An elderly blind man sat at the edge of a plaza with a tin can at his feet and next to it, a sign that read: “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the can.

A man was walking by. He stood and looked at the old man debating whether or not to add his own coins to the can. Instead, he took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He then put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the can began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind man. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The one who was blind recognized his footsteps and asked, “Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?”

The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way.”

What he had written was: “Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it.”

Both signs told people the old man was blind. While the first sign simply said the man was blind, the second sign pointed the readers to those things in their own lives they had to be grateful for and sparked the generosity lying dormant within.

Isn’t it true that if we look at things with a different perspective that things seem a lot clearer and more meaningful than at times when everything is right in our faces?

I’ve been wanting to post these for a while now.  I’ve had them for 2 years this summer.  My daughter and I went to Washington, DC for a week and our hotel was right beside the Arlington Cemetery.  I could have stayed there for days reading all the tombstones and the special plaques that were spread throughout the cemetery.  It was bittersweet when we got to the Wall of Soldiers; in one way, it makes a person feel humbled to know that someone died serving our country for the rest of us, in another way, it makes a person proud to know that someone else cared enough, generations earlier, to serve and die for the country in which we live.  It was quite amazing to watch this ceremony in person.  There was complete silence and barely any movement at all other than the guards doing their duty.

It brings to mind, first and foremost, my relationship with Jesus Christ, albeit, bittersweet.   He died to save us and gave us grace, on the other hand, He died to save us and gave us grace.

On to my History lesson on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why?
A total of 21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary.

2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why?
21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1

3. Why are his gloves wet?
His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle.

4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and if not, why not?  Answered in the next question.

5. How often are the guards changed?
Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.

For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5′ 10″ and 6′ 2″ tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30.” Other requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol or smoke on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin.

The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt.  There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror.

The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame. Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty.

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.
In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, “No way, Sir!” Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.

According to the world’s standards, whenever you give something away, you have less of it. Keep giving, according to such standards, and you run the risk of running out completely. But that’s really not the way things work.

Take love, for instance. If you were this moment to tell someone you love and support them, would that diminish the amount of love you have to give? Of course it wouldn’t. Your ability to love would not be diminished in the least by your giving. When you bless another person, does that mean you have one less blessing left to share? No. Giving a blessing to another does nothing to reduce the number of blessings you have to give.

Love and blessings are energy. Money is energy, too. The primary difference between the three is that we think of the first two as being intangible while we believe the third to be a tangible commodity. But actually the third is no more tangible than the other two. It is just an idea, which we occasionally attach a physical symbol to, but whether the symbol is attached or not, the fact remains that first and foremost money is an idea. And ideas are thoughts and thoughts are energy and energy may change forms, but it doesn’t run out. Ever.

Here’s a hypothetical situation: Not too long ago, I called my bank to request that money be taken out of my account and wired to a friend’s account. During this exchange, I did not personally touch the money. Nor did the cashier who honored my request. I simply put a thought into words and spoke those words to her. To accomplish the favor I requested, she electronically moved numbers from one account to another. The numbers may have been temporarily lowered in my account, but that was rectified the next day by another exchange of energy in the form of a deposit. Nothing was exchanged accept energy, and like all of nature there was a going out and a coming in: all part of the natural ebb and flow.

Those who believe they will have less of after giving, of course, are likely to experience a longer period of lack, but only because they are expecting to do so. When anyone experiences sustained lack for any period of time, it is simply because they’ve accepted the world standard as being valid. It has become their reality.

There is a higher standard, however, where giving is exchanging energy and where the more you give the more you will have to give, and the less you give the less you will have to give.

My own personal experience has been that when I give, the more excited, energetic and joyful I feel. I love the way I feel when I give to others, whether it is time, money or blessing. I have come to accept giving as a vital step on my own personal path to becoming who I want to be.

I also personally believe that unless I am willing to give first, I am only making it more difficult for me to receive. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to do that.

To illustrate my point, I have a couple of little experiments I’d like for you to try. First, I’d like for you to take a very deep breath. Pull as much air into your lungs as you possibly can and then hold it for five or ten seconds. Don’t let any of the air out. Keep your lungs full.

Now try to breathe in some more air without letting any air escape from your lungs first. You can’t can you? If you don’t first make way for more, you cannot receive more.

In the second experiment, I’d like for you to take a dollar bill or a close equivalent in each hand and then close your fingers tightly around it. You’ll probably need to wad the bills so they’ll fit beneath your fingers. Hold both hands tightly closed. Now put your hands out in front of you, still tightly closed, and ask someone to give you another dollar bill. Try to grasp the bill without letting go of the first ones that you are already holding tight. You may be able to hold on to one or two with a bit of maneuvering, but you won’t be able to do it for long. Were someone to continue handing dollar bills to you, it would not be long before you could no longer grasp any more without first opening your hands.

As both experiments prove, you cannot receive until you have first given. Giving is part of the receiving process.

We are built to both give and to receive. To expect to do one without doing the other is like sitting on one end of the teeter totter expecting to have a good time going up and down while refusing to allow anyone to sit on the other side.

In times of difficulty, it is always easy for us to become so focused on our problems that we become totally centered on self. Giving helps us to escape that trap. It pushes us up, just as surely as someone else sitting on the other end of the teeter totter lifts us from the ground. Through the simple exchange of energy by giving to another, we find ourselves buoyed with uplifting and joyfully rewarding energy.

Giving reminds us that we are limitless beings living in an infinite universe.

Giving helps us push past our boundaries.

Giving makes us feel abundant.

Giving helps us grow.

Giving is a gift we give ourselves.