Author Archives: lee

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 NKJV

Photo Charlie with his wife and children

Photo of 31-year-old Charlie Kirk in Utah at event today, shortly before he was assassinated.

Last night, my wife’s computer was on. In the background, I heard part of a video; I listened to a soldier ask that we say a prayer for him. I didn’t hear the full context. He concluded with the words, “We need it.”

The Bible instructs us to pass our worries, our concerns, and our fears to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, because He cares for us. It doesn’t erase the anxiety we face; it tells us we’re not alone, that we can put our trust in God to carry us through the burden we face.

This is a little different start for this page, but it’s my mom’s (Dolores Stefanik Thompson) birthday. She’d be 91 today. This photograph, professionally done, surprises me, given our limited budget when it was taken in 1956. In 1956, my mom took a dime to work as a telephone operator. I had to choose between buying a Coke for lunch or using the bus to get close to home and walking the rest of the way.

Both her birthday and mine, two days later, are in September. My mom would be 22 here and looks to be in style for the time. I would be four, and I’m not demonstrating any style at all. I have pictures of her holding me as a baby, but I always liked this one. Although I could have posed as the Gerber baby and started a career as a model. For those wondering, it’s a black & white photo and then painted. Common back then, I’m told.

But it was both my parents, my dad more so, who urged me to go to law school after I got out of college and was wandering from job to job. My mom quit school at 17 to get a job, but she went back and finished high school the same year I did, 1971. So, though she finished with a program called ICS, really, we’re both part of the Class of ’71. Later, she went to college and graduated.

I didn’t find this out until after she died, when I found her diploma. She believed education was important, as did my dad. They both thought that I going to law school would be good, more so my dad. The reasoning is a separate story,

She started her career in a beauty salon, then became an operator for Ohio Bell before moving from Cleveland to the small town of Mantua to work in a bar owned by her parents (Andy and Mary Stefanik), Andy’s Bar. She would also sell real estate and, strangely enough, sold a home to a family named Livezey, moving to Mantua from New York.

That was in 1967. I remember mom telling me about the family having one daughter, and she was cute and my age. She was right about that, although the girl didn’t seem to like me all that well. But, 38 years later, I would marry the girl from New York. My mom would never know, having died six years prior, but would have been happy about it for us, and embraced the girl from New York. My dad did, although he didn’t quite make it to the wedding date either.

Even though I change this up every year, I always mention that her birthdate was also the official end of World War II. The ironic part was that my dad was being kept in Europe with the Army Air Force because of a possible invasion of Japan. The war finished for my dad on September 14 when he left Europe for the States, which is my birthday.

So, while she can’t be here for any more birthdays, each September 2, I celebrate her birthday in my heart with love.

I know John 14:6 is about Salvation, but when I pray to God, because of John 14:6, I start with, “Heavenly Father, through my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, I pray…”

There’s no biblical requirement that I am aware of to do this, but there’s support for it in 1 Timothy 2:5, John 16:23, and, I believe, Romans 8:26. I do it by choice. The most important thing is to pray to have a personal relationship with God. I believe He likes hearing from us.

I just missed the anniversary of the I Have a Dream speech. I usually write something about it. I still could. Judging a person by the content of their character is noble and right. Judging by the color of their skin is neither. The racial divide appears greater today than in previous years.

Regarding the speech, the “Dream” was rejected by a close adviser to the King. It was thought to be trite. Here’s basically what happened. One of King’s close advisers and speechwriter thought the “I Have a Dream” wording was too overused. He advised against it, instead keeping the focus on economic justice and systemic inequality. A well-known gospel singer encouraged it, so in a way, you could say an essential part of one of the most important speeches in history was ad-libbed.

Here’s basically what happened. During the speech, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who was standing nearby, may have been bored; she reportedly urged King, “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” King had used the “I Have a Dream” theme in earlier sermons and speeches.

So, King deviated from his prepared speech. The specific phrase “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” was part of the improvised version, meaning it was ad-libbed, as was a great deal of the speech.

How do I know all of this? I like history, but there’s more. Well, here’s the background on it. I usually write about my family taking me to Gettysburg in 1964. It’s a trip I recommend for everyone. As we were leaving, my parents said I could get two items from the gift shop.

At eleven, going on twelve, I eyed the bullets found on the battlefield, or facsimiles more likely. But I saw three parchment-type documents in the area where books were for sale. One was the Gettysburg Address, the second was John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, and the third was King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. I decided I wanted all three, but I was limited to two. My parents probably would have sprung for the third, but kids tended to do what their parents said back then.

I knew who JFK was. I remember the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, a time scarier for my parents than me. I understood little about nuclear bombs except that I was safe at school if I bent forward with my head under my desk. Today I understand the lie; it was my vaporization position.

I knew who King was because once, when we were on vacation, King was leading a march, and roads were shut down for travel. So, we, like everyone else, sat in our vehicle and waited for the parade to move past, allowing the road to reopen. I’ve always told people it was Georgia, but I’m unsure today.

After reading the three, I chose the JFK address and the MLK “I Have a Dream” speech. When I got home, I framed each to hang in my bedroom. I still have both in the original frames I bought.

I’m awed by the dreams expressed in the final minutes of the speech. There were five, most everyone recalls one, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Again, it’s noble and right. Judging by the color of their skin is neither. But the racial divide appears greater today than in previous years, and is getting worse.

Courts of late are looking to merit, as MLK spoke of. This comes now after the Biden years, a nightmare at the time, are becoming just a bad dream, but still with consequences.