Tag Courage

Freedom in the form of Forgetfulness – Wise Words Wednesday

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Freedom of Forgetfulness

There are so many things I wish I could forget and even more I wish I didn’t.

As my 20th high school reunion looms, there are words, experiences, and embarrassments I wish I could forget. If I could just forget them, I would be free to worry about what I am going to wear, who is going to watch my kids, or how much older I look than I did in 1997.

However, the teenage angst I imposed on myself and the nature of teenagers made high school tough. So tough, in fact, that I purposefully kept distance from most everything I related to those four hallowed years. Those ugly emotions and insecurities held me captive for two decades. Sometimes I still have butterflies in my stomach, when I run into people from high school.

In the planning of our class reunion, Amanda (class president) hunted me down on Facebook and became my “friend.” I have always admired Amanda’s calm demeanor and terrific sense of humor, so I was like, “Cool. Amanda and I are friends again.” After I became Amanda’s “friend,” Amber, Angie, and Jennifer found me and we became friends again. Then I found Casey and Tamara, and we became “friends” again. I think you can see where this is going. Continue reading “Freedom in the form of Forgetfulness – Wise Words Wednesday” →

Surviving a Stampede for Daisies

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Daisy stampede (3)1

Are daisies worth dying for? My children thought I was willing to risk my life for these precious wild flowers.

Saturday a storm was rolling in, winds were billowing, the cattle needed care. Hubby and I were going to drop off a mineral tub and do a quick check of the cows we had just moved to new pasture. The kiddos were in the back seat of the truck taking in every moment.

As we parked at the top of the pasture, I noticed a thick patch of daisies. We had friends coming over for a BBQ later that night and I thought some daisies in a vase would be nice. While hubby unloaded the mineral tub, I hopped out to pick a fist full of flowers. As I was picking, the cows start to make their way to us.

Coming closer the herd picked up speed. They could smell the grain on the back of the truck and were excited about the mineral bucket.

Where I crouched picking daisies, I could tell the cows weren’t coming near me. From where my children sat, I looked like a sitting duck for the stampede. Continue reading “Surviving a Stampede for Daisies” →

A New Sheriff in Town – Defining What the Position Means

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New Sheriff in Town

I have been doing a lot of thinking about lessons learned and it has been harder than I thought because I had done my homework on the issues and/or problems. I gathered data and information for a couple of years and set a course of direction to move the agency forward.

PastorSheriff_3_t_w600_h475.jpgLessons learned – “means an event or events that were not anticipated or a plan that failed for some reason unknown and you learn the hard way.” (Mike Bonham’s personal definition)

I think that, personally, I have a lot of goals for this agency and it seems to be taking too long, but in reality we are on track. I believe that this is in part because I really want the citizens of the county to be proud of their Sheriff’s Office, but the focus should not be ME, it should be the OFFICE as a whole.

png 1 Lesson one – People try to make it about the Sheriff. And I get it; I’m looked at as the leader. (Still hard) 

png 1 Lesson two—I push hard, the employees and myself to move to perfection and to hit the goals that have been established… (Slow down we will get there.)  

png 1 Lesson Three—With so many projects and initiatives, some can get lost in the push. My hope in is having a handle on prioritizing:

  1. Health and Welfare of the employees
  2. Biggest impact on safety and security for the citizens of the county.
  3. Keep spending within Sheriff’s Office Budget

 

Like I said, this has been a lot tougher assignment than I thought it would be. Thanks for the challenge.

The following I released after a 60 day review:  My hope is you can see the consistence and planning.

Bonham 1.jpgI took office in December, this week and we reviewed the first 60 days on the job.
We wanted a “no drama” transition from the leadership of Carl Fowler, who served as interim sheriff.
We Intensified communication — internally and externally — as we have marked the first 60 days.
We have used Facebook, and a soon an updated website, YouTube videos to push information. We credited the media blitz with leading to the arrest of a fugitives, as a direct results.
“We’re looking for ways to distribute information. It’s a work in progress.”
We have stepped up efforts to arrest dealers, save users who overdose and educate the community.
But, my office has yet to engage the medical community in an effort to reduce abuse of prescription narcotics.

What’s to come:

• Crisis Intervention Training:  to prepare all deputies and staff with intervention methods for dealing with citizens suffering from mental illness crisis. Three staffers will complete the 40-hour training, scheduled in May.

• Increased community outreach with a town hall meeting in Linn and other events. The restructured Community Services Unit , the chaplain program, and the Jr. Deputy program.

• Restarting the “Reserve deputy” program, which allows retired law enforcement officers to volunteer. They must have the same training as full-time officers and can work in a range of activities.

“I’m just pleased to report that we’ve hit the marks on our first 60-day plan. “This is not to say we’re done.”
It is the staff that have been working quickly and professionally to meet my expectation. Turnover has remained low, with only minimum changes — retirements and resignations — since I took office.

“The deputies and men and women of the sheriff’s office have been working hard and I’m proud of these accomplishments. We will continue to work hard to produce a professional, competent and compassionate law enforcement agency the citizens of Osage County can be proud of.”

By: Sheriff Mike Bonham

Guest post for 2017 Lessons Learned in the Last Year Intentergy series.

mike bonham 2

Osage County Fair 2016

 

P.S. Last July my children met Sheriff Bonham at the county fair, when he was still running for office. After he shook my five year old’s hand, my son asked, “Why does he want to be the sheriff?” I told him, “Mr. Bonham wants to keep us safe.” My son’s reply, “Okay, I guess we can vote for him.” 🙂  Sheriff Bonham has worked hard to keep lines of communication open with people of our county and safety in the forefront of his tenure. Thank you, Sheriff Bonham, for your willingness to share your personal lessons learned this year. Best of luck to you as you continue to meet these goals and protect our community.

On Quitting – Thoughtful Thursday

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Kelly Smith 2

Kelly’s portable “office” 

At my old office, I surrounded myself with framed quotes.  They helped motivate me and, I hope, inspired some of the people who came and went in the little non-profit I managed.

One of my favorite quotes was this, by William G.T. Shedd: “A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what ships are for.”

I had to come to terms with my own “shipness” (it’s not a word, but I’m making it so) after the birth of my third child threw my work-life balance into an overwhelming tailspin.  After weeks of crying in the daycare parking lot and crunching household budget numbers, it was made clear that something would have to give.  That something?  The job I’d loved for a decade, the one I never imagined leaving,

I saw a job ad for an adjunct communications instructor at the area technical college.  I hadn’t applied for a job in more than ten years, but I enthusiastically submitted my name for the position. A part-time job would allow me to keep my professional life active and free up much-needed time for my three kids, including one with cerebral palsy who logs multiple doctor’s appointments each month.

While I waited, I continued to struggle in my full-time career.  Even though I was stressed to the breaking point, I still didn’t know if I was ready to leave.

The day I finally hit a wall at work and came home devastated was the day I received a phone call about interviewing for the part-time teaching position.  The relief and excitement I felt was the answer I’d been waiting for.

As soon as the interview was scheduled, I gave my notice at work.  I didn’t even wait until I had the job, because I was that secure in the decision.  I knew I could no longer “make it work” (said in my most exaggerated Tim Gunn voice). Continue reading “On Quitting – Thoughtful Thursday” →

The Beauty of Acceptance – Wise Words Wednesday

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Accepting Beauty

Have you ever been to a point in your life that you only see the negatives? Were all you thought about was what you didn’t have, but wanted to have? Where you picked out everyone else’s flaws because you weren’t satisfied with yourself?

Well I have, and let me tell you what I was doing. I was wasting my life. I was missing all the beauty in my life and losing out on my precious time. You see, I never saw the beauty in what I had. I missed out on some amazing talents, time with my family and memories with my kid. I saw what others were achieving and hated it because I wasn’t doing something exciting with my life.

It wasn’t their fault. They were ACTUALLY DOING something with their life, and I was just crying about mine.

It wasn’t until I was sitting in the back-church pew on Saturday night telling God how much I disliked Him for putting my family though hell that I realized it wasn’t Him. He wasn’t the one making my life seem awful. Negativity was something that I felt I needed to survive. In all honestly what I needed was hope, faith, and courage. Seeing the beauty in life is something many miss. Getting up early just to watch the sunrise and listen to the first sound of the birds can be relaxing and an amazing time to meditate on the day’s happenings. Watching the wind blow through the tress doesn’t have to be a sign of rage and anger anymore. It is the voices of all my loved ones gone from this earth talking to me.

Amy K 1I now sit in the back pew at church and thank God for what He has faced me with. I know that He will never hand me more than I can handle. Having faith in Him took the weight of the world off my shoulders. Seeing the beauty in these gave me the hope I needed to become a stronger woman, wife, mother, and friend.

Now I know that to some they are like, “Duh! Get your head out of your butt and look at what you have.”

In all honestly, after having that dark cloth blinding you for so long, it takes some time to see the real color of the life you live. Not everything has to be black. Why not have your world colored by the joy, the beauty, the success of others? Surrounding myself with others who are positive gives me more courage than I could ever have dreamed of. You see for me, I was heading down a dark and lonely path. Shutting out all those that cared about me. It has taken a lot of work and I’m still not perfect, but I am making progress.

By: Amy Kemna

Guest post for 2017 Lessons Learned in the Last Year Intentergy series.

P.S. I have seen so many amazing transformations in Amy the past year that I just had to have her tell her story. Amy, you are beautiful, and I am thankful for your friendship and willingness to share your thoughts on how wonderful life can be when we gracefully accept God, our imperfect lives, and ourselves. 🙂
– Melanie A. Peters

Respect, Service, Honor, and Questionable Cocktails – After a year of answering the call to serve

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Respect Service Honor and Questionable Cocktails

Over the course of this last year, I learned a lot.  It was my first year out of high school and I didn’t know what to expect.  I shipped out to One Station Unit Training in August of 2016, to become a Military Police Officer for the Missouri National Guard.  Those twenty weeks were the longest, and most educational, weeks of my life so far.

The first nine weeks I learned to be a soldier.  I learned how to work as a team, how to properly maintain a weapon system, and how to be as efficient as I can be.  Red Phase, the initial three weeks of training, where you learn how to operate on minimal sleep and to look out for each other.  Red Phase is about tearing down the individual, removing that “it’s all about me” attitude.  Clayton 2I didn’t learn a lot in Red Phase, however, White Phase is where I learned that working together and having others’ backs is the best and most efficient way to get a task done.  While the training portion of White Phase is all about marksmanship, it’s where the whole idea of being a team player set in, for me at least.

When someone screws up, everyone is punished.  We would ask why we would have to do push-ups, or more commonly flutter kicks, when Private Joe was the one who fell asleep.  It was because we didn’t keep him in check, we didn’t wake him up.

Continue reading “Respect, Service, Honor, and Questionable Cocktails – After a year of answering the call to serve” →

What’s wrong with being an equalist? – Wise Words Wednesday

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I am female. Professionally, I hold the same position as many men. I teach. I work cattle and care for turkeys. I am no beauty queen, but Kara McCullough is. In fact, she was just crowned Miss USA this week.

In the interview portion of the pageant, Kara answered two questions that seem to have earned her “ugly” marks from a number of individuals. I saw nothing “ugly” in her answers. Honestly, I found beauty in what she had to say.

When asked: ‘What do you consider feminist to be and do you consider yourself a feminist?’

McCullough, a scientist at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, replied “So as a woman scientist in the government, I’d like to transpose the word feminism to equalism, I try not to consider myself this diehard, like, “I don’t really care about men”.’ Sounds like she understands we are all equals and wants her fellow, male Americans to know that she cares about being their equal, contrary to being on opposing sides.

Not being a card-carrying feminist, I looked up the definition of “feminism.”

Continue reading “What’s wrong with being an equalist? – Wise Words Wednesday” →

Life is a Hammock. Rock It! – Wise Words Wednesday

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Life is a Hammock. Rock it! – Wise Words Wednesday

Life is a Hammock

Seriously, there is no end to the rocking of my hammock! Everyday I make a list of what I believe is a do-able amount of objectives. Everyday my list outgrows what I can do and I often find myself going to bed at 11:00 p.m. still reeling from the turns my day took.

png 1 Can you relate?

Hammocks are supposed to be relaxing and fun. Life is not relaxing and fun at times.

Often we are faced with choices we did not see coming. The choices that swing us in new directions are meant to teach us something. Life is a hammock. We have to rock it or rock with it.

Last night my son’s team had their first practice. I printed drills and an agenda for the coaches (hubby and buddy J.). I printed copies of the schedule for the team on blue paper (so it would stand out). All the gear was in a tub and sitting in the hallway (so we wouldn’t forget it). Supper was made early. All three kids were dressed in clothes for the ballpark, with socks and shoes on their feet!

Hubby came in 20 minutes before we needed to leave. He needed a shower and wondered if we needed keys for the supply closet at the field. 😦  After a quick phone call, a set of keys was located. All I had to do was go get them….wait a minute… my son couldn’t find his bat. Okay, I would drive to get the keys, while hubby showered and the kids sought out the bat.

I got the keys and returned home. Bat was found. Hubby was showered. Hubby couldn’t find his glove. We were already 2 minutes late to set up for practice. Continue reading “Life is a Hammock. Rock It! – Wise Words Wednesday” →

Opportunity to Share

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Opportunity to Share

Successful Share

We all like to share what is important to us. There is nothing better than having someone with which we can share.

Recently, I had the opportunity to share Intentergy at our local library. It was my second presentation on “Blogging from a Blogger’s Perspective.”

The coolest element to sharing my Intentergy experience is that I have the chance to ask people what their intent is. What is it that they want to make happen?

Not everyone who has attended my blogging presentation wanted to blog. In fact most wanted to write, share photography, grow an ebusiness, or just start something new. All of those intents are perfect for the Intentergy presentation because it is geared toward providing resources and motivation for people to take action towards their goals. Continue reading “Opportunity to Share” →

Refuse Corruption – Wise Words Wednesday

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Refuse Corruption – Wise Words Wednesday

Corruption's Refussal

“Seriously, everyone is doing it.” “No one cares of I do it.” “Really, what will it hurt?” “They are all bad. Do you really think we can change them?” “It’s just on the news. Does it really affect me?”

While these are all fine questions, they are also means for corruption to enter into our lives. Accepting corruption fertilizes its growth and feeds its power. “Refuse to let the world corrupt you.”

The morning news makes me angry. They infuriate me with their story choices.

Why is it so necessary to start our day hearing and seeing violence, destruction, and upheaval among the human race?

I guess it sells ads and gets ratings, but maybe it is corruption’s way of daring us to become complacent or uncaring.

Well, this is your Intentergy double dog dare to not become complacent and uncaring!!!

(This does not mean I let my kids watch the police brutality videos or the clips of the bombing victims in Syria.) 

Here is my challenge for you.

png 1 Do not allow the media to desensitize you.

png 1 Do not allow yourself to think you are above the law or regulations established for the protection of our communities.

png 1 Do not allow corruption to be an accepted part of your daily routine.

png 1 Refuse to turn away from those in need.

png 1 Refuse to let your light of kindness and decency be diminished.

png 1 Refuse to let what others think change who you are or what you believe to be right.

png 1 Be the change that this world needs. Do not let corruption take hold.

png 1 “Refuse to let the world corrupt you.”

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. I believe we all have the power to overcome corruption. We just can’t overcome it all alone. Refuse to let the world corrupt you.