Out of Control



I want to elaborate on how bad things are getting around my community.  The name given for the dastardly deeds that out of control teenagers were doing a few years back was called “wilding”—the assault and mistreating of innocent people.  Similar concerns are moving back into our neighborhoods; having to do with blameless bystanders.

Yesterday afternoon my wife and I were enjoying a ride on my Harley Davidson motorcycle, because the weather was pleasant and turning warm.  We were stopped behind another vehicle waiting to turn left at a signal light on Ygnacio Valley Road in the bedroom community of Walnut Creek, California. 

I glanced to my right and noticed a male and female leering at us from across the street.  We were minding our own business and certainly didn’t want any trouble, but problems sometimes knock at inopportune times.  Out of control situations can happen quickly. 

The two stepped into traffic, against the light, and hurriedly walked toward us, staring intently as they drew near.  I thought they were going to get hit by oncoming vehicles, but they were unconcerned.  Creatures like this think they own the road and everyone should yield to their stupidity.

I thought they were going to pass between us and the car ahead, but they stopped at my front tire and said a few words that I didn’t understand.  He proceeded to walk around my bike with his female tag-along following closely behind. 

They were talking to each other under their breath in another language.  To this day I don’t know what I had done to get his feathers up, but he continued to look me straight in the eyes each time he circled my bike; strutting like a peacock.

Something was about to happen.  I revved my engine to encourage the person in front of me to run the light and allow me to get away from the situation that was becoming more and more uneasy.  She was watching intently in her rearview mirror; safe inside her car.  

Each time they circled they moved a little closer to us; staying just out of my reach.  They kept walking around and around about six or seven times.  It was obvious that he was on a peck and was challenging me for whatever reason.  I believe he was building up courage for his attack.  I also think he was just showing out for his companion.

He was a big dude and his mate was almost as husky as him.  By this time I was very nervous for my wife’s safety.  The tension was building; running high.  I was afraid to take on this scumbag turkey for fear of what the other might do to my wife.  

He was getting all puffed up and becoming more agitated and daring each time they circled.  He was certainly insistent in pursuing his agenda.  I could tell that he was getting a little cockier and out of control, because of the way he was moving and jabbering.  I was infuriated at this point. 

The old nature that the Lord had delivered me from in 1969 was raising its ugly head.  My temper was at its peak and I was ready to engage when suddenly my wife let out a bloodcurdling scream… “Get out of here!”

Her adrenaline was pumping out of control!  She was in a fight or flight mode!  Never had I seen this much anger demonstrated from her.  She then kicked at the female and shouted, “Leave us alone!”  The light turned green and I throttled the engine and took off, leaving them in the middle of the street.

I didn’t know how far the encounter would have escalated, but I was prepared to do whatever it took to protect us from harm even if it meant taking him by the throat and breaking his neck.  I was that worked up. 

My wife said later that she saw a motorist that had stopped in the outside lane, laughing as he watched the assault.  He was enjoying the incident; getting a kick out of another person’s misfortune.  The guy just set there, laughing, not doing anything to help.  This is one reason why things are getting out of control in our cities.  No-one wants to get involved anymore.

I’m going back to the same intersection, tonight, to see if I can meet up with the punk again; this time without my wife.  I want to see if he is as brave with me off my motorcycle as when I was on it.  I’m tired of out of control turkeys moving in and out of neighborhoods like they own them.  Something has to be done!

I’ve seen their kind throughout the city, but this is the first time I’ve ever encountered them acting this way.  Perhaps I failed to mention that the two perpetrators were wild turkeys…the gobble, gobble kind. 

They were probably looking at their reflection in the chrome of my motorcycle, or my exhaust pipes were too loud and hurt their ears.  The tom turkey may have been protecting his territory, because it was time to mate.  Who knows?  I only wish I had a video of what took place.  I would probably win first prize on “America’s Funniest Videos.”  

I thought you might need a chuckle today.

Written by,

Papa Boyd

Three is not a Crowd



The saying, “two’s company, three’s a crowd” is associated with lovers wanting to be alone.  It most assuredly does not pertain to my experience as a father.

Many people are satisfied and extremely happy raising one child in this challenging economy, whereas, other couples feel compelled to achieve the ultimate dream of motherhood and fatherhood—having a boy and a girl.  My vision of a perfect family fell in the latter—a boy for me and a girl for my wife.

I think it is every man’s desire to have a son first and then whatever happens after that, a “so be it” attitude emerges; as long as he got his son to carry on his name; go hunting or fishing with; enjoy the camaraderie of attending games together; and the list goes on.

In my world of parenting I was fortunate to get my son first and then my darling daughter came along…a perfect and complete family sent from heaven; right?  Yes, my wife and I were ecstatic with the blessings that God had bestowed upon us in the form of two precious lives to call our own, but something wasn’t quite right.

I can’t explain what my wife and I felt a short time later after our daughter was born.  It was a sense of “something’s missing.”  Although we were elated with the things that God was doing in our marriage, the number ‘three’ kept bombarding our mind. 

We were living for the Lord and putting Him first in our life and believed that if we put God at the head of our list of wants that He would give us the desires of our heart, which we strived daily to do.  We trusted the Bible scripture that is found in the book of (Psalm).

(Psalm 37:4-5), “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”  vs.5 “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” 

Was it that we were to achieve our quest for completeness through the adding of pets or an aquarium full of fish to our already perfect marriage?  What was missing?  There was a void that nothing that we tried could fill. 

We finally realized what was absent in our loving home.  It was the missing piece to the beautiful picture of what a perfect marriage, for us, was supposed to look like.  The picture was incomplete, because a third child was missing.

Some people looked at us as if we were short on good sense.  Did we not already have the ideal family with a boy and girl?  They had “two’s company, three’s a crowd” type thinking, but they were not walking in our moccasins, as it were.  They were not privy to, nor could they feel the yearning that was in our heart.  Our philosophy and focus was not on what we had, though we were much aware of our blessings, but what we didn’t have—the missing piece. 

In our young experience and beginning stages of raising two children, my wife and I took what we felt and placed it before the Lord.  Our need and compelling desire for one more blessing from above was on the altar.  We believe to this day that three is not a crowd; in fact, our last accomplishment as parents has proven to be far above all that we could ask or hope for.  Bryan is his name.

(Ephesians 3:20-21), “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” vs.21 “to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.”

My son is and has been a pleasure to say the least; a joy in every sense of the word.  His concern for our wellbeing goes without saying—above and beyond the norm. 

Bryan is most aware of the beauty of family and the importance of maintaining a loving connection with his heritage, especially now that he and his beautiful wife are raising a family of their own.  He knows the importance of his legacy and birthright.

Three is not a crowd when the third person is someone like my son.  He greets me with a kiss on the cheek, even in public.  It is not something that he feels strange in doing, because it is a part of his makeup.  He makes me feel important and loved.  I cannot express in words how deeply my love for him lies.  He is my ‘left-hand’ man that loves his mom and dad with all of his heart.  What more could two parents ask for?

Moreover, our missing piece serves God and wants the Lord to be at the head of his household.  He and his dear wife, Glenda, give love unreservedly to their son, Hudson.  Three is not a crowd with him in their lives.  Hudson is the blessing that God chose to give two inexperienced souls like my son and daughter-in-law to raise in an environment where love is expressed without reservation or shame.

An important side note…Three is not a crowd when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in a person’s soul, as He did on the Day of Pentecost when God sent the Promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus had commanded His apostles to wait for; (Acts 1:4-5).  One hundred and twenty people were endued with power from on high as they tarried in an upper room; (Acts: Chapter 2).

Three is a good number…The Father; the Son; and the Holy Spirit—the Trinity.

Written by,

Papa Boyd

I'm Blessed



“What is it?  What is it?”  I yelled.  These words of anticipation filled the air in the delivery room.  “You’ve got your little girl, honey!”…I exclaimed to my wife after seeing the results of nine hours labor.  Expressions of love, joy and relief rang out from a very proud and happy daddy at the birth of his only daughter—seven pounds, four ounces of loveliness.  Wow!  What a blessed day that was!

I wanted a little girl so badly that when she arrived the beauty of her precious face and long, black hair won my heart immediately.  I fell in love with her the moment I saw her.  She melted my heart and still does every time I see her.  She’s my sweetheart.

Our first child was a boy, but I felt our home was not complete without a girl to warm our hearts even more; a girl for my wife.  Little did I realize the enormous blessing that she would play in completing me as a father.  I don’t think she knows how much she affected me on that wonderful day when God chose me to be her dad.  I’m blessed.

As I write these few words I am welling up with pride, because of her accomplishments.  She has a family of her own now; she is a woman of God and dedicated to His statutes; a loving wife; a compassionate mommy to her two children; an accomplished seamstress, house wife, and registered nurse.  She is a loving daughter that spoils her mom and me by pouring out love like a fountain of refreshing water.

There is something about my daughter that completes the picture—she’s mine!  Our gift from God will always be Daddy’s little girl.  When I look into her hazel, brown eyes I flash back to that amazing day when she made her first appearance.  I am thankful that God blessed us with one of His most precious jewels—Diane Marie.

Love Dad

Written by,

Papa Boyd

"Savage Inequalities"



I have been sheltered from disparity either by choice or by chance—I have not made this determination as yet, but there is a grim awareness that there are inequalities between the poor and the wealthy throughout the land.  I've heard my dad say, “Money begets money and poor begets poor.”  I believe this to be true, and the following statement goes without saying, “Money cannot buy lasting happiness,” although, without proper funding, things can go south very quickly.

Our educational system in the United States seems to be falling apart at the seams, because of the economic downturn in every state of the union.  This in itself affects the quality of education, while the wellbeing of students is at an all-time low.  Lack of money and affective leadership in high places equate to the lack of drive and vision on the part of children that have feelings of insecurity.  Hope is quickly being eroded.

Having been born to a middle class family; growing up in a middle class neighborhood in the small, bedroom community of Martinez, California; in my youth I attended public schools where money was never a problem.  I was shielded within a cocoon that provided me with self-esteem, coupled with a self-motivating desire to achieve whatever goal that was before me.

           

The only time I felt an atmosphere of strain in grade school was on the school playground when I competed for top recognition in sports that we played at recess, or spelling-bee competitions.  I enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship of my peers—I was happy and contented.

Thoughts of cutting school never entered my mind, because I felt secure and a part of the environment that I was in.  There were no feelings of being disconnected or detached.  Though I was athletic and above average in scholastics, there were always students just a little better, but I never felt the frustration of wanting to give up.  I only tried harder.

           

I was raised in a loving, Christian home with a paternal influence that helped mold and shape my direction in life.  Because of this godly influence, my foundation was never shaken.  As a child I was solid in my faith that centered upon the Lord Jesus Christ.  

(Proverbs 22:6), “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Who would think that in some other part of America that there might be a child less fortunate than me?  Wasn't every child in the U.S.A. given the same chances and opportunities that I was given?  I was somewhat spoiled and catered to while growing up, and knew only pluses and very few negatives.

Looking back, I remember while attending high school that my naïve thinking changed from closed mindedness to a responsive awareness.  I experienced a feeling of loneliness and separation.  Construction of another high school across town had just been completed.  Many of my school chums were transferred from the school I attended to the new one, because they lived closer to it.  My school was built decades prior and having some of the problems that accompany old age—disrepair and ugliness.    

           

I became very angry, not only because I was losing my friends, but that I was required to stay at this old, decapitating facility.  It was hard to accept this negative, because the world always revolved around my wants and desires, while growing up. 

Feelings of shame overshadowed the way that I allowed my attitude and demeanor to express itself concerning the matter.  A realization quickly hit me that I really didn’t know what true frustration and disappointment was, but now it was happening to me.  I had been housed in a ‘house of glass’, as it were; too busy within my own four walls of pleasantries to see the unseen truths of poverty and savage inequalities.  I was awakened from the slumber of childhood unawareness.   

There are savage inequalities in America's schools, but I am sure you are aware of this.  We need not take a trip via satellite to see children in other countries that are scorned and neglected.  We need only to look in our own backyard—it is that close.

I was fortunate that my parents had money; but if they were poor and lived in a less opportune location, what would my attitude, self esteem, and desires to achieve have been?  What would I be doing today if I had to endure schools in my youth where the negative environment was not conducive to a favorable learning atmosphere?    

           

If you combine poverty with black or olive colored skin, it only adds to the problems facing these innocent children.  They experience a sense of not belonging.  When they look at their world and see insurmountable walls surrounding them, the likelihood of escape is close to nil.  They give up before they get started, because of the lack of hope.

There is also an overwhelming sense of emptiness that accompanies this hopelessness.  These children often join gangs to try and fill the longing of wanting to belong, which gives them a false sense of importance and security—providing only camaraderie; not the love and affection that are so desperately needed.  It gives an illusion of satisfaction, but the influence is a counterfeit for parental guidance that they don’t have.
    

Many of these struggling children are from broken homes with no male influence to speak of.  The ones having a male figurehead are sometimes led astray, because of the unconstructive lifestyle that person is living.  Parents that are poor may be products of inferior education themselves; lacking the skills to help channel their children in a beneficial manner. 

Parents that have little or nothing sometimes waste what money they have on businesses that sell dreams in the form of lottery tickets.  These establishments sell false hope to people that have none.  Lottery proceeds are suppose to go toward educational programs that are designed to help bolster schools, but in many cases the money goes into state revenues, which fall short of their responsibilities concerning schools and the forgotten children that need a good education.

A quote from a book that I read entitled, “Savage Inequalities,” by Jonathan Kozol, says it very well:  "Look in the toilet if you want to see what life is like for students in the city."  The law requires public education for children, but refuses to upgrade below-standard facilities in poverty stricken schools.  If state leaders would follow through with plans to improve such facilities, this would encourage self-esteem in students and a desire to attend class.  Quality education could flourish. 

Unsanitary conditions prevail and disrepair is everywhere.  Science labs are outdated fifty-plus years, including text books—when text books are available.  There is a lack of needed materials, educational magazines, and the list goes on. 

Cities should be mandated by state or federal government to pump money into public schools when it is obvious that there is a lack of money to sustain a proper environment for learning.  Allocations of money should not depend upon land taxes for obvious reasons.  High land value with rich neighborhoods equals more money for schools, whereas, low land value with poor neighborhoods equals less money for schools.

No student should ever feel that they have been written off by society.  There are many gifted young people that cannot help the fact that they were born into a poor environment, or that their skin is a different color.  The less fortunate should be given the same opportunities to achieve in excellence as wealthy students.  If they are not, their talents and dreams will forever be lost to poverty.  The city and state in which they live should be held accountable for this gross neglect of social injustice.

           

The bottom line for success is education.  The competition for jobs is overwhelming, especially when you are the one looking for a job.  I am thankful for my education and the teachers that influenced my life.  There is no substitute for caring teachers that are concerned for the enlightenment of their students.  These are teachers with vision; helping students to catch the vision.  

I see the need for education like never before.  Without specialized training it is almost impossible for a person to expect advancements in life when the world around them is specialized and technologically advanced.

           

When positive changes in the education system are implemented through action and not just talked about, cities will begin to see fifth and sixth graders attending class, not staying out of school because of boredom.  Educators will no longer see students dropping out of school, because of the hopeless feelings of giving up. 

No longer will children in poor communities have a reputation of “survival of the fittest” or feeling second to the “most favored,” but will come to the forefront of higher academic achievement.  No longer will the diplomas from these poor schools mean nothing, because of the “no student left behind” nonsense.  The poor will be better educated, thus, experiencing break-through and success.

God is in the business of giving hope, free to all that want it.  The dream that He offers is one of reality—eternal life in heaven.  The promise of God is not like the pipedream presented by money hungry mongers that become rich off the misery of others.

Yes, there are savage inequalities everywhere you look, but God is no respecter of person.  He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross to enable all mankind the privilege of being saved from sin.  Jesus Christ is the hope of the world who gave His life that we might find a better way to enjoy this life, while on earth, and then live with Him in heaven after we die.

Satan prefers that we live in savage inequalities, whereas, God made a way that no person need surrender to the poverty that the devil promotes.

(John 3:16-18), “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  vs.17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”  vs.18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

(Jeremiah 29:11), “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” 

Written by,

Papa Boyd