Faith and good cheer

As a die hard Ranger fan, I must shore up my loyalty and belief and take heart this morning.  Wow, that might just work with life.  For the most part, I've been lucky enough to embrace that philosophy in general.  I didn't even realize that until I started looking and seeing and feeling other people's attitudes, other people's approaches.  Rather than criticizing them for being negative, I tried to help them see the possibilities, the bright spots, their own ability to overcome their personal obstacles.  Needless to say, we must always realize that others are grappling with demons we do not know, we cannot imagine.  Never can we simply say, "Shake it off.  You'll be fine."  No, at the very least we must add, "Nothing worth doing is ever easy."  Encourage, inspire, cheer on, but never minimize someone else's struggles, however simple they may seem to us.  Human beings, like well-coached and managed baseball teams, emerge victorious despite incredibly daunting odds.  Fans who cheer, support, believe, and oh yes, demand the best play, the best behavior in return can make all the difference.  We do that for each other on a very personal level every single day of our lives.  The opposite is true, of course, but let's focus on our "better angels" today and every day.  Tall order?  You're dang right it is, but we're up to the challenge.  Amen?  Amen!!