...will be done.

   Many good people pray some variation of these three words every day, often at the start of the day so as to allow no other thing to come before. The intent for most is to dedicate each day and all that is done that day to the will of Our Lord. We have not the imagination of Our Lord and that leads us to difficulty, at times, discerning just how our workings in life promote the will of His Kingdom. We ponder the decisions to be made when faced with multiple paths in our life, not to mention the small daily choices we make from seemingly endless offers that present themselves. The challenge then becomes ours, to look into what life offers us and determine if our choices will or will not bring glory to the Kingdom of God.
   Now repeat the same three words as a statement. As a statement, "will be done." takes on a whole new resonance, doesn't it? These are words of action. And as a statement of faith, who do you think is to carry out that will here on earth? That's right, as Christians, you and I, him and her, them and us, we are all to be doing his will in our everyday actions. If what we do each day is good and true, it will only bring glory to God's Kingdom. However, if our actions have become something that we have to defend to others and explain to our own conscience, perhaps they are no longer bringing glory to God. Will was freely given to us by Him, along with an honest measure of reason, and it is put upon us to utilize both of them to promote His Kingdom. If, by chance, we are not seeing His Glory reflected back in the works we do, maybe it's time to ask if there is other work to be done elsewhere.

He Leads Me

   I suppose there are a lot of people who wander through life often wondering, as I have, how they came to find themselves in their particular circumstances. How do good people sometimes end up in bad places? I used to say that if I were left to my own devices, every day would be a good and happy day. Forever the optimist, I realized that other people played a major factor in how my day turned out. But still I wondered why I seemed to go 'against the grain' of most of my surroundings. The obvious reason, I surmised at a young age, was that I didn't chase the almighty dollar as hard as many do. But now I'm beginning to understand that it has been something much deeper than that. It has been more the fact that I value human life and existence above money and the things it enables us to acquire. My Lord and Savior graciously made me as I am and has attempted to lead me every day of my life since. The trouble I and a lot of others have seen has been when the will of mankind has interfered with the will of God, and led us elsewhere.

   Since coming to this awareness, I have made it a point of only going where God sends me each day.  Sometimes that still leads me 'against the grain' and makes me stand out, but so be it. As He leads me, I'm sure He attempts to lead others around me also. However, when this fails and I am not accepted, I am learning to more easily shake that dust from my sandals and move on, for there is always work to be done.

Too Much Credit

   It would appear that I have been given too much personal credit. No, I do not refer to my financial credit score, but rather to the credit mistakenly given to me by some when their well laid plans go awry. Not everything is my fault. The funny thing is that I often feel as though I have pretty much stumbled my way through this life in much the same way as the character Forrest Gump did in the movie of the same name, without much direction, yet a person of the times regardless. Again, like Forrest, my mere presence at certain times and events in the history of life does not make me solely responsible for each and every outcome that arises from an event. Indeed, I can tell you that I have tried on occasion to change the course of some things, only to be shown how powerless I am.
   However, I have learned that those things that I truly give up to God, He does wonderful work with. He has the power and ability to move the obstacles that I cannot even see before me. He demolishes walls that I previously struggled to cut a window into in my sometimes feeble attempts to shed light into darkness. I find that I am now content to move through my life with Him in charge, for my trust in the Lord's ways is reflected back to me in the security of His love.

The First Thanks

   On this eve of local events to commemorate the twenty years since Miller's Reach Wildfire, it is appropriate to give thanks where thanks is due. When writing of those past events I must give the first thanks to God, for with his mercy alone there was no loss of human life, despite the fact that in excess of 300 structure did burn.
   But there are more thanks to go around on this earth. We thank the firefighters who were so patient as they awaited their orders to move, so many of them staged right up the road in a large parking lot. Patient they were, even as we screamed at them from our vehicles as we passed by during evacuation, not understanding in our trauma why they were waiting to start. For them we owe both a thanks and an apology. I was not alone on that one, so I said we. Nor am I alone in the thanks I have for the trooper who directed a large group of families to take shelter in an empty but relatively safe residence across the water from our burning neighborhood.
   However, I do personally thank those who did what they had to do to move some of us toward the eventual lifesaving exit out of Big Lake and on to further refuge. Thanks not only to the operator of the inn up the road, who freely gave shelter until we were able to return to what what we had left, but for the refuge and goods provided our families from schools and churches throughout Wasilla.
   For me, much thanks must go to my boss at the time, Mr. K., for not until he began to make phone calls on Tuesday morning to advise his employees of the proximity of the fire was I aware of the danger. Again, no thanks would be complete at this time without a thank you to those of you who commandeered the fire truck nearest my home, previously garaged due to mechanical issues, and kept most of an entire community of homes from burning out. There a special thanks goes to the local musher who took the fall later for the act of 'breaking out' that truck for community use.
   I have many thanks for God that resources available at the time were allotted to our area, even though someone in authority balked at the idea, believing the area was "nothing but pot smokers" who possibly did not deserve the help. Our children thank those that did not listen to her to this day, often with their vote.
   My last thanks also goes to God for not allowing violence to break out between neighbors in our situation, especially in front of the children, tense as the moments got sometimes. It was His mercy that carried all of us safely through the times.

"Say goodnight, Hazel."

   As I recall, it was twenty years ago today, the first Saturday in that June, when my friend and fellow bartender, Hazel passed away. I'm sure I probably thought what I so often do when I hear a loved one has passed, that we can be thankful that their pain has ended and they will suffer no more in this life. Never has that thought been shown to me to be more true, more quickly than when Hazel died. Her death that Saturday meant that she did not witness the events of the days which followed, for it was just the next day that what soon became known as the Miller's Reach Wildfire got it's start. Hazel just missed out on the sight of fifty foot flames devouring her community, neighbors put in handcuffs in the enforcement of forced evacuation, shelter which was denied to families being then given over to a family wedding dress. I simply use three of my own memories from the experience as example, I'm certain Hazel would have had her own.
   The timing also meant that Hazel's death did not garner its proper respect at the time. If there was a service held in a timely manner, I was unaware of it. So, as was custom to me at the time, for one last time, I do say "Say goodnight, Hazel.".

But For Her

   "Mama always said..." was intended to be the title of this blog, however, those words were already taken in the sphere of blog titles. Therefore, I was forced to change the name to something that would just as appropriately reflect my intentions, which were to honor the memory of my mother. The posed question of "Who's your mother?" certainly represents her and the times she lived in. She had no fear of the 'on the spot correction' of children or adults. Indeed, she recognized that many adults still needed the lessons. The advice she handed on was often commonsense, unless you had not heard it before. Most who know me have heard me quote her more than once.
   In a time much simpler than we live in today, my mother was a teacher of children who loved her. The children she taught never doubted that she cared for them and wanted only the best for them. She would never knowingly allow harm come to one if she could do anything about it. I credit my mother in my life with many things, from my sense of empathy and compassion to my attitudes of justice and knowledge.
   This most recent Mother's Day I was very pleased to host my brother and his wife for their Alaskan vacation. We were thrilled over and over again by the glory of God that was expressed in the views we had, not only of wildlife but mountains, rivers and glaciers, views that are themselves subject to God's reign of the weather. But for our mother, I considered, we may not have been together at all, much less at the right time and place to see all that we had been shown.

Empty Spaces

   As you read the growing list of empty spaces that our legislature draws up as possible replacement housing for the Anchorage Legislative Information Office, it does cause one to wonder how in the world we Alaskan's got stuck with that albatross, elegant as it is, in the first place. The fact that there is all that empty space available seems to reflect badly on many realtors who missed their golden opportunity to provide more government space, as if they were asleep at their own wheel when the deal was being made. Or, was it that some of our trusted legislature very cunningly worked behind the backs of those at large who are the realtors of Anchorage, in addition to the good people of the state who voted them into office? Somewhere in the back of my mind I can't help but think that much of the deal concerning the LIO was alcohol related. I mean no pun by that, but literally, for to me it always had the same smell as that of the Alcohol Beverage Control moving to the port area of Anchorage after the successful lobbying to move ABC from the Department of Public Safety and place it under the Department of Commerce. Added to that is the aroma of an historical yet distressed piece of property, that was not selling in the market as the licensed liquor establishment it was known as, that was brought into the contract to remodel the pre-existing LIO building.
   If you consider it was some of the same legislators involved with both the departmental move of the ABC and the contract deal that has become our nightmare LIO, then it begins to make a corrupt kind of sense. At least the ABC did get moved into available empty space at the Atwood Building, so we can hope.

Missed Opportunities

   Even as Alaska searches for new revenue streams, it's possible that some will be led far astray by the denial of the DeVilbi of Matanuska- Susitna Borough. There's been a lot of hoopla about years of study and research done on their part into the costs and effects of cannabis and it's use. Where are their good meaning words and actions when it comes to alcohol? Now there is some death and destruction looking for a remedy. Only now is there any real research able to be done on the subject of cannabis in our country, with the more recent loosening of controls. In the past, most of the accredited research was coming out of the Israeli army. They even go so far as to prescribe it for PTSD in the military. And if the DeVilbi really want to learn, may I suggest they delve into some ancient study on the subject. 

   As I see it, one part of the state, the Matanuska side of the Mat-SuValley, is going to lose out on what is their natural branding right, had they not turned their noses up at it. What has been commonly known as Matanuska Thunder#@%& will unfortunately end up being produced only on the Susitna side of the Mat-Su Valley, theirs to exploit the brand familiarity. Unfortunately carrots aren't taxable at fifty bucks a pound.

Fifty People

   When I learned that the many super-pacs in our country were more or less controlled by the same fifty familial names we recognize, it came as no shock. Money runs politics. Certainly in my state of Alaska you are more likely to get your legislative updates from a member of the business and commerce sector. Besides, I had long been aware of how individual politicians were overly invested in what they consider to be the industrial complex that is our lives, be it our healthcare or the corrections system.
   As we see the disparity growing between how those that are 'with' are well treated and how those that are 'without' are continuously left without, it should come as no surprise to those super-pac fifty that Mr. Trump is doing so well as he is among the common man. Here is a man who has everything they have going for them, but unlike the fifty, rather than throw his money at the problem and attempt to hire others to do his will, this man uses his own money to get himself hired for the job. Some people look at him and think thats how they would aspire to be if they had his money. He really sets quite the example for others looking to make their world better, not just grow their own wealth.

People Know

   It was with great sadness that I received the recent news that there would be no federal agreement to prosecute Bill Allen for his part in the past sex trafficking that allegedly happened both here in the state of Alaska and elsewhere. I agree with the state that there is a case to be made, both in evidence and solid witness testimony. Our news reports in recent months have shown us that sex trafficking is a crime that is rampant today throughout our state, despite current law enforcement's best efforts. I believe that it is so rampant because nothing seems to have been done about it for decades. There has been little to no fear in the perpetrators mind because most good Alaskans don't recognize this crime in their midst. Most of our society doesn't recognize drug trafficking when it is conducted in front of them and they don't see this either.

   You may have noticed that this week was declared Crime Victims Rights Week in Alaska by Gov. Bill Walker,  even as our legislature struggles to find the right balance between the rights of victims and those of our incarcerated citizens. When it comes to sex trafficking, the most common victim that I have witnessed in this state has been female and she seldom, if ever, sees her evildoer (usually male) brought to justice. When I hear the statistics about how the growth in the female population of Alaska's correctional industry has surpassed the male population by leaps and bounds, I am not surprised by the fact. 

   In balancing the weight of individuals rights, one against the other, please remember that many criminals were first victims of crime themselves who saw no justice in their own life. Often times their rights were first tread upon and the people who knew did nothing.u