The other day, we were having a discussion in my writing class and someone suggested we all write a piece on “The biggest lie that we ever told.” At first, this sounded like a fun exercise. Before starting it, you quickly realize that it makes one feel very vulnerable. To open our consciences and share with others something that we may not be proud of. In fact, something that we may have kept hidden for many years. This is a very challenging and scary thing to do. If you don’t think so, than I suggest you try this activity. Here was my contribution to the effort.
How do I start or even write on this subject when I have never ever told a lie in my entire life. Some of the things I did, I don’t think count as lying.
There was the time that I chopped the cherry tree down and my dad asked me who did it. I simply told him that I did not remember. I think someone must have done it but I could not remember who.
Then there was the time that I blew the three houses down and ate all the juicy fat pigs. When they took me to court, I plead the 5th Amendment against self-incrimination.
The only other possible time that anyone could accuse me of lying was when I slept in the three bears’ beds and ate their porridge. I ran so fast that even the bears could not catch me.
Oh, I almost forgot the time that I stole the goose that laid the golden eggs. The big old ogre did not need the goose anyway. I fixed his butt when he tried to climb down the bean stalk after me.
So that’s it folks. I have lived a life of honesty and would never ever lie, steal, or not tell the truth. So help me God!
underlying or foundation problem to explain many senseless acts of…
The secular path is the path of the world. It is the path that says you need to have more of the things of the world to put in your basket. Getting more of the world’s stuff is heralded as the secret to filling your basket and achieving success and happiness. Some of the things people try to get more of include: Food, drugs, alcohol, fame, fortune, money, medals, accomplishments, status, power, knowledge, youth, health and titles. While some of these things might be useful in your other baskets, in this basket they simply do not work. The spiritual basket is immune to the things of the world. It is a truism that all of the great prophets and philosophers and thinkers have extolled. Sadly, it is a path that is promoted by too much of the world because it is driven by greed and financial profits. Buy that new truck and you will be happy. Buy that giant house and you will be happy. Read the latest diet book and you will be happy. How many times do people have to go down this path before they will realize that it only takes them in the wrong direction?
The great spiritual leaders like Mohammed, Jesus, Buddha and Baháʼu’lláh all had followers and tried to teach their followers by various means. It seems that the goal of enlightenment, samadhi or nirvana was achieved by each of the great leaders and even by some of their followers. Unfortunately for humanity and for most organized religions, these gurus and religious teachers all missed one important truth. “You cannot teach enlightenment.” Enlightenment can only be learned by example. We learn from our parents by the example they set for us. We learn by observing how they treat other people. We learn by what they do rather than what they say. The followers of the great prophets and gurus were learning their spirituality from what their teachers were doing and now what they were saying.
Karen grew up with two sets of grandparents. On one side the Misselts were Norwegian and on her dad’s side the grandparents were Swedish. Karen was baptized at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Frederic, Wisconsin where we now reside. Karen went to public schools and was an average student. She dreamed of becoming a nurse. However, her guidance counselor had different ideas. She advised Karen that she would never make it as a nurse because her math scores were too low. Karen showed what I have since realized was a streak of determination or stubbornness (if you will) to get what she wants. She ignored the counselor’s advice, went to nursing school at the University of Minnesota and a few years ago retired with fifty plus years of nursing experience.
Karen and I were married in 1989 but started dating in 1983. Both of us were coming off of recent divorces. We were on again and off again as I did not want to make any commitment. After six years of dating, Karen finally said that she was tired of this off again and on-again business and either it was permanently on or permanently off. I yielded to her logic, and we were married by my good friend Bill Cox at a Methodist Church in Taylor Falls, Minnesota. The marriage of a good Lutheran and a quixotic Atheist.
From the start, we had a rather rocky relationship. I was often temperamental. Easy to anger and resort to verbal and emotional abuse. I lost count of how many times I said that I was going to leave, and that divorce was the only answer. Karen would ask me not to yell at her and I would say I was not yelling. It seemed to me that any slight rise in my tone of voice was yelling to Karen. Our discussions often made matters worse. However, Karen never gave up on our relationship. We went to counselling together to save it. We have been to three Marriage Encounter weekends to improve various aspects of our lives. Sometimes the improvements are more obvious than other times. I still tend to be the pessimist and see the half-empty glass and Karen is the optimist who keeps assuring me that the glass is half-full and getting fuller.
Karen was a single mom who raised four children after her first husband left. She tried to be mom and dad to these kids. She cooked, cleaned, sewed, and went to work each day and came home at night to help them with their homework or whatever they needed. She took them on camping trips and vacations. By the time we were married, three of her children had left the nest and we had one child left to raise. Karen’s relationship with her children was never smooth. Some of the kids seemed to blame her for their dad leaving. I was the evil stepparent and I never fit in. Her youngest daughter after many years of Karen and I together once asked me when their real father was coming back.
Karen is one of the most caring, honest, ethical, and thoughtful persons in the world. She is patient, kind and compassionate with everyone that she deals with. Not just me, and not just people she knows or people in our “tribe.” Karen is always willing to go out of her way to help others in need. Karen has a wonderful talent for crafts and music and uses these to give back to the world.
Karen wanted to study music when she was younger. Her parents had a piano in their house and Karen learned to play it. However, she realized that she did not have the talent to be a professional musician and so she took it up as a hobby. She started singing in a church choir when she was eight years old and still sings in a choir. A piano is a rather cumbersome instrument to carry around, so Karen discovered the Mountain Dulcimer about fifteen years ago and learned to play it. She takes it with us when we travel, and she plays with a group in Arizona called the Tucson Dulcimer Ensemble. They practice weekly and play at nursing homes, churches, and special events. About five years ago, she purchased a Ukulele and started learning to play it. She now plays with a group in Centuria, Wisconsin and they also do free gigs for nursing homes, county fairs and churches.
fools, greedy people, and bullies. I find it hard to turn the other cheek. I lack compassion, kindness and patience for racists, white supremacists, KKK, Neo-Nazi and many other groups. Through it all, Karen stands by me. I complain that she is too nice. Minnesota Nice bothers me because I see it as wimpy and avoidance behavior. Karen says it is caring and compassion. I wonder what Jesus would say. Regardless, I know I live a better happier life because I have one very special person that I admire, and love more than I can ever say. She may look like an average old lady, but she is not average to me. No average person could live with me for more than a week.
The ukulele is a four-stringed instrument that has its origins in Portugal but was adapted by Hawaiians in the 19th Century. Its size can vary, with the larger instruments producing deeper tones. Elvis Presley played a ukulele and so did Tiny Tim. The ukulele became most popular in Hawaii but more recently with a player named Jake Shimabukuro its popularity has skyrocketed. Karen and I have been to two of Jake’s concerts and it is beyond amazing what he can play and do on his ukulele. He has done for the ukulele what the movie “O Brother, Where Are Thou” did for old time music. He has created a renaissance for the ukulele with millions of people all over the world now taking up the instrument.
They play a variety of ukes from soprano to tenor to concert to bass ukuleles. In addition to playing, they also sing. They are quite innovative and creative in their adaptations of the various pieces of music that they play. They often invite ticket holders to bring their ukuleles to the concert and play along with them. You can find out more about this group at their site 
Aging Capriciously 