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Sky Bridge: Second Chances

Hans set outside the restaurant, ready to go, he knew there would be no time to waste. His hover copter could get there faster than any chopper or sky transit in the city. It had some special added features that were not listed on the inventory manifest.

For that matter, Hans had some skills of his own, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at him. This Grandfather of two could still steer the corners like he once had on classified missions in a corner of the world. That was where he had first met Isaac. He wasn’t Isaac back then, nor was Hans who he was now.

Hans was Hank, and Hank was a hot shot American pilot. The next time they met, Hank was holding on to the last shreds of his humanity. Isaac sought him out and helped him. He introduced him to a small refuge on the east of the city, and his life began to change. Now, he and his beautiful wife had a wonderful family. They helped Isaac repair other families in need.

Inside, Cloris was ringing her hands, trying not to cry. Her son wasn’t speaking to her, she had ran off the last of her family. Cloris had changed, but would they see it? She wasn’t the selfish woman she had once been. They had to see, not for her sake, but for Collin’s. He had no other options if they didn’t.

Within seconds Annette and Carl were at her table. “I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks, and you’ve ignored my calls.” Annette fumed at her sister. Cloris shook her head no in desperation. “I haven’t ignored them, I’ve been trying to get to where I could answer them.”

Carl spoke next. “What do you mean?” Tears filled Cloris’ eyes, “Like everyone else in my family, I’ve alienated him too. He refuses to speak to me, I can’t even get him to listen long enough to explain about your Collin.”

Annette was fueled with past and present rage, “Give me his address, I’ll make him understand.” “I’m afraid it wouldn’t work that way Mrs. Washington.” Isaac Rosen said from behind her. She turned suddenly, “Mr. Rosen, how would you know anything about this?” “I know all about it, that’s why you’re here tonight. We’re here to help you save your son’s life.”

All the anger left her, “How can you save my son?” Isaac took a deep breath and motioned for them to sit down. “We can introduce him to someone who can give him the same gift he would grant Collin, a second chance at a new life.”

Check out the next chapter, Sky Bridge: The Donor

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140 Mile Stretch

140 Mile Stretch

Secretary Harris was nervous as he walked in to the heart of the nation’s intelligence building.  He couldn’t imagine how many covert operations had been carried out here.  “Good morning Mr. Secretary, she will see you now.”  Director Wilson’s secretary pressed a button to open the inner door.

“Good morning Tom, it’s good to see you again.” She wheeled around from behind the desk, Phyllis Wilson was a formidable ally to have.  She was eighty four, but still had the strength of a person much younger.  Her slate gray curly hair flowed over her shoulders, her green eyes seemed to be aware of everything in the room.

She lost the use of her legs in the line of duty, a secret service agent who saved the President.  Then she went into politics, first Governor of California, then Senator.  She was a third generation American.  Her Grandparents immigrated from Harare, Zimbabwe.  Her Grandfather, Dr. Wilson, moved to the states to head up medical research at John Hopkins.

Although friends for years, like most Washington veterans, they sized each other up.  Tom was losing his hair, but not his nerve.  What he had left was white, he was eating to many doughnuts, but he knew that Alice was trying to get him to cut down.  His blue eyes and pleasant smile would make you underestimate him if you weren’t careful.  Some of his opponents had made that mistake, right before losing the election.

“Thank you Phyllis, I don’t mind telling you I’m a little nervous.”  She smiled, “You should be, you’re the first Secretary of Agriculture to ever enter this building.”  He smiled back, “True, there’s only one thing that reassures me my friend, the fact that for once, you need me more than I need you.  Shall we go?”

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Dr. Ed’s Life Altering Elixir

Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Hello, I wanted to share with you my latest adventure with Dr. Ed. As you know, Dr. Ed’s studio is a fictitious place in my imagination. Dr. Ed is a character, and what a character. It is my hope in these small articles to bring a smile to your face, and an encouragement to your soul. With that being said, please join me on another trip to Dr. Ed.

It was this morning, I proceeded to his studio, and I heard elevated voices from within. When I let myself in, I saw a crowd of people gathered around a small stage. The people looked sad, angry, mad, and confused.

Standing beside of a small, smiling, gray haired man was Dr. Ed. He was listening quietly to the man. “I am a changed man. I’m no longer sad, sour faced, or sarcastic since starting taking this elixir. My wife says I seem happier than I’ve ever been in my life, she’s nicknamed me Smiley!”

With that he waddled off the platform and Dr. Ed began to speak. “Thank you Mr. Grumpus for that rousing endorsement. Yes friends, with Dr. Ed’s Life Altering Elixir you will snap less. You will smile more! When someone comes to you complaining about their day, you will have something sweet and wonderful to say!”

There were shouts across the crowd. “I’ll buy one!” “I’ll try a bottle!” He must be an incredible salesperson, because they each bought four tiny bottles of red liquid. He waved to them as they walked out. “Are you going to explain, or just leave me standing here confused.” To which he replied, “Of course, of course, come with me.”

We walked past the open air of the studio into his corner office. Inside was a drink dispenser and a small conveyor belt. He stirred up two batches of rasberry iced tea and poured it in the top of the machine. “So the tea mixes with the medicine to create the elixir I see?” He shook his head, “No my boy, the tea is the only liquid ingredient of the elixir.”

“So the rest is powdered form?” He shook his head again, “No, verbal. The most potent ingredient of the elixir are it’s instructions.” I looked at him like he was crazy, he remarked. “Considering this whole allegory takes place in a corner of your mind, and I’m a fictitious character of your own creation. Do you really want to take up the question of mental rationality?”

I cleared my throat and he continued. “You see my friend, Mr. Grumpus and his sad sack pals are in need of something stronger than medication. They are in need of an altered attitude. They mitigate their misery through aggravating one another. Mr. Grumpus grumps. Goselyn Gossip spreads slander about friend and foe alike. Sad Sally always looks at what’s wrong in the world, and her twin sister Connie the Complainer gripes.”

“I have to admit, they’re some of the saddest and meanest looking people I’ve ever seen!” “My dear Timothy, you should have looked at them more closely. May I remind you that all of us are potential personality traits rumbling around in your head? Did you not see the resemblance of Mr. Grumpus to you in the morning?” I was shocked, “Are you saying that I’m Mr. Grumpus?”

“No, but you have the potential to be. You, and every person, has the potential to grump, gripe, saturate in self pity, and even spread rumors about others through your life?” I nodded again, I do that a lot when Dr. Ed starts talking.

“What I had to do was offer them an alternative, a nature change.” I interrupted, “In other words, you wanted them to be more Edifying!” He slapped me on the back, “You’ve got it, they needed to spread good words, not bad, positive emotions, and not negative ones.”

“I wanted them to connect with the metaphor, ‘Put good in, good will come out. It has made a world if difference. Now are you ready to hear the instructions I gave them?” I nodded again, told you that happens with him.

“They are to take two teaspoons after prayer and Bible reading in the morning. It is also imperative that they not utter one negative word while the medicine is in their system. Mr. Grumpus has replaced griping over coffee with family devotions. Goselyn has stopped her gossip, and now has time to help others. Connie and Sally now go around with a smile and a song”

“How much do you charge for this Life Altering Elixir?” “Why isn’t it obvious, one cent per bottle. A penny for their thoughts! It covers the cost of the tea and the bottle. You see my medicine is inexpensive, but the value of the instructions is priceless. Anything that causes us to spend more time with The Master will cause us to react like Him.

So we poured ourselves two glasses of elixir, which is odd, because I don’t like Tea, and we reflected on God’s goodness all day. Thinking about God will alter your outlook, and brighten your day.

If you’re struggling, or having a bad day, and we all do, try following the doctor’s instructions. I guarantee that concentrating on Jesus will improve your day, but you don’t have to take our word for it. Here is the God given prescription from the Apostle Paul.

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

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Hisbits: George Washington

GeorgeWashingtonWatercolorTJWe love history at PruittWrites. We hope that you enjoy our first historical article on our first President, George Washington.

Whether your first vision of Washington is behind a President’s desk or wearing a Continental uniform, you see the Great Washington, not the dreaming one. This is not an essay to pick apart the hero. Sadly, that seems to be the trend in biographies in the present world. This man was too idealistic, let’s find his secrets. She was too beautiful, seek out her warts. I submit to you that in the centuries of time, while only One was perfect, He helped many do more than there best.

When we think of great historical men, we think of them, not first as strapping young dreamers, but the great men we know they became.Today I would like to ponder the roadmap of a historical giant. His name, George Washington. I ask that you view him, not with a powdered wig crossing the Potomac. Instead, look on him as a young surveyor in Virginia.

He lost his Father at a young age. Had it not been for help from his brother, he would not have received his chance for a start at a better life. He suffered the loss of a fort in the French and Indian War. However, the lessons he learned would rove invaluable in the near future.

My focus on Washington is not the fact that he held our country together as a General. Although his influence was vital to the success of the revolution. It was his choice to resign from power that even amazed King George III. He chose freedom over power, and then helped to formulate the keystone for a free and open form of government.

George Washington is called the Father of our country, and I believe rightly so. More than that, he was the Friend of our country. He realized that the decisions he made while in office would be the foundation of those who came after him. A precedent is described as the person or thing that becomes the model. Washington was not only presidential, but to coin a phrase, precedental.

Throughout his tenure, He would appear to never forget these two things. The first was that he would be the first of many, and second, that his time would end. All new Presidents do not begin there term thinking about there last day, but they should. When you remember the destination, you’re more careful about the journey.

Great leaders can discover and promote greatness in others when they’re not bogged down by ego. Even when they show very little sign of greatness. Such was the case with a member of President Washington’s cabinet, who had been part of General Washington’s staff.

His peers were of the opinion that this aide de camp was aristocratic, stubborn, and arrogant. Alexander Hamilton’s nickname was “The Little Lion”. In contrast to his young subordinate, Washington had learned when to roar and when to keep silent.

Washington was able to look past opinions to see virtue. Because of this, Hamilton impacted Washington’s administration and the history of the United States. He made a difference, but it was by Washington’s invitation only.

Another incident occurred that he did not invite, it was called The Whiskey Rebellion. Congress passed an excise tax on distilled whiskey that was highly unpopular. A group organized an armed rebellion. Among the President’s responses, dusting off his uniform and saddling his horse.
President Washington lead an army roughly the same size as the Continental Army into Pennsylvania. He sent a message that was essentially saying, that he had fought for his country once, and he was willing to once more.

We make the mistake of imagining Washington’s terms as easy, that wasn’t the case. Part of our Founding Father’s time was spent refereeing between two prominent American sons, Hamilton and Jefferson. Washington’s goal was not to be either Hamiltonian or Jeffersonian, it was to be an American. This meant making decisions based on the needs of the country even when it angered his fellow countrymen. It must have been exhausting. A tired man would have given up, but a tired soldier marched on for another term.

Today, in a cynical world, we cannot imagine anyone not wanting to be President for as long as humanly possible. George Washington was the exception. His two feuding Cabinet members temporarily forged a truce to convince him to even serve a second term. He agreed, but a third term was out of the question. After seeing the country through a revolution and spearheading a fledgling government, he was ready to leave.

When a man leaves something it is his duty to leave a legacy. This is not for his sake, that would be a monument. Others would build Washington’s monument, he was more concerned about scaffolding. A legacy is meant to be like the framework of a building or garden, it provides a means for the future to grow straight and tall. Washington’s farewell address, to this day, is considered one of America’s most important documents. It is read on the floor of the Senate every year. This soldier, this farmer, this surveyor laid the plum line America would hold to for years to come.

Most think his story ends farming in Mt Vernon. It’s a beautiful picture, the man who stood for a nation now planted the seeds for its future. An that’s true,but it wasn’t his farming in Virginia where he sowed. At President Adams’ request, he reluctantly returned to the military to help organize an army that would outlive him.

President Washington would be the first to point out that he wasn’t perfect. After all, If he ever doubted, Valley Forge had reminded him how human he was. It’s told that a very human general called on a very Divine God of armies in a blanket of snow. In the end my image of Washington is more than dates and events. It’s not merely a canvas and brush strokes. It’s a mixture of humility and nobility, with touches of perseverance, commitment, and consistency.