prayer, specific prayer and guidance for the coming efforts...  The Lord's Prayer covers everything that can come into my personal life in the succeeding day...  My specific prayers and the Lord's Prayer for others means that whatever comes into the day of the ones for whom I pray is covered...

I am thankful that our dear USA is still here and I am just as thankful that the Peace Keepers of our Law Enforcement and Military are still here.  We, as a people in this world, would be nothing without you.  Each of you entered into peace keeping and it changed you and it changed your lives.  You know and have seen things of which the  civilian citizens have little knowledge.  You protect them and advance them in ways that they do not comprehend.  You stand in the face of adversity just to make sure that all of our citizens have a chance to live, be at peace and prosper by their own lawful efforts.  I know the line of progression that has brought us to here.  I have had ancestors in that line.  My history is woven into that line.  In my youth I was taught about that line and the progression and purpose of these United States of America.  Peace Keepers, you are our foundation and everything else we accomplish is built upon the peace and protection you provide.

There were times I had difficulty pulling it all together into a comprehensible picture that I could understand...  But after the lessons I learned in the past 47 years of being in the line and gaining the practical experience as well as the mental and emotional knowledge that has been melted, welded, forged, cast into me and driven into me, I have gained an ability to see and understand.  My Eternal Captain said to hear, listen, see,  understand and apply what you can use...  This is an ongoing process that is necessary for every moment in which we live...  Hear...  Listen...  See... Comprehend...  Store/wait/reply/ respond/apply, whichever is needed in the moment...

Today I understand that we would not be here if it were not for our Peace Keepers...  And I would not be here were it not for my Eternal Captain teaching, leading, guiding and directing me by His written instructions and His own Holy Spirit in addition to what I learned from my predecessors and trainers in peace keeping...  And also He has done the same for many of you in peace keeping, when you needed it, whether you knew it or not.  Some of you have told me about it later after you had much time to think on it. 

My advantage in this world today is that I have an Eternal Captain to lead and instruct me and a standard to live by that does not change nor are they altered or changed every time some one else feels that they should be altered or changed.  They are the same today as they were when He initiated all of it.  It will still be the same for all of my tomorrows...  I can depend upon that and be at peace.

This great Constitutional Representative Republic stands as the last great experiment of man to see what a good and great thing he can build for the welfare of all who are even the smallest part of it.  It was founded upon laws and principles that were infallible and stood as it's unshakable foundation.  We grew, progressed and prospered as a nation and as a people composed of people from all over the rest of the world.  Generally we learned how to live together because we established laws and means of enforcing those laws as fairly as possible.  We all had the opportunity to rise as high as we could go on our own merits and under the system in which we live.  Generally the laws kept us from overriding each other...  And in the places where the laws and rights had to be altered in agreement with the standard by which we were established, we did those things too...

Some of that was good and as it should have been...  Then we came to the modern times and we determined too many things made too many people upset and we began to tear down all old ways, old laws and old traditions and give freedom to the expression of the old, depraved natural man that is totally selfish in his actions.  In our society today we are reaping the whirlwind of destruction from that loosing...  Anarchy has raised it's standard and situational ethics are so flexible that the only thing you can count on is that they may never be the same way twice. 

We also began to assault the foundations of the nation because some decided that we could not have God involved in the government nor to have God or mention of Him be displayed in public places.  We as a nation began to speedily move away from all of the established foundation stones that made us great and able to give light to the rest of the world. 

Then we established programs to give away things, money and support to establish a distribution of wealth to those who did little to earn it...  And we expanded those programs, supposedly for the greater good...  Another attempt is being made in these very moments to further expand those programs even if the majority of the people are against those programs and ideas.  These ideas are foreign and despicable to those who know and understand history.  History has proven that those ideas and programs become destructive and tear down rather than building up.  When we finance everything we want now by mortgaging our possible future growth and production, and that of future generations, whether we are talking about nations or individuals, we are walking on the edge of disaster and the very edge of the path we are treading is crumbling away.

If we are going to be at war in a foreign land, we should have enough personnel and equipment there to get the job done and the war ended...  Train them in how to protect themselves...  Teach them how to have what they need...  And leave them to their own devices rather than stay forever.  Yet we have gotten into the habit of not doing that.  I know what it is like to be expected to do the job, no matter what the demand or the job is, with what you have on hand...  I know what it is to handle emergencies without the necessary assistance to do it in a more competent way. 

Because I know these things by experience, I can have the deepest of compassion for you in your situations and the demands placed upon you.  Equipment costs money.  Personnel cost money.  Popular public opinion cost money.  Meanwhile, as all of the decision making was/is going on, we had/have to do all we could do with what we had/have and leave the rest to another attack, battle, confrontation, conflict or response.
No, we don't like that but we are the ones charged with keeping the peace...  We are the ones who volunteered to keep the peace.  There are no conscripts/draftees in the present military nor in law enforcement...  We all volunteered to do it as best we could with what we have available to us...  And I have all through my life stood amazed at how well the Peace Keepers have done the job even when they ran out of supplies and equipment...

Peace Keepers, we brought this nation to where it is on the backs of our predecessors and upon our own backs as we and they have all done our duty.  Others may take all the time they like to make decisions and to Monday morning quarterback our actions but we were in the thick of situations demanding action and effort and we gave it to the best of our ability...  Some of us were successful enough to survive and retire...  Some of us were injured and had to retire...  Some of our Compadre's did not survive the efforts we all made and they will forever be alive in our history, on our memorials and in our hearts.  You have been one fine crew and force to work with, live with, love and be thankful for...  THANK YOU...  THANK YOU...  THANK YOU!!!  MY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF AND I ETERNALLY THANK YOU!

I pray you always have enough of what it takes to succeed in your efforts... 
"BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!"  ALWAYS be alert, watchful, suspicious and wary.  Take the very best care of you as you care for and about others. See to the strength and well being of your spirit as well as all the rest of you.  Your spirit must be strong for you to be successful.

Call or write if I may be of any service... Or if you just want to encourage me... Feedback encourages all who write... It helps to know we are reaching someone who reads the message.

My daughter's wound is progressing and we are still in the fight.  She has had much more pain this time than in previous surgeries and aftermath so she is less active than usual.  She is still on the wound-vac so my job is to maintain her and the machine and to patch any leaks that develop plus help her with the IV meds which we must continue to run twice daily.  The prayers and concern you send to us are still doing a good job so please continue to pray. 

As it has always been... So it still is!!!

"VICTORIOUS WARRIORS WIN FIRST...
AND THEN GO TO WAR,
WHILE DEFEATED WARRIORS GO TO WAR FIRST...
AND THEN SEEK TO WIN."  Sun tzu

Training and practice are everything!
Without them, the best results are not obtained!

ONLY LIVE PEACE KEEPERS SEE THE VICTORY!!!
THEY SEE IT ONLY BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE MADE THEIR ETERNAL
PAYMENTS OF SWEAT, BLOOD, TEARS AND LIFE FOR THAT VICTORY!

WITH THE DEEPEST OF APPRECIATION AND RESPECT...
BE BLESSED (A CONDITION TO BE ENVIED)...
BE SUCCESSFUL... BE SAFE...
[My injunction to be safe means doing all you know to do as you do your job... it means
doing the best you can with what you have where you are using all your faculties to get
the job done well and with good results conquering evil and keeping or restoring peace...
it does not mean to avoid duty and honor... it does not mean to cower or allow anything
to hinder you in the process of duty according to rules, law and ethics...  it means that if
the demand takes your earthly life you destroy as much evil as possible in the process. 
That is my definition of being safe... doing the best you can and leaving the rest to God
or whomever else is responsible... being best employed for the sake and protection of all
the things and people that we hold dear.]

I represent, write for... and give the credit to:
God the Father (my Commander-in-Chief),
Jesus Christ the Son (the Eternal Captain of my life) and
the Holy Spirit of God (my Eternal Teacher, Keeper and Guide).
In Christ I live... with Him and for you I serve...
And I rejoice that you are there whether you are Christian or not...
For God, Country and the Peace Keeper...
D. R. (Don) Staton, Chaplain to Peace Keepers,
Surviving Peace Keeper,
Virginia State Police Alumni,
RETIRED Police Officer Virginia Beach Police Dept.,
Senior Chaplain and Administrative Chaplain VBPD,
DCJS Certified Police Instructor,
Community Service Officer (Traffic Safety) VBPD
Blackwater Alumni
757-431-2190, chpln1@verizon.net
3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
===============================================================
All rights reserved.  May not be duplicated without permission, except to be
forwarded with all source information for any quotation intact.

To subscribe to this free e-mail message for Peace Keepers, 

write to Chaplain D. R. Staton at chpln1@verizon.net or at 

3709 Beacon Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.