Category: Founders Corner

On January 20^th I had right knee replacement surgery.  Now the incision has healed.  The bruised black and blue tissue from the ankle to my upper thigh looks well and healthy.  All the bruising came four days after surgery.  What is that all about?  The ache remains in the muscle and tissue seemingly affected by the steel and titanium replacing my knee but not where the bruising and incision were located. 

I used the walker for a week after surgery and a cane for one day.  Since then, I have been using both legs together and alone.  Prior to surgery I would often wake up with muscle cramps in either leg from my ankle to my thigh.  Since surgery I have not one cramp.  Personally, I think that I have scared the living crap out of them.  That has also been useful because the pain medication given, Norco, leads to very serious constipation.  It became a time of lock down city…three days, four days…until my daughter came up with something called Green Tea.  

I have been advised to take my time.  One person told me to expect a 12-month period of healing.  The doctor told me to stick with physiotherapy for another month, not because I need it but because I need the encouragement to slow down.  I was told if it hurts while we are doing physio, that is ok, but if you are hurting afterward, then we have done too much.  They are incredibly careful, always asking if it hurts.  It never does and I could not tell these beautiful young ladies otherwise.  It usually does not hurt while I am there, but boy do I feel it later in the day.

The surgeon told me that pre-COVID-19 it was standard procedure for 80% of knee replacement patients to spend a night in the hospital.  Now, eighty percent of knee replacement surgeries are outpatients.  I was up at 4:00 A.M. and home by 4:00 P.M. in the afternoon.    This was after I had to walk fifty yards down the hall and up and down several steps less than four hours after surgery.  

I was scared of permanent scarring and the inability to have a full range of motion after healing.   While still in the hospital I thought I should test my range of motion.  The knee worked fine, just as good as the other one, no pain at all, but suddenly I found I was squeezing blood through the bandages.  Just another example of doing a little too much too soon. 

Monthly our Business Connect executive team meets and reviews our financials.  I noticed in February that we had income of $400 that did not make any sense.  I met with Jereme Lambert, my son-in-law, and the director of our business this morning.  He informed me that Bob Ashley, the founder of Village Water Filter, makes a $100.00 contribution for anyone of our international partners who makes a video of someone using one of our water filters and posts it on YouTube.  

How incredible and creative is that?  It is not just a donation for clean and safe water.  It is leveraging an experience of transformation from chronic illness to robust health, from children who just survive to thriving communities, from a charity model to local entrepreneurs promoting their business with a life improving product.

World Water Day is held on 22^nd of  March every year since 1993 when the United Nations selected that day highlighting the importance of freshwater. World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water.  We need these kinds of reminders because we do not think twice when turning on the faucet.  Help us help others.  Check us out at Businessconnectworld.com  

COVID-19 was a stranger until this evening.  One friend told me today that he lost a brother.  Another friend lost his best friend.  Both died of COVID-19.  Within a month, we will all know someone by name who has been infected, hospitalized, and died from it. Each day we continue to lose 800 plus to this pandemic. 

We live, talk, walk, and think like we will live forever.  There is a lot of bravado.  One person put it this way, “Put on your big boy pants and let’s go back to work.  Isolate those that are vulnerable.  For the rest of us, suck it up, get a little sick, you will get better.” 

Death is as near as your closest friend or spouse, son or daughter.  I can’t believe that we have not already been exposed.  I noticed that almost half the people I saw in Meijer are now wearing a mask. Some of my friends truly imprison themselves in their homes, total isolation.  I told Jan that I was so glad we are in our own home.  I can go and hike four to six miles a day.  Another friend just sent us some face masks.  Periodically over the last couple weeks it occurred to me that I might be gone within the next ten days or so. 

It seems to me that objective news is becoming increasingly rare. Each news show has their esteemed educated experts and pundits.  Not much news, but a lot of opinions.  It is a crazy cycle of repetitive experts talking past each other.  Do you notice how questions are asked?  It is often not about information but rather seeking an opinion, a reaction, or creating a conflict that will turn into another titillating item.  I am getting tired of it.  Some days I just shut it off.

I am rather disappointed in myself.  I miss the structure, routine, and demands of ordinariness.  I would think I would relish the freedom and opportunity to stay home for a month and catch up on all kinds of activities.  Instead I find myself staying up late, getting up later, taking a nap in the afternoon, and eating lunch mid-afternoon.  Sometimes I find myself just sitting in a chair…doing nothing.  It is weird, wonderful, and frustrating all in one day.  I am much more efficient and productive when in a demanding environment.  Why is that?

We are social beings, created for community, seeking intimacy.  We are better and stronger when connected. There are two reasons I write this reflection.  The first is to discover for myself what I really think and feel.  It is easy to post on Facebook, easier still, to respond in anger or support, without really understanding the nuances, complexities, contradictions, trade-offs inherent in this pandemic.  “Lou, what does your mind say to your heart?  What is your heart saying to your mind? What is God saying to me?”

The second reason I write this reflection is because I need connection. I really miss ROMEO, the Book Club, my one on ones (you know who you are), our Church discussion group, our Business Connections, friends and family.  When you respond, some of you with length, others with a smiley, or a couple comments, it communicates authentic connection.  It says nothing about what we have done for or with each other, but it says everything about who you and I are in relationship.  That is priceless.

There are so many verses I could quote that can and should give us great encouragement.  I am reading this one to myself right now: Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4.  I am thinking most about those who are alone and sick, little to no income, and have few options. Time to get my “Big boy pants on,” stop complaining, stop posting, stop criticizing, AND go and do something for someone else!

It was Easter.  It is about New Life, Real Life, Eternal Life.  Our pastor spoke that morning about discovering resurrection through reading scripture, people, circumstances, and creation.  Each day I walk for a couple of hours.  I see evidence of renewed life everywhere.  Saturday afternoon I was at the Ottawa County Ravine Park.  I saw a pair of Bald Eagles on their nest.  The Trout Lilies are all over the woods.  The March Marigolds are just ready to flower.  We have daffodils all over the yard and in the house.  The crocuses are blooming.  Rhubarb is coming on strong.  The tulips will soon open their buds.

On that first Easter morning it was not so bright.  People were in their homes.  There was fear.  The Roman authorities were concerned about riots. People had been hoping for a miracle, a revolution, a coup de’etat.  Now, it seemed all was lost.  Their leader’s body lay dead in a cave.   The disciples of Jesus, his faithful chosen ones were in disarray, hiding, grief stricken.  They had given three plus years of their lives to a man and a cause and now it was the third day of hope crushed.  It was not a time to go outside.

I am trying to understand what it must have felt like back then.  I am retired…kinda.  I have food in refrigerator.  Shipt brings Meijer groceries to our door.  There is money in the bank.  We are well.  We have entertainment.  We communicate with our friends and colleagues by zoom and whatsapt around the world.  We are blessed.  I love my life.  We are probably much like the Pharisees of Jesus day.  We are compassionate and generous but want to make sure there is financial security.  We have the right connections.  We want to do good in the world, but we would like people to do it our way.  Our government is not perfect, but it is our government and might pretty much makes right. 

 Our situation is not like it is for many people this Easter.  I had a tenant phone me yesterday saying the government shut down their business and they have no income and no savings.  Another tenant has not paid rent for several months.  Last week a Ugandan friend begged me to “Please send her mother $50.00” just so she could purchase some rice and maize meal as prices were doubling.  The Ugandan government was shutting everything down.  Fifty percent of the population live off the wages they make each day.  There are no reserves.  A secondary school student that we support in Kenya stays inside her one room home.  Schools are closed and she cannot return home. 

I get angry when I hear people talking about, “Getting back to normal.”  I do not want normal I want justice!  I want opportunity! I want freedom!  I want transparency and honesty!  I want hope!  I want deep relationships.  I want to know my life has meaning, purpose, and a future.  I want to be challenged and challenge others to be what our creator called us to become.

Don’t give me normal.  Don’t bring me back to partisan politics.  Don’t give me lies and fake news!  Don’t give me conspiracy theories!  Don’t give me $1,200 and think you have somehow saved me, helped me.  Don’t give me things, promises, platitudes.   

Here is the catch.  We live in both Kingdoms.  We can and do have all what we want but it is in a different kingdom, not of this world.  It is the kingdom of Jesus.  I am so grateful that he is my Lord, that I have a future that defies description.  I have a faith community that is defined by love, affirmation, encouragement.  Our relationships are not normal.  They are exceptional and sacrificial.  It is a community that reflects the Spirit, forgiveness, and grace of Jesus. 

Yes, Jesus died.  More importantly, He lives.  Death be dammed.  Jesus come alive in me again today…and in you.  Easter is not happy days and colored eggs but a new beginning, an awakening!

Stay safe! Best…Always, Lou

April 5th was Jan’s birthday…..I walked into Hudsonville Meijer’s store to get Jan’s daily Starbucks and had to sneeze.  I did it properly and no one took notice…..This past week I actually got out of bed later than I ever have, like 9:00 A.M several days in a row…..

The talking pundits and most people I speak with talk about getting past this, going back to normal.  Do you wonder if there is no going back to normal, that our lives, economy, social make up will never be the same?  Maybe people will realize that the normal of yesterday was not so great after all. Within all of this social distancing is the personal reflection I believe people are making on what is important, what I want out of life, what I am willing to do with my life. 

I have several reactions to this present season.  The first is that of apathy as expressed in Ecclesiastes 1, “What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? …All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, or the ear filled with hearing.  What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun.”

I am not a victim and do not like to live feeling sorry for myself, although there are days that I am a realist…today.  Ecclesiastes 9: 10 & 11, “Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.  For man does not know his time. Like fish which are taken in an evil net, and like birds which are caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.”

Over the years, I have discovered that I enjoy embracing new opportunities.  Being comfortable and secure are nice at my age, but not particularly attractive to me.  I want to do what I have never done, go where I have never been, see what I have never seen.  I want to embrace life and see the success of others.  Ecclesiastes 11, “Cast your bread upon the water, for you will find it after many days…As you do not know how the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything…In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.  (Here is one for Michigan)…light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun…for if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all…Rejoice, O young man in your youth and let your heart cheer you…Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

More questions:

1. I believe our government needs to act decisively but history suggests that after a crisis the state does not give up all the ground it has taken.  Is American socialism becoming a reality? Does it really matter?

2. How can we inspire leaders (ourselves) to live with confidence, courage, and be the change agents for a better tomorrow?

3. Ecclesiastes spoke to me about balance, perspective, and what is important in a time like this.  Read it through and tell me what you think. It is worth the time.

Stay safe! Best…Always, Lou

This viral infection and our response seem to me to be full of irony.  So, here goes just some observations and questions.   

1.       The greatest nation, wealthiest, with the most military might, is being brought low by a little unknown virus. This ought to teach us something about trusting in our own ability.  It is only by His grace and mercy that we live.  Maybe one of the lessons is a little humility and gratefulness?

2.       This seems to me to be one of those special times in history where everything can change.  I do not think we can ever go back to living like we did.  We thought we could “Make American Great Again” but it seems to me that was always an elusive goal, undefined, more smoke and mirrors than reality.  We cannot even live a normal live and certainly cannot live in isolation from the rest of the world.  The world is way too connected and interdependent to ever think we can go it alone.

3.       I feel like a cancer patient where you know you are facing a catastrophe, but the cure is as bad as the disease, maybe worse.  People are being laid off.  Jobs are being lost.  Those living from hand to mouth, no longer have any margin whatsoever.  I know several families who are desperate.  I have tenants who cannot pay their rent.  Our business/ministry is dead in the water at the moment. The phone has stopped ringing.  Orders are delayed or cancelled.

4.       It seems very strange to be considered a vulnerable person.  I still feel like I am about 45. 

5.       I believe our leaders are trying to address this pandemic, but I have little confidence in their heroic efforts.  Everything seems sporadic, responsive as opposed to preventive, and certainly unprepared.  Our leadership is pretty good at blaming others.  Wait until this is all over and the finger pointing will commence in earnest.

6.       I believe there is a lot of valid criticism for the present administration handling of this crisis including not listening to many early warnings of impending pandemic crises.  At the same time, I think it is fair to say that regardless of who was in office and whatever actions were taken,  there would be massive criticism.   

7.       For all those who hate socialism, suddenly it is quiet.  Everyone wants a piece of the big bail out.  Doesn’t the capitalist want to see the “weak and vulnerable” fail?  After all they did not prepare properly for such a situation as this.  A friend just posted this: “How much does it cost to turn a Trump supporter into a Socialist? The Answer…$1,200!”

8.       The great irony is that we have a massive debt our country can never repay.  Congress and the president have been trying to cut social programs but out of nowhere a trillion dollars becomes available.  No one has been able to explain this process to me as yet.  Maybe Bernie is right.  There is always money if we want something bad enough. 

9.       Another metaphor comes to mind.   Roman emperors used to stage great games and gladiator fights, and chariot races to appease the masses while they, the elite, enjoyed the good life.  With a few thousand dollars given to the people, those in the know can sell off their stocks just before the big stock market fall, purchase low and sell high, and provide billions to their corporate friends and businesses.  I hope Elizabeth Warrens eight criteria for bail out is embraced.  Not holding my breath. 

10.   I am all for a commonsense solution but do not understand why the entire state of Michigan school system is shut down when, for example, there has not been a single case of an infected person in the entire upper Peninsula.   What is the value of shutting down an entire state when all the surrounding states are still open for business?  What is the value of shutting down a whole state when “essential” services remain open (laundries, banks, grocery stores, catering services, pet stores, animal shelters, police and fire protection)?  It seems to me that we could have kept everything open and operate with a very high standard of self and peer evaluation, identifying carriers and self-quarantine them.  Now we have no idea who the carriers and infected are.   

11.   I sure would like to know what the criteria is for opening businesses, restaurants, and places of worship?  I don’t even know the criteria upon which they have been closed. 

12.   The experts talk about all the dire consequences we should expect.  A friend told me that all models are flawed.  I wish someone would tell us the assumptions upon which these models are constructed.

13.   What is the takeaway?  Well, yesterday, I stopped to visit my son and family.  I found them putting together two 1,000-piece puzzles I had given them as Christmas presents five years ago.  Both, yesterday and today, I hiked four plus miles, each day with one of my kids.  I spend more time at home with my wife.  I write and take long naps.  I pray more.  I am more grateful for another day of health.  I think a lot about death.  I look forward to reading the responses to this reflection.  

P.S. Read the attachment for some perspective. 

Stay safe…Remember your friends and family…Best…Always,  Lou

One day I decided to simply list in my mind everything; people and experiences, for which I could be grateful.  The list was frighteningly long. It was also quite insightful. I never quite got to the end of it. This is the kind of stuff I think about when hiking.  In my normal life I don’t have time…No, that is incorrect, I do not take the time to think, reflect, and be grateful. Last year, I wrote a short reflection on Thanksgiving Day.

How does one express profound gratitude except to design a life that reflects obedience and gratitude to the One who gives to each of us our breath?  Yet, I find my actions and speech more often reflect the expectations of others. Rather than being intentional, principled and a leader, I often find myself listening, watching, waiting to see what the expectations are…and responding.

I believe that reflects the human condition.  Therefore, although I am so grateful for my family, health, life’s experiences, work, purpose, freedom, education, wealth, friends, grandkids — all these things; there is something else that stands out.  Indeed, I am so grateful when I receive it. It has become a desire of mine to give it to everyone I can. It can change my attitude in a moment.

When a person gives me a word of praise, I glow.  When I encourage my wife, she flourishes, and I prosper.  When I am told, I have done well, I double down and do better.  When I tell my family, they could not make me prouder, they give me every reason in the world to be proud of them.  The word is affirmation.  It can change the trajectory of a life. 

I can’t wait to tell you how much I appreciate you, what you have done, who you are, the abilities you possess, the passion you share, the inspiration you have given to me.  I am sure that you do not even know the impact you have had in our lives and work, and to our regret, we probably cannot adequately express that except to give you a hug the next time we see you. 

The irony does not escape me that we have the privilege to be grateful for something as intangible as a word of encouragement while millions lack the essentials for a life of dignity, something as simple as access to clean and safe water.