Memphis Bargain Bicycles
LEW'S LIFE and some reflections
Our small Michigan farm was sold in 1945. It was hard times for my family. We were on our way to Phoenix, Ariz., in an old International refrigerator "box" truck Dad had converted to what is today's motor home, towing our 1936 Chevrolet.
The truck broke down 50 miles from home, the first of many that had Dad working on the motor alongside the road. The last of our possessions were hocked & the Chevy sold before we got to Phoenix. It took 14 days of Dad's pure grit to get us there. There were few truck stops in those days. We were usually miles from nowhere when the truck broke down. With the Chevy sold, he hitchhiked to get parts while we waited. It never occurred to us that we weren't safe wherever we were.
And it never occurred to Dad or Mom to give up or beg for help. They got us there. No tears, no complaints. It was a never-to-be-forgotten adventure! They couldn't have known then, but that trip was the grounding for the values I hold dear to this day.
We spent two years in Phoenix, moving to a rented house after renting a trailer in a park for awhile. Dad found work but without modern air-conditioning, the summertime heat brought about a move to Los Angeles, Calif. where Mom had a brother. We rented a house her brother owned, Dad stayed on the job in Phoenix during the transition. Mail delivery not being what it is today, the money he was supposed to send didn't always arrive when or as needed.
My 10 year-old brother & I (12) sold newspapers on a corner in downtown El Segundo. The money we made was often the only money coming in to buy food with. But there was never a thought about getting any kind of "assistance". True, we'd fall behind on the rent but her brother, while not forgiving of the rent, didn't evict us. Finally, Dad followed us to California. He got a good job and, as was always the case with my folks, the bills & the rent were paid.
In all the years of their lives, my parents never failed to pay their own way. Sometimes our clothes were patched, but we always had enough to eat. Mom worked as a waitress during some of those years. Dad would come home from work so tired he'd fall asleep on the couch before dinner.
But they never faltered.
Ultimately, after years of hard work, they were able to buy a home. Two more sisters were born when I was a teenager.
At 18, I went into the US Navy as a musician. Along the way, my parents had managed a saxophone & music lessons for me. It was my Mother's dream that I become a musician. I fulfilled her dream.
What I want to preserve is not about me or my life. From the time I entered the Navy up to the present I've never really "wanted" for anything. The credit for this is due to our parents and what was "given" to me by them. And I'm not talking about material things.
I want to be on record that, regardless of their sins, weaknesses, mistakes or any of the other human failings, their determination and belief in themselves never wavered. They didn't strive for "success" but to provide through hard work. They also had a "vision" that was passed on to me.
It was because of that early "grounding" & later understanding of how that vision worked (The Magic of Believing by Claude M. Bristol when I was 18, followed by many other books), that I actually "had it made".
I wasn't strong enough or smart enough to avoid the pitfalls of "the good life" but no one should think I wasn't given all the "right stuff" by our parents. I was.
Don't ever compromise on your principles. Stick to them no matter what anyone says or does. And if they've been "temporarily lost", find them again.
Tho' I'm sure it doesn't need to be said, a REPUTATION is hard won, easily lost. And it is SO important.
For those who want to gain an insight into what makes themselves & others "tick", (links provided below) I recommend:
Games People Play by Eric Berne, M.D.
What Do You Say After You Say, Hello? by Eric Berne, M.D.
I'm OK, You're OK by Eric Berne, M.D.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
Illusions by Richard Bach (As well as I can remember it, here's a sample from Illusions: The Messiah was standing on a knoll, speaking to the people gathered around Him. He said, "If God asked you to suffer in his name, would you?" And the crowd, in unison, shouted, "Yea!" "And what if God asked you to be happy?" And there was silence.)
The Magic of Believing by Claude M. Bristol. Given to me by a Navy buddy when I was 18 years old, the book hadn't been in print very long at the time. It wasn't until I read a book "The Third Eye" that I grasped Bristol's basic concept: visualization & it's power. (Used by basketball players who practice using the "mind's eye".) References to controlling others should be ignored for the most part. Ultimately, people cannot be controlled. They have a mind of their own, individual goals. Best used for self-control, to acquire things, reach your goals, do good for others. Be careful what you wish for, you might get it (and not always in the form expected). You WILL suffer consequences one way or another if this power is used for other than beneficial purposes. Be warned!
If you have children how do you point them, or yourself, towards positive results in life? The books I'm recommending could provide answers you've sought to the questions of the elusive "why"?
To do some good with what I've learned in life, to bring you a better life or find some of the answers, is my only objective.
If you do find some answers, find improvements in your quest for a better life, will you share them with me? It would be wonderful if I could post them for the encouragement of others. I promise not to reveal your identity without permission.
Why are you deserving? You are part of the fabric of our country. Your success is ours as well, we all benefit. Think about it.
Links to aid you. (Not in any particular order. Each is part of the whole to get a complete understanding):
Mr. Lew , My Thanks to God there's A GOOD bicycle Mechanic to fall back on when I'm not capable. We've come out of a hard freeze & I can start bicycling again. Take Care Mr. Lew, your e-mails are a Ministry toward us. Sincerely, Mr. H.
Thank YOU! You've perceived the faith required to create the page & send it out. Those without Faith won't benefit. Faith in God, yourself & your fellow man is essential to finding what IS. Many more years of happy biking to you, my friend. Lew
Another friend wrote: If this kind of stuff works, why aren't you rich by now?
My reply: I was. It works. I got an education, worked & built a good life. You'll find a link to "Games Alcoholics Play". AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH A POUND OF CURE.
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A note to my Sister, October 2009:
For years I talked about a "power" only to have it dismissed as "chance" or my "ravings". I don't know what it is, I cannot define it. Can it be defined? Many have tried. It resides in my belly and stokes the fires of my heart. It comes from the giver of life. You don't pray to it. You reach out TO it and it comes TO you. God opens the door and the light spills through. When we get wrapped up in ourselves, thinking that "we've" done it, it's time to take a look, see if the full force of the light is still shining. With just a simple prayer to God, he'll re-open the door, renewing the light. You know it's shining on you. You can feel it. For lack of a better description, I see it as an "awareness" not of self, but of a stream of unconsciousness.
Thank you, God, for shining the light on Cindy.
I once told the kids not to let their lives become wrapped up in just Christmases and Birthdays or Holidays, but to make each day a "Christmas" or special day whenever possible. Lew
Lew, Your words gave me goose bumps! Thanks for explaining “Awareness” - I have felt it also. Love, Danae
I knew you'd understand. Lew