Hello Friends!

Welcome to another wonderful week of love and discovery.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately. A LOT. Normally I do a lot of talking sprinkled with a little of making sense, with any reading being confined to the library (translation: bathroom). But lately, people I love and respect have been recommending a number of books for me to read. I’m pretty sure their real motive was to shut me up for a while. Good luck with that. So I decided to take their learned advice and read the tomes they recommended, mostly out of fear of being quizzed on them later by those who recommended them. Turns out I’m glad I did. I learned a few things about the world and myself, and for some strange reason my throat feels better than it has in quite a while.

During this reading/learning experience, I came to a personal epiphany. Words, it turns out, MATTER. Now I don’t mean words in general. I mean that the right word, at the right time and used in the right place can make a huge difference in the impact those words can have. Further, I’ve discovered that what we think a word means versus what it actually means may be quite different. The more I dug into this epiphany of mine, the deeper it seemed to go. I’ll explain it as definition string theory. This theory hypothesizes that as you read the detailed definitions of word, the words used to define them require a clearer definition themselves. I’ll provide an example. Since my nephew Brian just returned from a tour in Afghanistan (and after tthree prior tours in Iraq) and an extensive and impressive career in the United States Army, I’ll use a word that describes him precisely. Here’s the word:

PATRIOT - (pa•tri•ot)

a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. Now I will apply definition string theory to the words in bold.

LOVE – (luhv)

a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.

a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection.

affectionate concern for the well-being of others.

the benevolent affection of god for His creatures, or the reverent affection due from them to God.

SUPPORT – (sup•port)

to bear or hold up, serve as a foundation for.

to sustain or withstand strain without giving way.

to undergo or endure with patience or submission; tolerate.

DEFEND – (dih-fend)

to ward off attack from; guard against assault or injury.

to support in the face of criticism.

DEVOTION – (dih-voh-shuh n)

profound dedication; consecration.

earnest attachment to a cause, person, etc.


Kinda brings a simple, single word into a whole new light doesn’t it? You probably also noticed that you could keep drilling down deeper and deeper through the definition string almost endlessly. Applying this theory to the word patriot, I had to re-examine my application of this word to myself and others who toss it around in a casual and cavalier manner. If I am a patriot, I need to be a better one. Saying I’m one and truly being one are vastly different. Here’s another word that could be added here. SACRIFICE. For some patriots, this is defined as what President Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion.” By this he meant giving up their life for their country. My nephew has sacrificed time with his wife, his children and enjoying the benefits of living in the very country he made these incredible sacrifices to defend. To me, that would be a living death. To him, it is a calling.

Here’s another word for ya, CHANGE! Our President built his campaign on bringing change to our country. Sure enough, change has most certainly come. Apply definition string theory to the word change and see what you come up with. Apply it to some other words you believe you understand well and share your results with me at [email protected]. I’d love to see what you come up with.

With my new-found understanding of the meaning and impact of words, I’d like to close with this thought. To my nephew Brian, enjoy your retirement. No one deserves to more. To my wonderful wife Ashley, and my amazing children Erik and Jessica, I would like to say thank you for your love, support, defense of my character and devotion. I’m going to work harder to be the kind of patriots you and Brian already are today.

Enjoy today. It's all any of us have and all any of us need. Till next time…

Gene