Kenneth Marple

The word discipline is actually rooted in the word disciple. Discipline can be defined as setting the limits of behavior and encouraging, evoking, or rewarding desirable behavior. Since children are in the custodial care of parents, the development of safe, responsible behaviors is a primary concern for them. It is a function of parents to set up “boundaries” for children. The boundaries not only serve to protect the children from themselves, but they also protect other people and property from the children! Well then, how do you get these kids to behave within the boundaries? It’s easier to write about it than to do it. So, I’ll write about it; you can try to do it!

Save the woods! Save the owls! Save the trees! Yes, Aldo Leopold saw them all as evidence of God. To destroy them, would be tantamount to “destroying the evidence.”

The Sun has gone to bed early tonight. It is a north-winter freeze. Roads protest my wanderlust. A book in my hand. Two cats at my feet. A quilt on

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Poverty is a wonderful thing. Some of the wealthiest folk that I know sit around the fire at night and nostalgically brag about how poor they were when they were growing up. What is really neat, is when two wealthy people get into a contest to out-do each other in telling stories about “who was the poorest.” The fact is, if you’re not poor any more, it’s a lot easier to sit around and talk about the nobility of poverty and your “humble heritage.”

It all started in a college classroom. Neither had ever seen the other before; however, that first look was the beginning of the biggest deal either of them would ever make. He knew nothing about her; she knew nothing about him. Who knows what they saw in each other that day? Yet, he would take what he had and use it to get what he wanted --she would do the same. A year later, they were married --so, it seems they shall be for the rest of their lives. That’s how it works; we use what we have to get what we want. The problem comes when we stop using our skills to attract and please.

Many of my family and friends stopped listening to the news several years ago. They actually seemed happier to Gloria and me! The newest (and strange) “political strategy” is to make sure you are always in the news –even if for the worst of reasons. You can always “deny” and make it into a fight –then gather sides. Really?

At Christmas time my mind always goes back to Christmas 1973. We had just moved back east after 8 years at our first church in a little river town on the lower Columbia River in Washington State. We had tow-bared our car over 3,200 miles of the United States behind a 24 foot U-Haul truck. We knew we needed to move back soon, because gas had risen to 35 cents a gallon. If we waited any longer we might not have enough gas money. For rest we picked up a five-dollar motel in Montana.

In 1397, the guilds in Cologne persuaded the town’s government to ban a machine to make heads on pins because it would cause unemployment. Anthony Muller invented a more efficient weaving machine and was put to death by a local mayor who feared widespread unemployment and unrest. Ribbon-making machines were banned in Holland and smashed in England in 1676. Henry Ford wrote, “Businessmen go down with their businesses because they like the old way so well they cannot bring themselves to change” (My Life and Work, 1922). Change is tough to accommodate wherever and whenever it occurs. Change is a threat to comfort, safety, and predictability --people will generally resist it. Change means learning new things. Even the word “change” invokes feelings of stress! People have always resisted change.

As a high school boy, I was once stranded at the Roseville Market with no way home. As it turned out, a friend happened along with his 1954 Mercury convertible and offered me a ride. The two miles home proved to be unforgettable. We quickly moved up to about 100 MPH, slowing to perhaps 70 MPH for Copp’s corner. I was scared! I also became a lot more careful about who I ride with. Of course, Mom was quick to say, “You won’t be riding with him again!” My friend didn’t seem scared; but, then, he had the steering wheel. It is an interesting thing that people who suffer from motion sickness rarely have a problem as long as they are piloting the boat or driving the car. The passenger is vulnerable because the passenger lacks control.