I guess most of you were expecting me to finish the piece I had began on seasons of Life. I will but I felt something more pressing to discuss in the intermediate.


The Porcelain Bowl Volume 5 Edition 2
What have you done today to feel proud?
Grace and Mercy: A Better Version of Me
Last Word by: LTC E. P. Horvath, MC

Quips and Quotes:
One thing that I learned the hard way was it does not pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.” L. Ball

Catch 22
Sometimes, do you feel detached from emotions as if you are merely going through the motions or functions of life? That is the struggle of manhood is the balance to hold up societies’ definitions of manhood and how you are trying to define it for yourself. In seeking that balance, I challenge you all this year to operate out of mercy and grace. Why you ask? Good question. Acting out of Mercy means not giving people what they deserve. What does this mean? If people got what they deserved all the time, the world will be a horrible place to live. Think about it. We as material beings take away from the Earth when we should be good stewards of its resources. (I am that elect group who takes advantage as well.) And unless you live in a bubble, you contribute to the lack of Ozone layer over Chile and the reduction of rain forests from around 18% of the world to only 6%. The Amazon alone produces 20% of the world oxygen. If we keep destroying the Earth, the Earth has no other option but to seal our fates.IF we got what we deserved from Earth right now, the sentence would be land reforestation for people. For all the land we have mutilated, all the people would simply go away. If the Earth had the option to deal with us that harshly, would it? Or would the Earth be merciful? Each day that we pollute It and wreck It, I realize the Mercy that the planet shows us, though us humans really do not deserve it. What about an example that is not so tree-hugging hippyish (sorry to my girl Amy G.). What about the great Peacemakers of our time: Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Martin L. King Jr.. The social world did not deserve them. In fact, MLK was murdered for his humble work for civil rights and the poor. There are no Peacemakers that live currently that were like these folks. And while they walked this earth, they bestowed grace and mercy to most who crossed their paths. And what about Grace, or unmerited favor. When you attend college, there is the ten minute rule. If the professor fails to show up within ten minutes after the start of class, the class is over. If grace were that simple. Grace is love personified. It is the marriage of mercy and compassion. Grace begets patience and endurance and perseverance. There are times when you should have failed and didn't. There are times in my life when there was a way made out of no possible way. There were people in my life who cheered me to greatness and picked me up from the depths of despair. I never deserved any of such kindness, but it is found in the purity of our humanity. The ability to show mercy (undeserved treatment) by way of grace (unmerited favor) though we could not have earned that station nor could we have the means to repay for such actions bestowed on us. When we fall on the mud and trash of life (and believe me I have literally and figuratively succeeded in falling like this) that is when Grace and Mercy arrives. The unbelievable revelation here is that we can give grace and mercy to others. This giving of the human spirit helps us grow as individuals and brings peace in our lives. By participating in the Peacemakers examples, we access the essence of life, to give of ourselves by ways of time, gifts, talents, and possessions. And at this peak of compassion we become better versions of ourselves.

The Last Word
Restoring Relationships:Relationships are always worth restoring. Start by seeking wise counsel, don't simply gossip, it’s counter productive without any problem solving. Always take the initiative. Be on the offensive vs. defensive side. Sympathize with their feelings and don't be selfish with emotion. Confess your part of the conflict. Attack the problem and not the person. Cooperate as much as possible. Emphasize reconciliation not resolution. If the person does not want restoration after you have done all this, then let it go. After all, you are only human and there are limitations when the change has to come from both sides. Just try to work hard in living in peace with others.However remember this, sometimes people are in your life for a season, a reason, or a lifetime. So sometimes the relationship will end because that was finiteness of the experience.

Last last Word:
Special Excerpt from my gal pal Diane Horvath-Cosper’s Daddy who is 50+ and serving in Iraq right now. Let me explain. Dr. Horvath re-enlisted because for a list of reasons, one being that because he was a trains physician his skills could aid in the saving of young men’s lives who are serving our country and for him it also was a revelation of his faith. I am thankful for the fact Diane forwards these thoughts from her dad to some of her friends. I believe that his courage to serve when he did not have to demonstrates grace and mercy. He is extending himself to demonstrate love and compassion, and in so risking his life. Here is one of my favorite emails from him. Why are they so young?Why are they so young, these juvenile insurgents, these kid terrorists who want to kill Americans and their own countrymen? Some are mere boys--ages 12 to 17--and look even younger than that. Many do not even know their real age, medical records being so unreliable here after years of neglect. We actually have to take X-rays of their long bones to determine true chronological age; they are then "assigned" a new birthdate, usually January 1 of a given year. I've had the opportunity to examine and treat a number of adolescents over the past few days. Several were quite sick, and all were frightened, not only by their illness, but also by the circumstances of their detention. Like teenage boys everywhere, they tried to be brave and not cry, but some were unable to hold it in. The doctors, nurses, and medics did their best to comfort them. I'm certain many of the older healthcare personnel saw in these young faces reflections of their own children.Although at least half (perhaps more) are innocent, and here only for questioning, others are guilty of various crimes, up to and including, the killing of American soldiers. What manner of people, culture, religion, or political philosophy would induce their own children to commit such acts of violence? What to do with these kids? They would be easier to hate if they weren't so young, if they didn't look and act as my own children did at their ages. I spoke with them a lot, laughed a little, gave them some candy, and touched each on the forehead or cheek. I reflected on the difficult life awaiting most of them and did my best to maintain my composure. The tears came later that evening in the quiet, privacy, and darkness of my room. Why are they so young?

LTC E. P. Horvath, MC Chief, Professional Services 256th Combat Support Hospital Brooklyn, OH