I have often spoken of my love for sports, High school sports especially. Last Friday night’s game with High Plains is one of the reasons.

Sixty minutes of football and the score is only one point difference. The game has all the excitement wanted, or needed. Neither team would quit, watching boys turn into young men with their effort and work. I just enjoy it.

In this game, a decision to kick a one-point PAT rather than go to a two-point PAT was the difference in the game. And, that happened in the first minute of the game.

Who knew that it would decide the final outcome?

A O

Charity . . .

One of the virtues many try to live by is charity. It seems many, if not most, people have charity in their hearts and do try to fulfill that intention to one degree, or another.

It has been my experience that when a charitable act is done, it is not to benefit the donor. It is done to help others. At least that is what I’ve seen in my life . . . most of the time.

However, a month or so ago, I read an article in a newspaper about “volunteerism.” I was surprised.

I’ve always believed when a volunteer effort is made, it is for the benefit of someone else other than the person doing the volunteer effort. And, when a volunteer effort is made, it is a charitable effort.

What made me notice this article in the first place was the headline: “4 ways that volunteering can be good for you.”

Those four ways they list are: no. 1: Boosting your health; no. 2: Making more connections; no. 3: Preparing for career moves; no. 4: Reducing some risks associated with aging.

They seemed to be saying the best reason for doing charity is to benefit yourself (especially your business endeavor) . . . not for the benefit of others.

While I guess it is OK to benefit from charity giving, I don’t think that is ever the primary benefit people expect.

I looked the word, charity, up in the dictionary and it said: “benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity.” That was followed by “aid given to those in need.”

Gosh, I hope young people didn’t read the article and come away with the idea that this virtue of charity they are encouraged to do should be done to benefit themselves.

I never thought of doing volunteer work and other works of charity would come back to benefit myself in this world. That is not the primary purpose.

The article was written by a lady who is a professor at the University of Florida. Maybe that’s all we need to understand to make sense of what she is saying.

A O

The 2020 Census.

Remember the census?

Not much to report here either.

And, it’s not from a lack of desire to do so.

I get almost daily reports from the U. S. Census office, but I can’t get figures about population totals of towns or areas I want to.

They are constantly sending ‘updates’ on everything from job opportunities to franchising to the pandemic. . . but I can’t find the population of Lawrence or Nelson anywhere.

They have to have it because they are now sending out population figures that will enable states to redistrict their congressional districts.

I have the nasty feeling that I can’t find the information I want because of my deficiencies with computer operations. But then again I don’t remember past census taking so long to get population figures out to the public.

I guess I still have to practice the virtue of patience as I’m sure it will be coming sooner or later.

A O

Afghanistan . . . What a sorry state of affairs the president put us in.

Greater states have tried to dominate Afghanistan many times over hundreds and hundreds of years, but it always ended up with a defeat for the ‘greater’ state. The most recent examples I can give you is Russia (or USSR) and now the United States. Technically, the U. S. was working as a partner with the official Afghanistan government, but that government doesn’t seem to have the support of the people as the ‘Taliban’ seems to have taken over the country by storm.

I have generally supported U. S. efforts in foreign countries as they have always seemed to be positive for both the U. S. and the other country. Some of those countries we have left and some we have remained (Germany for example after almost 80 years).

We left South Viet Nam in a hurry, but it seemed that North Viet Nam was interested only in the South, not in anything else.

In Afghanistan, it seems that the Taliban’s prime objective was first to get rid of the U. S. in that country and then they will continue their effort to destroy the U. S. as they were trying with the 9-11 effort some 20 years ago.

By leaving as we did, we simply gave those who call themselves sworn enemies of the U. S., millions of dollars’ worth of equipment to carry out their mission.

Our president seems to content himself by saying the Taliban will never get “international” approval of the countries around the globe.

I really don’t think they worry about what the rest of the world says, they will do what they want.

I just worry, and wait until they make their first attack against us, and it will be on our soil, not in Afghanistan.

We’ve surrendered our military effort, we’ll have to double our prayer efforts.

A O