the ultimate compliment

it's after 11pm and i'm up (unusual) watching david letterman (really unusual). he's featuring a comedian who does impersonations. i just watched him mimic john travolta, nicholas cage, al pacino, ray romano, bill cosby, and a few others i'd already forgotten before the commercial break.

i thought it was kind of interesting that this man was applauded and given kudos for pretending to be someone else. who is he? dunno. but he plays a mean barbarino! he is making a name for himself by acting like someone whose made a name for themselves. hunh!

and i noticed he selected figures that had traits unique enough be recognizable when duplicated. just any joe wouldn't do. it had to be someone who would stand out above all the others.. there's a huge pool of famous people to choose from, but he wasn't up there doing tom hanks, sony bono, or donahue - even though they are just as well-known. he hand-selected people that were easily identifyable for one reason or another.

i don't even think the traits that distinguished them are easy traits to mirror. but they are so unique that even when the copy isn't perfect, it is still recognizable.

and haven't we always heard that imitation is the highest form of flattery? what better way to tell someone how much you value them than by trying to be like them? it's saying.. i like you so much that i wanna be like you!

these late night comedians might be onto something and probably don't even know it. i think we can learn a thing or two from them. in fact, why don't we try impersonating an impressionist?

there's a Famous One most worthy of being followed. His traits are unique - and recognizable without question. we can't be exactly like Him - not perfectly. but when we attempt to display His character to others, it is unmistakable who we are trying to imitate. and we can make a name for ourselves simply by acting like Him.

but i'd rather not make a name for myself, thankyouverymuch. i'd rather point to Him.. pay Him the ultimate compliment by modeling Him in my life.

i'm working on it already. and everyday, i take it on the road. and i hope the more i work at it, the more people will see it in me: my Jesus-impression.

my life is a dash

anyone here entertain themselves by strolling through cemeteries, trying to solve the histories belonging to those buried beneath your feet? yikes! am i the only one?

actually, i don't. but, since we're on the subject - i wanted to consider the lovely sentiments we find carved into the headstones that capture the lives of the deceased. their entire venture on this earth; their laughs, their misfortunes, their pleasures, their pains, EVERYTHING between their first and last gasps of breath, grouped together in one simple gesture called the dash:

1947-1999

how insignificant a representation of all one’s trials, desires, worth,... how impersonal, how belittling!!, that a mere dash can say it all. and this same dash is used for everyone. the dates vary, the names change, but the dash stands there - a common symbol for all, stating that our travels, though diverse and uniquely intricate, really amount to no more than the guy's in the next plot.

this really bothered me. so, i decided to investigate. webster's dictionary says that a dash is


"n. a short, fast race" or "v. to complete, execute, or finish off hastily"

hellooo! i am a fleeting splash through the universe? get in, wipe your feet, get out, write soon! i don't think so.

so i have decided to take it upon myself to modify that silly tradition. i am requesting a hyphen on my tombstone (it's in my will, really!) sure, it looks the same, and many will confuse it with the dash and that's ok. because i will know! and think about it: you're browsing through the morning paper, your eyes reach the right-hand side of the column of type. do you stop? no, we read on, because the hyphen says, "hey folks, there's more to come! the line has stopped, but the idea continues... stay tuned." just because we will no longer walk this earth, does not mean our walk is over.

or perhaps i can use a minus sign. a minus prepares us to subtract one thing from another. or put another way: it makes a difference. picture it: a tombstone... the date of birth, the date of death, and in between... a life that made a difference. that's how i'd like to be remembered. “yea, i remember her. she made a difference.”

and, you know, it all looks the same written on that stone anyway. a dash is a hyphen is a minus. it's all how you choose to look at it.

so, what's it gonna be? want to sum up your life's events into a dash - a brief flash through a vast and timeless galaxy? or do you want to make a difference? and continue on to answer for that difference? because i'll tell you what, friends, we WILL continue on (even if you settle for the dash). and we WILL answer for the difference (or lack thereof, if that be the case).

besides, i think God sees that short, linear symbol as a scar. a remnant of our trials and tribs, marking us wounded, but ultimately triumphant.

sound good? walk on.

i forgot my words

tonight during a creative meeting for the revolution service, i was reminded of a little inspirational piece i'd written a long time ago.. actually several things i'd written.. and had forgotten all about! isn't that amazing that you can do that? create something and then forget it exists?

we were planning a service on "leaving a legacy" and we were discussing leaving an impact and how people will remember you. one of things i mentioned was that we could have people write out their own epitaphs.. i know i know.. i'm so macabre!!

but it reminded me of a something i'd written about our tombstones with our dates of birth and death and a dash in between. meaning that our lives were essentially boiled down to a little line separating the beginning and the end,.. called "the dash". i went back and read it aloud and it sounds like it might be used in some way for that service.

now i'm going back and rereading my old stuff.. and i will be posting some of those writings in the next few days or weeks. i don't have very many and they aren't great, but the dash one i'm proud of.

it's the one my dad read and enjoyed so much that he asked my permission to share it with his congregation. he and i hadn't had the greatest of relationships. not that we were on outs with each other, but women in my family weren't necessarily appreciated for their intellect, creating a complex in me i've attempted to overcome all my life.

and so to have my dad value something of mine like that, words that were born in me, that i formed and painted on the page, truly touched me. i felt worth. i needed that so much from him at that time in my life.

my next post will be that piece. and i dedicate it to my dad.