Author: Denis Wilhelm

Remember When…?

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Remember when Valentine’s Day was Saint Valentine’s Day?

According to legend and some archeological evidence, Valentinus was a Roman priest martyred in 269 for marrying Christian couples. While awaiting his execution, he penned a farewell note to the jailer’s daughter, signing it, “From your Valentine.”

He is the Patron Saint of greetings, young people, love, engaged couples, and happy marriages. He is also the Patron Saint of fainting, epilepsy, plague, bee keepers and travelers.

Funny how Hallmark® has focused on just the love and greetings business.  I guess there’s not much of a market for fainting or plague cards anymore. Come to think of it, I can’t remember the last time that I celebrated bee keeping either. So Saint Valentine the man has been forgotten or has been replaced by Cupid I suppose. But when I was a kid we still called it Saint Valentine’s Day and I guess I’m feeling a little nostalgic (or old) today.

I love history and I think it’s important for people (my kids and grandkids anyway) to know how things came to be. Growing up I told my children that EVERYTHING has a history (I can see their eyes rolling now). But it is important and I usually start with our family.

Like many Americans our family originated in Europe. On my mom’s side the journey from France included a time in Canada until those madcap fur traders decided to make the journey down the mighty Mississippi to settle here in the midwest. My French Canadian ancestors can be traced back to some of the earliest residents of our hometown. On dad’s side our German ancestors came to America about a hundred years later. Dad likes to say the Germans came over to clean up the mess that the French had made (that joke never gets old – I suppose my eyes are rolling now).

Things are a little murkier on my wife’s side of the family. Some Scottish and English ancestry and maybe Dutch. More importantly her great-grandmother was Native American – Choctaw I think. As best as we can tell some of her people were likely forced to march the “Trail of Tears” and settle in Oklahoma (shame on you Andrew Jackson!)

Every family has a history. Every town has a history. Every nation. Why is it important? Why must we remember? I think because we owe to those that have come before us. I think we honor the “saints” in our own families when we simply remember them. We’re here because of them – because of their search for a better life; because of their need to be free of religious or political persecution; because of their adventurous spirits; or simply because they “came along for the ride” on the ship or wagon or canoe. Some of our ancestors came here because they felt they had no other choice escaping famine or debtors prisons.  Some literally had no choice: shackled as the property of others. Some of their stories are heartbreaking. Some are heartwarming. Some are awe-inspiring. But they should all be told. Their stories are our stories.

Tell your stories (ignore the eye rolling) and honor your history and your people.

Peace,

Denis

Snow Day

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Day two of my capitivity.  Blizzard conditions! Ice! Thunder! Thunder and snow???  How strange!!!

This isn’t a fun snow day. No fluffy flakes of snow waiting to be transformed into smiling snowmen. No sledding in the park. This is ice. Treacherous. Dangerous. Stay in your house and off the streets – ice! And for a ‘follow-up’ they’re predicting blizzard-like conditions. How wonderful!

Looking out my lonely window

Our offices were closed yesterday afternoon and we’re home today and maybe tomorrow, too.  Snow days were fun as a kid but working from home while also watching weather reports “ad nauseam” and keeping one eye looking out the window is exhausting. This ‘multi-tasking’ is very challenging. I’m also thinking about all the work piling up at my office that couldn’t be transported home. So much for telecommuting (or whatever it’s called).

Plus I don’t know why but I can’t stop looking at the weather and I’m afraid that I’m becoming obsessed. I’m concerned about folks who have to work in this mess (my nephew particularly) but also healthcare workers, police, road crews, mail carriers (the irony here is that I won’t risk falling down trying to walk to my mailbox to get the mail that the mail carrier risked his life to deliver). What’s really crazy is that retail stores are open today. How miserable for the Walmart/Target/Macy’s associates that risk life and limb to get to a store that is likely empty. But God forbid that someone not “show up” for work! So much for common sense.

I just finished a conference call with our manufacturing partners in Guadalajara, Mexico – it’s 80 degrees and sunny there. On the contrary, we’re expecting -6 degrees tonight and 12″ to 20″ of snow. So it’s time for a little ‘pity party’. I think I’ll take a break from work. I’ll have some hot chocolate and maybe some cookies or a muffin. Perhaps I can ‘eat’ myself happy. 

Snow days were fun as a kid. Now I just feel like I’m under ‘house arrest’. “Oh, look it’s starting to snow again!”

I guess after my snack and my nap I’ll work on my jigsaw puzzle. I don’t know, maybe this isn’t so bad after all…

Peace,

Denis

It’s That Time of Year Again

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Taxes, Colonoscopies, and Employee Reviews. Three dreaded annual events. I’d sooner do my taxes and have my colon “snaked” than write those blasted reviews. Every year I hate writing employee evaluations. And every year it only seems to get worse.

No matter how you color it; you can give them fancy names like Employee Improvement Process or Personal Development Plan; you can have the employee “take ownership” by doing a “self-assessment”; it still boils down to the same thing. These are ADULT REPORT CARDS. And they come with the same terror, surprise, delight or indifference as when the receiver was in fact a student.

I personally hate reviews for two reasons: First, you can only use the words paradigm, strategic, self-motivated, and mentor in so many sentences. Secondly, when the review is actually being given, I can’t help but think that the employee is only hearing “WAH, WAH; WAH, WAH, WAH” – like the adults in the Peanuts cartoons.

But again this year, like so many years in the past, I will give it my all and try (really try) to find positive things to say and to address “areas of improvement” so that the members of my staff can “grow in their roles as leaders in our organization”.  Which I suppose is better than saying, “You don’t suck; but you still do a lot of stupid stuff”.

For those of you that share the treaded task of giving employee evaluations, I just have one piece of advice: Keep it short and sweet (if possible). Everyone that’s done a crappy already knows it – why bore them with the details? And the ones that have done a good job would rather that you just show them the money.

So enough already with the “WAH, WAH; WAH, WAH, WAH”!

Peace,

Denis

Teachers

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On Tuesday evening during his State of the Union address, President Obama spoke about school teachers. This is what he said: “Let’s also remember that after parents, the biggest impact on a child’s success comes from the man or woman at the front of the classroom. In South Korea, teachers are known as ‘nation builders,’ here in America, it’s time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect.”

That got me thinking about teachers that I know and have known. It called to mind some of the great teachers that I had as well as the great teachers that my kids had, too. It also gave me a greater appreciation for friends that are teachers.
I think that as a nation we place a higher regard on the latest tech gadget or apparel or toy or sporting equipment that our children “need” rather than focusing on the quality or commitment of their teachers and schools. Simply looking at funding for education it paints a poor picture of our nation’s values. But great teachers just keep doing their jobs with little praise and often with inadequate compensation.

I believe that we dismiss the sacrifice that good teachers make for our children. Too often I have heard people say things like, “Teachers have it made, where else can you work nine months of the year and get paid for summers off?” Or there’s that old ‘chestnut’ – “those that can do; those that can’t teach”.  And yet we entrust teachers with our most cherished resource – our children. Our futures.

What’s my point?  I had great teachers that I know I never thanked. My kids had even better teachers than I did and I’m not sure we ever thanked them either.

So here goes:

  • Thanks Miss Boerding. You made me not miss my mom so much when I was a scared little 2nd grader.
  • Thanks Sister Fidesta.  You made Algebra and Geometry fun, even if the fun stuff had nothing to do with Algebra or Geometry. (Martaun and I still laugh about it!)
  • Thanks Sister Thecla. You made me love drafting, design, and graphic arts (and I built a career on it). Plus you were just one crazy lady!
  • Thanks Mr. Elmore. You taught Deb life lessons. We both loved you for it and we miss you.
  • Thanks Dean Crozier. You helped me realize that the world was much bigger than just Saint Charles, Missouri.

Thanks Cindy, Kathy, Peggy, Keith, Mary and all the other teachers that I know who are still committed to their students and their vocation. God bless you for the work that you do. You are nation builders – never forget that!

Peace,

Denis

Baby Smiles

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Last Sunday in church my grandson Noah smiled at me. That may not seem like a big deal. It certainly wasn’t the first time that he smiled nor was it the first time that he smiled at me. But it was the first time that he seemed to truly recognize me and that recognition garnered a smile. Of course it’s possible that he gives that same smile to the UPS driver or the cashier at the local market. But for that moment it seemed, to me anyway, that he was thinking, “Hey, that’s my Pawpaw and I love him!”  It was sublime.
 
I thanked God at that moment for his ‘baby smile’. His big sister and his cousin have been smiling (or laughing) at me for some time now. But this is a new chapter in our relationship. I love my grandkids and I love that they love me back! And now Noah is ‘telling’ me that he loves me, too!
 
Baby smiles are one of the best things that life has to offer. They’re wonderful. They’re sincere. And they’re ‘free of charge’. Who among us hasn’t been completely disarmed by a baby’s smile? How many times have you had a miserable moment/day/week/ only to have it whisked away by the sweet smile of a baby. And if that baby happens to be your grandchild – it’s even better! Trust me.
 
I know that Charlise and Anna and Noah don’t just smile at me. They have lots of people in their lives that they love. And I’m happy for that. But when they do reserve that one special smile for just for me I feel like the luckiest person on earth.

Smiling Noah

Baby smiles can’t fix everything. They can’t make the pain and suffering of this world disappear entirely. They can’t stop wars or end hunger or cure illness. But sometimes I wonder…? Could a baby smile be a diplomatic tool? Could a smiling baby breakdown political, societal, and economic barriers? When I’ve had a lousy day sometimes just looking at a picture of my smiling grandkids helps put everything in perspective. Maybe all the United Nations Delegates should be required to wear pictures of their children or grandchildren or nieces or nephews on their lapels. Perhaps the State Department should include photos of heads of states’ children as part of the advance teams’ paperwork. It’s possible some conflicts might be resolved if THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE realized how lucky they were to be parents/grandparents/aunts/uncles. And by securing peace in our world; they could insure continuation of baby smiles for generations. It’s just a thought.

How lucky am I? Just look at Noah’s smile and you’ll know.
 
Peace,
Denis

Winter Blahs

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Snow. Ice. More snow. More cold weather. More ice. Even more snow. Is there any end in sight? When will it be warm again?

Ughh!! More snow!!!

All I want is some warmer weather. I’m tired of the ice and snow on the roads and salt and muck being carried into the house. I feel like I’m living back in Wisconsin. I’m probably just suffering from some seasonal depression. BUT I CAN’T TAKE MUCH MORE!

I know that spring will come again. And I know that there will be flowers and green grass and sunshine and blue skies. I’m just getting a little antsy.

You see, I’m not much of a cold weather animal. I lived in Wisconsin for 11 years and there were many things that I loved about our life up north but not the weather. From October to May – it was just an exercise in endurance. I just told myself each winter (all 8 months of it) that somehow I would get through it and somehow I did. Even the year that we had 25 below zero temperatures with windchills of 75 below zero – I lived and I saw spring again. But that didn’t make less it any less miserable. Cold is cold.

So now here I am now living 400 miles further south and I might as well be back in Wisconsin (at least up there they knew how to remove the snow and ice from the streets. Plus the drivers weren’t all complete jackasses when the snow started flying). But this cold weather snap that we’re experiencing feels too much like Wisconsin winter and I’m READY FOR SPRING.

Maybe I need to move to Florida. But all those old people driving around with their left turn signals on would probably get on my nerves. What’s a curmudgeon to do?

Stay warm if you can.

Peace,

Denis

Out of the Mouths of Babes

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While watching the Jets score a touchdown during last Sunday’s play-off game, my granddaughter Anna asked why we didn’t call it a “touch-up”? After all the referees raised their arms up in the air. Otherwise they should put their arms down – she demonstrated by putting her little arms at her side. She has a point. My granddaughter Charlise coined the phrase “Oh, my cow!” – it’s her combination of “oh, my goodness” and “holy cow”. When our son Blake was about three years old I asked him to pick up all his toys. He informed me that he couldn’t carry any more because “he was full of hands”. My sister, who’s a grandmother herself now, once wanted to “buy something” off the knick-knack shelf at our grandmother’s house (to be honest Grandmother’s collection of bric-a-brac resembled the merchandise found at the local dime store). But it was cute and everyone laughed – except Kay who really wanted to buy something!

Noah is not talking yet, but it looks like he's got something to say...

Most of us cherish the sayings that were invented or misinterpreted by the little ones in our families. Sometimes they are a clever reorganization of words or thoughts. Sometimes they are just mispronunciations or misunderstandings. Often they are remembered for years (or generations). What makes these words particularly meaningful is that they are simple and profound. They are TRUTH spoken by someone who is incapable of not speaking the the truth.

As parents (and grandparents) we are often amused by these statements. And sometimes we cringe – like the time Tyson, at about age two, encountered a woman with facial hair asked me “Why does that mommy have a mustache?” Oops!

The words our babies speak remind us of our own long-forgotten innocence. If we listen carefully we can hear the voice of God through these angels in our presence.

Pure. Simple. Profound.

Peace,

Denis

Storm Warnings

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One of my work associates wishes he was a Meteorologist. He loves to send out weather updates ~ today he issued a ‘Level Orange’ warning via e-mail because it might snow tomorrow or Thursday. His weather predictions are about as accurate as the professionals so I rarely take heed. When I travel (or plan to travel) he is the first to tell me about impending bad weather. I never ask him; he just feels compelled to tell me that I’ll probably be facing some travel challenges due to bad weather. To be fair he is sometimes right but it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to cancel my plans because it might rain/snow/storm. I just have to deal with it. I don’t see that I have a choice.

Life is like that. We sometimes get ‘storm warnings’. We’re told that bad things (weather and worse) are headed our way. We often dread the unknown. We’re told to beware of danger; of risk; of certain doom. We’re constantly being reminded to: be safe; buckle up; read the instructions; don’t leave home without it; take as directed; always use protection! These warnings are certainly well-intentioned but I believe that sometimes we need to ignore the warnings. Sometimes we need to just take a chance ~ I’m not advocating reckless behavior but sometimes we need to “stick our neck out”. Sometimes we owe it to ourselves to be a little silly; behave a little unpredictably.

I know people who have overcome incredible hardships and still celebrate life. I myself, start to question if “it’s worth it” after a bad case of the flu. I’m a wimp when it comes to pain and suffering. And I’m completely self-pitying when faced with failure or disappointment. I’m always amazed at folks who manage to deal with overwhelming challenges in their lives and maintain their spirit and sanity. These brave individuals have learned how to weather the storms of life. And they remain undaunted. They ignore the scary predictions. They just bundle-up and face the wind!

I suppose that sometimes we all need learn to laugh in the face of danger; to take a risk or two. So the next time rain is predicted; leave your umbrella at home. Just once, don’t worry about the calories. Stay up too late. Laugh out loud in a library (or a church!). Dance in the rain. Sing in public. And (at least for a while) forget about the ‘storm warnings’.

You know, we can’t really stop the storms of life. We can only change our hearts and minds. God will take of the rest.

Peace,

Denis

Keep Calm and Carry On

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Keep Calm and Carry On was a poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of World War II intended to raise the morale of the British public under the threat of impending invasion. It was produced as a prototype and never used. The poster was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-printed and sold commercially ever since. I recently saw it for the first time in my colleague’s office in  England. 

I think “Keep Calm and Carry On” may need to become my new motto. I certainly need to “calm the hell down” as has been suggested by those who shall remain nameless. And we must always “carry on”. Even in our darkest hours; we must carry on! It seems that I’ve been “carrying-on” for sometime now but “to carry on” means something else entirely I’m told.

Very British this idea of calm and deliberate forward progress. Stiff upper lip and all that. I like the idea of being undeterred; to remain steadfast in our pursuits and mission. Too often it seems that I run away or give up when faced with set-backs or disappointments. Perhaps if I would just “Keep Calm and Carry On” I would find that these ‘minor detours’ in life are not insurmountable and may even be character building (but let’s not push it!). Regardless, instead of shrinking from my responsibilites, failures, or hardships the thought of soldiering-on seems noble.

I’m hoping (and praying) that the next time life sends some crap my way I will remember to “Keep Calm and Carry On” instead of burying my head in the sand or crying into my pillow. Very well then!

Peace,

Denis

Love’s Pure Joy!

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Yesterday I got to meet my friend Sherry’s baby daughter. Just one day old. She is beautiful and Mama Sherry is awash in joy and happiness.

Roddia Sherie

Most babies are wanted. Most babies’ arrivals are highly anticipated. Most babies are excitedly welcomed into their families. But this little girl may be the most wanted, anticipated and welcomed baby I have ever known! She is a certainly a blessing to her parents and her family. And she will be celebrated as the miracle that she is. Praise God!

I was able to hold her yesterday at the hospital and like all newborns she is so precious and so beautiful. But it struck me while I was holding her that she is destined for greatness. I just had this overwhelming feeling that this little girl will change our world (not just Sherry’s and Rodney’s) and that her arrival is a sign of many more good things to come. What a welcome respite from the doom and gloom of the morning news. What a relief to know that good has once again triumphed over evil. Roddia is a hopeful and peaceful messenger of God’s love for us.  

Of course, Baby Roddia may not single-handedly bring about world peace or prevent hunger or cure cancer or stop global warming – but she might! She could be president someday. She most certainly will be grace-filled and beautiful. And her heart will overflow with love and kindness. That’s guaranteed – it’s in her DNA. Her “greatness” may be meaured in the small things that she does for others but her influence will reach beyond borders. Remember the words of Mother Theresa of Calcutta “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” 

Sherry, thank you for letting me share your special joy. During those “hopeless times” I will remember holding Roddia and realize again that with God’s love all things are possible!

Peace,

Denis