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Going to the Moon

Neil Armstrong once said, “There are only two problems to be solved when going to the moon. The first is how to get there and the second is how to get back. The key is, don’t leave until you have solved both problems.”

It was on May 25, 1961, that US president, John F Kennedy, stood before the US Congress and declared. “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth. The idea didn’t receive universal enthusiasm, however. A Gallup Poll indicated that 58 percent of Americans opposed the idea

Photo credit: NASA

Preparing to send a man to the moon was a bold step in 1961. It hadn’t been done before and therefore no one knew the ‘how.’ (Photo credit: NASA)

When Kennedy set that goal and vision, complete with the timeframe of making it happen in under ten years, no one knew ‘how’ it was going to be achieved. But they started preparing as if it was going to happen. And did it happen!

Maybe there’s a lesson here that too often we are afraid to go for the goal because we can’t see how it’s going to be achieved. Maybe there are times we need to move forward in faith, Faith requires that we take action steps and start moving forward, believing that the ‘how’ will be revealed as we move.

This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.

The Thanksgiving Turnaround

On Thanksgiving Day in America a number of years ago, a family weren’t planning to celebrate since they could only afford to buy very basic food. But when the eldest son answered a rap at the door that morning, everything changed, when a complete stranger arrived with a hamper containing enough for a feast for the whole family. By the time that eldest son reached his 18th birthday, he had saved enough money to buy food to deliver to other families in need. He reckons that the Thanksgiving Day in his youth, was actually a gift from God, guiding him and directing him towards helping others in the same way that his family had been helped.

That eldest son was Anthony Robbins, who became a famous personal development guru and multimillionaire His food distribution programme continues to this day, and, in fact he has partnered with the charity Feed America to create the 1 Billion Meals Challenge – with the goal of providing 1 billion meals by 2025. And it all started with one, seemingly small, act of kindness. Someone cared enough to feed Tony and his family, at a time when they needed it most.

This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.

Prioritising Your Values

Lou Tice was a once football coach in an American High School. He got an emergency call one day because his colleague was having a breakdown and was threatening to commit suicide. Lou subsequently discovered that the ‘trigger’ was that a pupil had thrown the shot-put into the swimming pool. Probably not a valid reason to get so upset.

But as Lou Tice points out, if you haven’t decided what you value the most, then the tiniest thing can upset you. But if you can prioritise 6 or seven things that are most important to you, then you’ll operate from a sense of values. That can help put things in perspective and make you realise that some things just aren’t worth getting upset over.

Since I believe there’s a life beyond this one on earth, I’ve made my spiritual life number one. Then family, friends, health, etc. So what do you consider to be the most important things in your life?

This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.

The Power of Words

Paul Rusesabagina, is the real-life character who inspired the film, Hotel Rwanda. It was the 9^th April, nineteen ninety four, and the genocide which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives had begun. Paul had been abducted by a death squad. An Army Captain thrust a gun towards him and ordered him to execute a group of civilians. Paul was petrified but he noticed that when the captain gave him the order to kill, he didn’t look him straight in the eye.

So he lifted a baby and said, “Is this baby your enemy?” I don’t think this is what you want to do. I think you are tired and stressed. I think there’s another solution..

By his words, Paul talked his captors out of carrying out massacres and saved the lives of 1200 people.

A Bible verse in Proverbs says: “death and life are in the power of the tongue. Yes – your words, good or bad, can be that powerful.

This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.

Put Yourself in Our Shoes

I walked past a shoe shop which had a sign in the window which read, ‘Put yourself in our shoes’ I’ve thought about that since and wondered, What impact could that simple saying have, if before we got into arguments, fights or even wars, we first of all sat down and tried to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are opposing us.

Edward De Bono points out that we have a usual ‘argument’ or ‘adversarial’ thinking model in which each side seeks to attack the other. He recommends that opponents should try looking in the same direction. In other words, they put themselves in each other’s shoes.

Putting yourself in other peoples shoes totally changes the dynamic of how we look at differences.

If you’re in a conflict situation. Maybe before you go any further you should try looking at the situation through the eyes of your opponent. Try putting yourself in their shoes.

This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.

Chicken Soup

Chicken Soup: 60 sec radio script

When Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen completed their manuscript titled, Chicken Soup for the Soul, they just knew they had a winner on their hands. The problem was, book publishers to whom they submitted their work had didn’t share their enthusiasm. After fourteen months of trying, their agent said it couldn’t be sold – more than one hundred and forty publishers rejected the manuscript.

Undeterred, Mark and Victor went off to a Booksellers convention, still hopeful for their first ‘yes’.

After two and a half days of further rejections, on the afternoon of the third day, they eventually found someone willing to give it a try. But they were told they shouldn’t expect too much.

The rest is history. Today the ‘Chicken Soup’ series of over 250 titles has sold more than 500 million copies worldwide in more than 40 languages.

The next time I’m tempted to give up, I hope I can recall this story. I just might think again.

This script was for a radio ‘filler’ and was written and narrated by John Callister.

My Garden Robin

Anyone else have a garden Robin?

Meet my Garden Robin, whose favourite food is suet pellets. This little bird appears to have taken up residence in my back garden where I’ve provided a bird table and some feeders to try to ensure a continual supply of bird food.

I’ve read that Robins are territorial and that the bright colour may be used as a threat to rivals. I haven’t observed aggression of any kind but I know this Robin will interact with me in a way none of the other birds have ever done. Sometimes he appears to be quite fearless.

I discovered that the half coconut shell works well since he has somewhere to perch while grabbing a pellet. On the day I captured the photo of him perched on top of the bird table, one source of great amusement was that moments after this photo was snapped, he flew towards me and landed and sat on top of the camera lens. I was using a Nikon 70-200 which is 7 inches long, so he was literally sitting inches from my face. I’m not sure if he was trying to tell me something but it sure gave me a good laugh.

Remembering my Dad on this Father’s Day

It’s Father’s Day today (Sunday 19th June 2022) as I write this, and I have just returned from a visit to the cemetery where the remains of my father and mother are buried. It was a poignant visit, not least because Dad died on this day 23 years ago, 19th June, 1999, aged 81. As I look back, I’m forever grateful for loving parents and the ‘values’ they taught me.

I’m also reminded of the the Sunday just a few days before his death, when he knew he had just a short time left. In hospital, with his family at his bedside, he sat up in bed for the last time and announced to us, “I have peace perfect peace. I haven’t a care in the world. I’m ready to go.” That moment has remained with me and my three sisters who were present, ever since. None of us are likely to ever forget it. It’s something all the money that could be accumulated during a lifetime couldn’t buy. Dad displayed an eternal, spiritual perspective throughout my lifetime. How he faced death says a lot about the way he lived; and the way he died.

Dad, enjoying time with his granddaughter; my eldest daughter, Chloe, now married with two children of her own.

Dad when he was in his forties, father to three girls and one boy (me).

As I took a stroll through the cemetery this afternoon, however, I was reminded that not everyone had the privilege of having a dad who lived a full and long life, and then passed away peacefully. I saw too many tombstones remembering fathers’ who were taken from this earth as relatively young men, many during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Children had to grow up without a father, and family and friends were left devastated and heartbroken. For many, that deep level of pain and grief continues to this day, even after decades. So, as I reflect on this Father’s Day, my heart goes out to those who are suffering through loss, and my thoughts and prayers are with them.