Man In The Mirror

Well it has been a very busy week for Hollywood obituaries. First Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. Then yesterday TV Pitchman Billy Mays passed away. Michael Jackson was a large part of my early childhood. I was in elementary school when the Thriller album was released. I have to admit, I wore the parachute pants and even had the red jacket. However, I was not brave enough to dawn the glove.

It seems that Michael Jackson is getting the majority of the media attention right now focusing both on the good and bad of his life. For the past several years they have all but crucified him, yet now that he is gone they focus on the high points of his life and career. This got me wondering about what will be said about me when I am gone. Though not in the media spotlight, what will my family and friends and others say about me? Was I a good husband and father? Did I take chances when I should have or was I too reserved? Did I stand up for what I believed in or did I sell out? Will my actions make an impact on the world?

I believe I am on the right path, but there is always room for improvements and changes. And it all starts with me...

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have
Been any clearer
If you wanna make the world
A better place
Take a look at yourself, and
Then make a change


Making sure that I am remembered for the right reasons is... on this cowboys mind.



(Michael Jackson: Man In The Mirror)

Celebrity

I saw a headline on the MSN homepage today that really offended me. The headline read "How to Fight the Fat Cats, Three ways to cut executives perks". The man pictured was wearing a cowboy hat and smoking a cigar, just like I do. Not all business owners are evil! Why does the liberal media and the government attack entrepreneurs but not the sports figures and Hollywood? Just like the song says...

'Cause when you're a Celebrity
It's adios reality
You can act just like a fool
People think you're cool
Just 'cause your on TV...

...They say I've gone insane
I'll blame it on the fame
And the pressures that it goes with
Being a Celebrity

I guess it's ok for an actor or a sports figure to make millions of dollars a year, but not a business owner. So I guess getting a free car for doing an auto ad is not a perk? What about those who get unlimited spending for advertising for credit card companies? Or even better, those who have gotten away with murder? If anyone is taking advantage of "perks", it is definitely sports figures and Hollywood. This song really says it all...

I get to cry to Barbara Walters
When Things don't go my way
I'll get community service
No matter which law I break
I'll make the supermarket tabloids
They'll write some awful stuff
But the more they run my name down
THE MORE MY PRICE GOES UP

And we are to believe that entrepreneurs are the "Fat Cats" with the "perks"?

Guess I will just put on my cowboy hat and light a cigar... Yep, those are the thoughts... on this cowboys mind.



(Celebrity: Brad Paisley)

Little Man

Every time I hear this Alan Jackson song I think about mega stores like Walmart...

Now they're lined up in a concrete strip
You can buy the world with just one trip
And save a penny cause its jumbo size
They don't even realize
They're killing the little man

To save a few pennies... and who is on the penny? Abraham Lincoln.

The same man who said...
"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves. "

... And liberals compare their anointed one, Barrak Obama, to Abe Lincoln? Could they be any more wrong? Their administration has become just another mega store, now providing low quality services such as mortgages, car loans, banking, and health care. In the meantime, capitalism dies, along with the little man.

You don't redistribute wealth, you earn it.

Looking out for the little man, is... on this cowboys mind



(Little Man: Alan Jackson)

Tears In Heaven

I have had this song in my head all evening...

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you feel the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
Cause I know I don't belong here in heaven...

About a month ago, we had dinner with some good friends to help them celebrate that they were finally going to become grandparents. We shared in their excitement knowing what wonderful grandparents they were going to be. Today we received the awful news that their daughter-in-law lost the baby.

Sometimes we just don't have the words that people need...

Sometimes we just have to cry for our friends...

Beyond the door there's peace I'm sure
And I know there'll be no more tears in heaven...

Wondering why bad things happen to good people is... on this cowboys mind.



(Tears in Heaven: Eric Clapton)