For the last several years, I have tried to take a few moments on Martin Luther King Day to pause and consider the life of Dr. King and his example of service. Each year I also try to share a recorded excerpt of one of his speeches. The one below, is not only a reminder to do our work, whatever our lot in this life, with excellence, but also to become servant leaders, wherever we are.
As Dr. King says in the last moments of the recording above, "Man has not begun to live until he can rise above his individual concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." As you and I start our 2017, we each have an opportunity to recalibrate and refocus. As a world and as individuals, we are much more aware of the needs of both our local and global neighbors, and we are much more aware of what we might do to rise above our individual concerns to those of humanity. In fact, sometimes it is downright paralyzing because we are so aware. There are so many problems in our world; where does one start? I believe where we start is less important than simply starting. Once we start, we will become more attuned to the hopes and needs of others just by practicing care for our neighbors.
So today, on MLK Day, may we each start somewhere. And if we have already begun, may we remember Dr. King's life and example and continue. And whatever our lot, may we faithfully live out our calling, so that others will be inspired to live out theirs as well.
Each year on or around Veterans Day (and many other holidays) I like to pause to reflect on the day--its meaning and how and why the day is observed in our culture. Since the advent of social media, Veterans Day in particular becomes a day for a collective pause. I see updated profile photos of many of my friends as they take time to remember with pride their own time of service and the people they had the opportunity to serve with. Families take time to remember and honor their relatives who made commitments of service to this country. For those who have retired, who are no longer alive, and for those who are still serving, the rest of the nation turns its eyes, thoughts, and attention to the incredible acts of service of these men and women.
Over the course of my adult life, I have had the privilege of serving in various roles with and learning from many veterans. First and foremost would likely be my Uncle Bill. who served in the Army long before I was ever born. My Uncle Bill has always demonstrated the value of serving others first. He and his late wife always practiced hospitality and generosity when we would visit his house, and even today, I know that none of his family or friends ever lack when their is a need. When I go back home, I always strive to make time to visit him and listen to the amazing stories of service and witness the example of this 82 year old relative.
In addition to Uncle Bill, another veteran I had the privilege of learning from and being mentored by was the late Chief of my tribe, Joseph Raincrow Neale. Okima (which I always called him out of respect). He served in the US Navy during WWII, and was not only an incredible spiritual leader and mentor, but was a wonderful role model with regard to service, discipline, respect, and honor. He was hard but fair, stern but compassionate, and resolute but gracious. He taught me much about what it means to give of one's self and to never relent when it comes to hard work. He also demonstrated one of the most wonderful relationships with Jesus that I had ever seen. He set the standard for what it means to be a human being. He was a real human being.
And over the last ten years or so I've had the privilege of working directly with a friend of mine from my freshman year of college, a fellow West Virginian, who felt a strong call to serve, transferred from WVU to the United States Naval Academy, and served as a Force Reconnaissance Marine before launching an organization dedicated to eradicating extreme poverty and making this world more stable and safe for everyone, Nuru International. Jake has done an incredible job of bringing together a team from both the civilian and veteran community who are fiercely committed to servant leadership and bringing meaningful choices to our global neighbors.
Across every area of my life, I have had the privilege of rubbing shoulders with a number of veteran men and women, and I am constantly impressed with the discipline, courage, commitment, and tenacity that each one of them continues to bring into their daily lives. Whether it is my friend Marta who recently transitioned out and is looking for new opportunities to serve, my friend Raphael who is steadily reminding fellow Americans that their citizenship demands service, or my friend Matt who works two jobs to support his family and provide a future of hard fought freedom for his children, they each continue to bring a steadfast and resilient commitment to service and overcoming challenges into every area of their life--and exhorting others to do the same.
On Veterans Day, we remember the fallen, those who are still down range, and those who have transitioned into so-called 'normal' life. Businesses and individuals offer their thanks for service and applause for sacrifices that only a small percentage are willing and able to make, but I wonder if there is a stronger and more meaningful gesture. What if more of this world operated by a code of honor? What if more men and women chose to live their lives with an others first mentality? What if we chose sacrifice-over self indulgence? What if we chose to emulate the example of those few who have set aside their own comfort for the sake of their fellow humans? To me, I feel like that would be the best gesture of gratitude that could be bestowed upon those who have served, those who have fallen, and those who are still down range.
May we each aspire to live courageous lives of sacrifice, service, courage, and commitment, and may we demonstrate honor and respect as we seek to build a better world, together.
As our daughter Sylvia came into the world, Jamie and I had the distinct
privilege of a weekend getaway at hotel Mon General. While we didn’t take
advantage of all of the amenities offered to us during our stay, we were really
impressed with the facilities as well as the staff—they were incredible.
For starters, the staff of Women’s Health Care of Morgantown
were phenomenal. Midwives Rhonda Conley and Stephanie Lowe did an incredible
job of caring for Jamie throughout her delivery, and Dr. Shane Prettyman gave
prompt congratulations to Jamie and myself moments after her delivery. If you
are going to have a child and you live in this area, I highly recommend the
team at Women’s Healthcare of Morgantown. Not only were they great during the
final stages of pregnancy at the hospital, but also, Rhonda, Brook Ann,
Stephanie, and the entire team at WHC were encouraging and gave solid answers
to all of our questions throughout Jamie’s pregnancy. Mon General has been very
wise to contract with them for delivering babies too!
And then, what can I say about the nursing staff at Mon
General! Jennifer Bender, our nurse on the day of Jamie’s labor, stayed
an extra two hours plus at the end of her shift to see us through to the
finish. She and the rest of her team offered solid counsel and helped Jamie
really get started strong with breast feeding. Kiley Everson and Stephanie
Smith offered wonderful care and guidance during the rest of our stay. As
mentioned briefly in a previous post, Stephanie gave me a quick tutorial on
diaper duty—if only she could see me now!
Other nurses came in to help us out as well, but I did not
get all of the names. One nurse even coached us through all of the details
around how to place Sylvia properly in the car seat, and showed us the special
tool on the back of our car seat that is used for older vehicles That tool will
come in handy when we are traveling to other locales and we can’t just “click
in” our seat to a base.
The housekeeping and food service staff were also
phenomenal. Each one of them was highly congratulatory of myself and Jamie, and
we loved that they offered healthy choices on the menu. They even prepared a
special meal for us to celebrate the arrival of our child. I had a steak and
Jamie had chicken cordon bleu as the main course for our meal.
While we know that every day will be a learning experience
with Sylvia, the entire team at Mon General and Women’s Health Care did their
best to make sure we were as prepared as possible for the road ahead. We are
grateful for their support and encouragement over the 42 weeks of jamie’s
pregnancy and the two days of our stay at the hospital.
In late June, many areas in the southern part of West Virginia were hit with tremendous flooding. Homes were swept away. Family members were lost or injured. The waters were indiscriminate in sweeping through towns and bringing rapid destruction and damage to thousands of homes. And as the waters subsided, the people of our state began doing what we always do, rolling up our sleeves and helping one another out. People were working together to ship cleaning supplies and toiletries to those hard hit areas.
One of the best volunteer organizations that I have discovered when it comes to disaster response, and one which I would recommend to anyone looking to deploy, is Team Rubicon. The leadership of Team Rubicon has been trained in crisis and disaster response while serving in the military, and they bring all of that training and leadership into every disaster to which they deploy volunteers. One of the most challenging parts of disaster response for those who want to support is coordinating efforts. They require all volunteers to complete some online training modules before they deploy in an effort to ensure that all volunteers are fully equipped to make their punches count. I fully recommend signing up as a volunteer not just for the response that is needed now, but so you are equipped and prepared to deploy the next time an unexpected disaster strikes. Jamie and I also created a fundraising page with Team Rubicon to support their efforts. Will you consider donating? Jamie and I support Team Rubicon because we believe in the leadership, we are impressed by the staff, and we think they have a very coordinated and regimented training and disaster response program that gets veterans and civilians together to live out some of the best qualities of citizenship and service.
There's still lots of work to be done, and more and more people are launching initiatives to support. WVU Alum Ken Kendrick contributed matching toward raising funds for WVU Extension. Brad Paisley donated toward a Go Fund Me page to encourage others around the country to pledge their support. Jennifer Garner launched a campaign with Omaze to raise money through t-shirt sales for Save The Children's efforts to help children in those communities hardest hit. Jim Justice opened the Greenbrier resort to families in need. All over our state, people have rushed out to purchase supplies and make donations of various types in response.
I have a few friends who have traveled down to support friends and family members directly, and ALL of them have come back stating that one of the greatest needs presently is simply manpower, and will be for the foreseeable future. Our state needs people to volunteer their time to respond to the cleanup needs. Universally, organizations are discouraging people from deploying on their own, but there are lots of groups out there to serve with. If you can, mobilize with a group that is already organized, if you are unable, then support efforts financially to help equip others to get out there. It is some dusty, dirty, muddy, mucky work, and your contribution, at whatever capacity will be appreciated.
Whatever you can do to help, do it! If you have time and skills that can help with the response in southern West Virginia, deploy with a reputable group and serve. If you are not available to help directly, or you can’t donate goods like those listed on the United Way website above, donate to an organization you know does great work! I am incredibly proud of the way people in our state have rallied to support these efforts, and I know that my fellow West Virginians will always make the best out of a difficult situation. We are a resilient community, a community that supports one another, and one that holds firmly to a commitment to service.
Over the last few weeks, I've had a number of occasions that have led me to take stock of my life, my legacy, and to consider my purpose during my limited time on earth. In the last week alone, have watched from afar as a close friend said goodbye to her mother, read as people were murdered by car bombs, stood-by shocked as floods overtook the homes of individuals in the southern part of my home state of West Virginia. And this past Sunday, I attended Horizons Church in Salem, WV with my wife and her parents.
Each time I visit that church, I try to take a moment and gaze up the hill behind the church and look at the tombstones representing generations past. Actually, every time I pass by a cemetery when I am on foot, I find myself doing this same exercise. I take in the whole of the cemetery, or I focus in on a few of the tombstones. I try to go back in my mind to consider the lives of those represented. Did they have family and friends gather about their grave after they had breathed their last? Do people still visit their final resting places today in remembrance of their life. What were they living for? What principles did they carry forth in their lives? What were their great triumphs and tragedies?What were their dreams?
And then after considering those lives, I strive to take a few moments to think about my own life, and purpose. It's a bit of a gut-check for me to think about my own mortality, and what I want to be true of my life when I breathe my last and see my Creator face-to-face. I know it can sound a bit morbid or gruesome, but there's something sobering and rejuvenating in this process for me. As King David wrote in the Psalms, "Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!" Our lives are temporal. Even Reebok, in this recent commercial encourages us to "Honor the body we have been given" as we consider the brevity of days we have on this earth
This time as I looked at the cemetery and took a quick photo, I found myself considering the ways we can both individually and collectively slip into a life of self-indulgent comfort and ease. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, A mere life of ease is not in the end a very satisfactory life, and, above all, it is a life which ultimately unfits those who follow it for serious work in the world."
I believe each one of us were made for a unique God-honoring purpose, and there is something deeply fulfilling as we discover that purpose, and live passionately out of that purpose. Each of us has a one-of-a-kind contribution to make to the world, and I believe part of the path toward our contribution demands a surrender of comfort and ease for the sake of service to others. Our purpose tends to call to us sometimes softly and other times loudly to step out of our lethargy and "do the work" of becoming the best version of ourselves for the glory of God and the betterment of humanity.
For me, that purpose inspires me to rise daily and to put forth effort to be physically and mentally strong so I can have something to offer to others from my body. It inspires me to pour time into the betterment of and care for others by helping others to be able to make meaningful choices for their future. And even as I write and consider that grand purpose, there's also the hard truth staring me in the face. Sometimes I like to sleep in. Sometimes I find myself wanting to pursue a life of ease. And that's why I'm grateful for the gut-check provided by gazing at a graveyard. One day, I will cease to live this life. I find it helpful in light of this to ask questions of myself like, "What kind of person am I becoming? What kind of person do I want to become?"
What about you? How do you stay mindful of your purpose, and how do you keep fanning the flame to keep moving forward? Whatever it is, my hope is that you and I are able to continue to develop routines in our lives that will help us bring our very best selves to this beautiful majestic world in a way that embodies honor, service, fierce courage, commitment, and tenacious faith. To do anything else is to shrink away from a strong call of duty and a wonderful legacy.
Over the last few days, my home state has been hit with
massive amounts of rainfall which has led to intense flooding all over the
state, but some of the worst areas have been in the southern half of the state.
Entire towns were under water, and some people have even lost their homes.I watched as my social media feed was filled
with images and videos that my friends were capturing as they watched the
waters roar.
The waters have largely receded now, and now comes the
cleanup. The cleanup is not what people typically imagine. People think about
gathering scattered debris, or wiping down some surfaces in homes that remain
intact, but it is so much more. I grew up on the Ohio River. There is a
floodwall that surrounds my hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia. In my
lifetime I can only remember a few times that the floodwall was sealed off. The
longest time was during the flood of 1985, but even just a few years ago, the
waters rose high enough to cover most of the small park that exists outside the
floodwall where the Little Kanawha and the Ohio Rivers meet. As the waters
receded, the park area was covered
with mud and muck that was about 2 inches deep. The fire department was
deployed to wash the mud off the walkways and roads of the small park, otherwise, it would have remained muddy, mucky, and nasty.
When my dad was growing up, the floods seemed to come
annually to the small house he and his siblings grew up in along the same stretch of the Ohio
River. They would evacuate, and then return when the waters had receded. He
remembered having to get snakes out of the house that had washed in with the
flood waters, or which had slithered their way in to a place of temporary
shelter. And then it was time to get to work clearing out the mud and the muck,
and trying to discern what was salvageable.
That same scenario is being lived out by thousands of West
Virginians right now. Their homes, if they were not washed away, may be damaged
beyond repair. Some of these people live outside what is considered to be the
flood zone for their area, so there are questions about whether insurance will
help them recuperate their losses. And they need to wait for a visit from the
insurance agents to help them discern.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Right now, people are
dealing with the immediate. They are working with groups like Team Rubicon
and other first responders to begin the massive cleanup, to conduct search and
rescue operations for missing people. There are still people unaccounted for,
and there are more than 20 dead. Forty-four of this state’s 55 counties were
declared in a state of emergency.
In a moment like this, it is easy to wonder what a person
can do to help. The desire is there for most of us, but there is also a degree
of uncertainty. There are shams being created to exploit people’s generosity,
and there have also been rare instances of looting in the wake of this
disaster. But that’s not the way of most of the people of this state, or of
this world. We want to help, and many of us make assumptions about what is
needed, many relief workers call this a “second
disaster.” This is where good intentioned people send items that are of
little or no use to the people in need. In this instance here in West Virginia,
first responders and relief workers have done a great job being extremely
specific about needs. West Virginia
University students have an incredibly organized website and volunteer
effort to collect needed material donations. If you can, donate some time to
help organize resources to be sent to the areas of need.
If you live further away, you can donate to organizations
like the United Way, Red
Cross, or Team Rubicon
to support disaster response efforts. Personally, Jamie and I chose to give to
Team Rubicon’s flood response efforts. This organization is led by former
Marines, and they are bringing their crisis response training to deploy
volunteers in chaotic environments in an organized way. They are not only
bringing their skills into the environment, they are also providing both
civilians and other veterans an outlet for continuing to use their training to
serve others. In every interaction I’ve had with their staff team and
volunteers I have been fully impressed. In fact, as full disclosure, Jamie and
I have also signed on to be volunteers and receive training.
Whatever you can do to help, do it. If you have time and
skills that can help with the response in southern West Virginia, deploy with a
reputable group like those listed above and serve. If you are not available to
help directly, or you can’t donate goods like those listed on the United Way
website above, donate to an organization you know does great work! I am
incredibly proud of the way people in our state have rallied to support these
efforts, and I know that my fellow West Virginians will always make the best
out of a difficult situation. We are a resilient community, a community that
supports one another, and one that holds firmly to a commitment to service.
It was nine years ago on this day that I cut off most of my
hair as per Shawnee mourning tradition; one year later, I cut off the rest of
it, and have kept it short since. It was just a little after 1PM when my mom breathed her last
breath on this earth and went off to be with Jesus. I vividly remember those
last hours in a hospital room surrounded by family and friends who had gathered
to give one-sided goodbyes. The goodbyes were one-sided because my mom spoke
her last words during the evening before. My last two-way exchange with her
happened that evening. My last words to her that evening were “Goodnight Mom, I
love you,” as I turned and walked out the door to her hospital room. Her last
words to me were, “I love you” as I walked out of the room. She loved all of us
so well.
In the weeks leading up to her departure, she had started
calling me her warrior and my older sister her princess. To this day, when I
hear the term warrior, I think of my mom, her battle with cancer, and her
bestowing that name on me. She was one of the greatest warriors I have ever
known, and she taught so many of us about what service and love look like.
Even during her last days, she was befriending the custodial
and nursing staff of the hospital and looking to brighten their days. How she
spent those last days was similar to how I watched her spend so many other days
throughout her life. She was caring for others and speaking words of potential
and hope into everyone. Those last few days, she shared visions with us, and so
much joy. Her last morning and afternoon on earth, she was literally surrounded
by people who loved her, who were praying with and for her right up to the
point she departed this world into the world to come. Even at her funeral, it
was less of a time of mourning and grief (although in our family culture we
believe in slowing down and mourning in fullness), and more of a time of
celebration and joy at heaven’s gain, as well as the fact that my mom would no
longer suffer.
It’s nine years later, and as I write, the strong mix of
emotions is just as fresh and as potent as it was on that early afternoon in a
hospital room. My mom ran her race well and finished strong! She gave each of
us who knew her a legacy and an example to which we could all strive to live in
accordance—a legacy and an example of honor and compassion—a legacy of hope. I'm grateful that friends like Willie wrote beautiful songs like this one to help others who may not have known her get an idea of who she was. She was the kind of person people write songs about.
When Mom was diagnosed in summer 2006, her physician told
her that she had a maximum of six months to live without treatment, and
eighteen months with; she went to be with Jesus about 11 months after the news
hit. When I talked to her about it she said the main thing she felt was sadness
about leaving dad and us kids behind. She loved so much and so well.
A couple of months into her first round of chemotherapy, as
her hair was starting to come out, she had made herself some bandannas to cover
her head. The people of her church had gathered to pray for her and for another
gentleman who had been diagnosed with another form of cancer. She looked that
man in the eyes and reminded him, and all of us, “No matter what happens, we
win!” That was exactly the kind of hope and faith my mom lived every one of her
days with.
Each year, as the anniversary of my mom’s departure from
this world arrives, I try to take some time to ruminate over different
memories—not just of that last year, but of her whole life. The last months are
among the most memorable because it seemed that every single one of those days,
we had each committed our lives to living more purposefully. The beautiful
irony of that intentionality is that it really wasn’t a significant shift for
my mom or for any of the rest of us kids and dad. We lived the years leading up
to her diagnosis with the same sense of service, compassion, and laughter—we
were just more keenly aware of the limited time we had together after the
diagnosis.
And today, as I think back on Mom and all that has happened
from that last day with her till now, I am filled with joy and gratitude—her
memory reminds each of us to stay on purpose, remember family, and look out for
the needs for others. I pray that as the years keep rolling forward, that the
rest of us who knew her will continue to live in that same spirit, and maybe
that our lives will be a small piece of encouragement to others as well.
A little note for Jamie's Dad on his birthday...which happens to be the same day as MY dad's birthday!
Les,
I am so tremendously grateful that over the last eight
years, we have begun building memories.I feel privileged to enter into this most recent chapter of the story of
Leslie Ivan Reaser. Over these last few years you have become a friend, a father,
a teacher, an example, and a brother to me, and I know that you have spent a
lifetime serving in these capacities for many others.
I remember very clearly the November day in 2008 I drove to
Lake Floyd, following Jamie home during Thanksgiving break, to have the conversation with you and Kim and to
humbly ask your permission to date Jamie. After I asked, you shared with me
wise and succinct series of words that have stuck with me to this day. Well, the way I see it, if the Lord is in
it, there’s nothing I could do to stop it, and if He isn’t, well this will not
amount to anything anyway. I appreciate you teaching me and even more, for
taking your own step of faith and trusting me to court/date Jamie.
I also remember watching and learning from your example over
the next few years. You would regularly go out of your way to help friends and
neighbors around the lake, and even though the selfishness and lack of
gratitude you would see in others might leave you frustrated, you would keep on
serving, and teaching others to do the same. Going with you guys to serve on
Christmas day by doing the jobs nobody
really wanted to do, and doing them well comes to mind as well. I think those
Christmas afternoons doing dishes had a strong impact on who Jamie has become,
and they certainly have given me a more rounded understanding of exactly what
we are celebrating on Christmas too!
And then, there was the second
conversation. About a month before I asked Jamie to marry me, I asked your
permission to ask her. Again, our conversation sticks out so clearly in my mind
because it had all of the color, humor, and sincerity of the family we were
becoming. You wisely reminded me after granting permission that I should
consider what might happen if she said no. Nobody
bats a thousand you know. Every step of the way I have been hope-filled and
faith-filled and yet prepared mentally in case things didn’t go as planned.
Thank you for that wisdom.
I remember vividly the text telling me and my groomsmen that
it was “Go time!” on the day of the wedding. I remember sharing tears in a
sacred moment as you walked Jamie down the aisle and we officially became
family.
I remember road trips together through the years as
well—like the time when Jamie swam a mile in the Chesapeake Bay and we all
traveled out to support her! And then there was the time when we shared a car
and a room for Cindy’s wedding, and we found an endless hill while running
around Warrenton VA. Man I thought that hill would never end! We kept going
right on up it and right through town though.
Alongside all of these memories, I also remember when you
asked me to speak at your mom’s funeral. We have had many great conversations
around the word of God and encouraged one another in our journey’s with Christ,
but I remember how much you worked to make sure that everyone was taken care of
during the day of your mother’s memorial—you rose early to begin preparations,
and you continued to serve and care for others by returning the clubhouse to
its original state. And, I still remember Doris’ smile and joy-filled laughter.
And I hear that same joy when you and I share a laugh together.
Not only do you inspire me with your resolute and tenacious
faith and commitment to service, but also in your commitment to your physical
well-being as well. You are diligently committed to logging, tracking, and
improving your diet—I’m so glad My Fitness Pal has been working so well for
you—you’ve got several years under your belt now! Your commitment to your
physical fitness has inspired Jamie, myself, and many others to get after it in the early morning while
most of the world is sleeping—but we are still not quite getting up as early as
you do.
Thanks so much for helping so many of us to be better than
we would be otherwise. As you journey into a new year, may you
be blessed as much as you have blessed so many others with your presence and
example! I'm truly grateful for you, and I love you lots!
