Edd Voss' Profile

When in the course of human events…. With these words our forefathers changed the world. They didn’t think that it was something that would last but they knew that it was a dream worth pursuing even if it cost them their lives and fortunes. Europe at the time was a collection of Monarchies ruled by a select few families, now the majority of those governments are much closer to the one envisioned by our founders. The very idea of a country where the government was dependent on the people had never been heard of. Not even the Greeks and Romans had given voice to every citizen. There were problems to be overcome that the founders knew would take time, so they wrote the Constitution in such a way that it could be amended by the People as things changed. Nowhere else in the world could the simple owner of a men’s clothing store in Independence Missouri rise up to the highest office in the land. In what other country could a son of poverty from the backwoods of Kentucky become one of the most beloved Presidents in our history?

So now as we get ready to once more celebrate her birthday let us take a moment to remember all of those who built her, the wealthy industrialists who started the companies, the hard working men and women who kept those companies going. The ones who were forced to come here as slaves yet rose up to make their own marks on this country after slavery’s end. The immigrants who risked all to try and make their own dreams come true here in the Land of Opportunity, and the entrepreneurs who start new businesses some that succeed some that don’t. It is part of the American psyche to keep trying, to get up and dust your self off and try again. America is more than just a land mass between Canada and Mexico; it is a state of mind.

Happy Birthday America long may the Red, White, and Blue continue to fly proudly.

He always seemed like a big man to me, but then to a four year old boy all adults are big. When I close my eyes and try to picture him in my mind I see dark hair over a face weathered and tanned dark by the Kansas sun. His smile to me was as bright as that same sun beating down on wind swept Plains. Most of what I know about my father comes from stories told to me by my mother and my brother. The one thing that has always made me feel somewhat close to the man is the story mom told me about the night that he died.

          Leukemia had taken its toll on him and he was hospitalized in Larned Kansas. We were all there mom, my brother, and of course four year old me. As the evening wore on mom said that I became cranky like any normal little boy. My father told her to put me up on the bed with him. Safe in his arms I slept, he passed away holding his youngest son in his arms.

          My brother did his best to try and fill the shoes of my father as did a number of different foster parents. From them I learned the value of work, how to treat others with respect, and many other valuable lessons. Sometimes when things have been on the verge of collapsing around me, or I have begun to take a wrong turn some man has always managed to say something that would strike nerve, and steer me in the right direction. It may have been a friend, a boss or one of the NCOs I served with in the Army. I don’t know if it has been my father looking over me but when I have needed guidance someone has always been there to help so maybe he has been watching over me even now. One of the greatest compliments that my brother has ever paid me was to tell me that he was sure dad would be proud of me.

          So on this Father’s Day I thought that I would take a moment to write about the man I never got to know, and wish that it had been different.

Okay I have to admit it, “I took the easy road.” I had wanted to write about the Easter Season but out of fear of alienating some readers I dodged it and wrote about my latest story Going Home instead. Here is what I should have written.

          When I wrote about Thanksgiving I talked about finding the things to be thankful for and the things that we might want to change. At Christmas I wrote about the birth of the Man who would show us the way to make those changes. If my computer hadn’t gone kaput on me I would have written at New Year about making the decision to bring about changes in our lives. Now the Easter Season gives us the blue print on how to accomplish these things. As we approach the time of change that we are trying to accomplish we have to acknowledge that we need help from someone greater than we are, so each in our own way enter into the Garden of Gethsemane to ask for that help maybe even to avoid the pain that we will have to endure to bring about the change. Our friends who are supposed to be supporting us will fall asleep leaving us to pray alone. Any change comes with effort and sometimes pain which can push our spirits to their limits. While it is nothing compared to the scourging and Crucifixion for each person it may seem almost that bad at times, ask anyone who has had to fight an addiction to drugs or alcohol how rough it can get. This also gives us the means to atone for the pain that we may have caused by our actions. Then after the suffering we may have brief respite before we are able to finally pass through the suffering and rise up as a new person leaving behind the dead persona of our previous self. This is only one of the lessons to be learned during the Easter Season. Most of us know the other story of eternal Salvation but it can also be a lesson to help us with the problems of our daily lives. So hopefully this will hit home for some. The hardest part of it all comes down to being able to forgive not just others but hardest of all is to forgive ourselves. A belated Happy Easter to all.