on being admirable

dear friend

i doubt that
we woke up
this morning

saying
to ourselves

today i shall strive
to be admirable

sounds
like something

a character
in a novel

written
a hundred years ago

might declare
to themselves

being admirable
seems old fashioned
to us now

yet it was
a deeply ingrained
moral imperative

within our parents
and grandparents

who fought and won
world war II

their admirable character
was the foundation
of their victory

it will take
the same character
in us

to defeat fascism
again

becoming worthy

our own generations
have been focused
on building self esteem

but becoming admirable
is a much larger

and far
higher goal

to become admirable
is to become worthy

of the esteem of others
not just our self

to become worthy
requires us

to hold our self
to high moral standards

it requires us
to take responsibility

be reliable

honest

and trustworthy


to be worthy
is to be true

to be brave

and to be devoted
to loving endeavors

building life
and justice

and freedom
for all

let us pause
here

to honor jesse jackson

let us hold him
in our hearts

and resolve
to emulate

his highly
admirable life

what makes a person admirable

an admirable
person

may not be famous
powerful
highly educated
handsome beautiful
sexy or rich

a person
can be all
those things

yet not
be admirable at all

and he or she
can be admirable

without being
any of them

what makes
a person admirable

is their character
their love
and their contribution

as they serve
their family

their community
their country
and the world

the poet
stephen spender

describes
the truly great
as

…those who in their lives fought for life,
Who wore at their hearts the fire’s centre.
Born of the sun, they travelled a short while
toward the sun
And left the vivid air signed with their honour.

how we become admirable

an admirable person
is not born with
their fine qualities

they must
be built

the good news is
they can be

we become
admirable

by taking action
that requires
character and courage

action
that requires us

to grow
our capacity

to do
the right thing

and step up
when we are needed

much of our growth

toward
becoming admirable

takes place
in adversity

when we face
loss

defeat

pain

illness

poverty

isolation

it is in
our having the audacity

to come through
torment and devastation

while remaining
tender and generous
human beings

that we
rise above
our pain

and are forged
into admirable
men and women

it is by coming through
our own crucible

that we
become capable

of reaching out
to support encourage
and build others

every one of us

has the potential
to become admirable

regardless
of our past

regardless
of any shame

defeat

or loss of hope
we may be in
today

you
my friend

have the power
to rise up

and become
the admirable
man or woman

you have always
longed to be

every day

there are
people around us

doing
admirable things

in spite
of all their weaknesses
and previous failures

we may not
even notice
their actions

we are so focused
on our own lives

we miss
many beautiful gifts

admirable people
offer us
and give us

we either
don’t notice them

or we say nothing
in response

but the loving souls
we have ignored

just quietly go on
doing admirable things

because
that is who they are

so today

let us
open our eyes
and see them

let each one of us
give words
of thanks and praise

to the admirable
women and men
in our lives

so they will know
we are actually
aware of them

and appreciate
who they are
and what they do

let’s ask ourselves
who am i ignoring

who am i
taking for granted

some people

may not have heard
any praise
in a long time

there are
a whole lot of
good men

who are hurting
from the generalizations

being made
these days

about males
as toxic

i offer these words
to all who are not

for our good men

i see you
and
i respect you

it is very hard
to be a man

some people
will try
to shame you

by magnifying
your faults

while denying
their own

some will not
honor you

they do not see
your value

seek out
those who do

seek out
those who appreciate you

i am thankful
for your love

your strength

your protection

i am thankful
to you

for hauling
out of bed
every day

to go to work

i am thankful
that you do your job

no matter
what it takes

no matter how hard
and thankless it is

i see your courage

i see your pain
that you keep
to yourself

so those you love
won’t worry

you may feel
you are not needed

but this is
not so

you are
very much needed

whether you are twenty
or ninety plus
you are needed

you are needed
by your families
friends and loved ones

you are needed
by your community

and by our country
and by our world

you are needed
right here

in our
solutions community

where you
will always be heard

and your thoughts
and feelings

will always
be respected

you may not
have found
your way yet

you may not
even know

what direction
you want to go in

or you may
have gotten lost
along your way

and are looking
to find
new connections

or to change direction
and begin anew

that is ok
you are free

to explore
all possibilities

to your
heart’s content

you will
figure it out

you will find
the courage

to discover
or re-discover
who you are

it will be a joy
to grow yourself
in new dimensions

it will be a joy
to build yourself

into the admirable man
you have always
aspired to be

for all of us

it is time
for us

to build
our solid character

so we can rise
to the challenge

of protecting
and restoring
our freedom

we must
build our character

upon the foundation
of respect for others

and we will earn
their respect

by accepting
nothing less
from ourselves

than living
an admirable life

Blessings,

Dr. Hall