New Orleans is Rising Again

Ask an American what makes his/her country great.  What does the American tell you?

“It is our standard of living.” “It is our democracy.”  “It is our educational system.”  “It is our freedom of religion.”  “It is our right to travel without fear within our borders.”  “It is our right to due process.”  ” It is our charitable nature”.  “It is our military.”

All of these answers are correct—and here is the reason.  They all depend on the People of the United States to make it happen.

Today, I am in New Orleans attending a seminar on taking better depositions in an era of tremendous juror bias against Plaintiff attorneys and the people we represent. You would think that after 32 years of practicing law and taking hundreds of depositions I wouldn’t need the training.  That is a whole other story for another time–suffice it to say an old dog must and should learn new and better ways to help his client win.

Our country is great because we  have loving hearts and generous souls.  When you look into the eyes of the residents of New Orleans I have no idea of the pain, the suffering or the individual stories.

But we connect with our eyes, with our soul and with our common pride in our country.  The surviving New Orleans eyes are more experienced today than they were before Katrina.  But they are laughing eyes.  They are welcoming eyes.  They are the window to the soul which is the strength of America.

Giving is a Gift

This year the firm contributed to the food shelf at Volunteers Enlisted to Serve People (VEAP) and St. Stephen Services which is dedicated to end homelessness in the Twin Cities. Often it is the loss of a job, a divorce or an addiction that can cause someone to be in a situation where they need help. The need for help can happen to anyone and bad things do happen to good people.

Just how many things or how much property is necessary for a full life? Do material things bring the rewards that we seek in life? How about success? Is it something that is determined by a scorecard or winning a case in court? These are questions that we probably will never definatively answer, but it is important to ask them because by thinking we can intiate action. Through action we can initiate change.

Perhaps things are just fine in your life but there are others less fortunate that need help. By reaching out and connecting–giving of our time, our talents and financial gifts we will receive much more than we attain through our careers or inheritances from our families.

We are stewards here for a short time. We are gifted to give ourselves- our time, our talent and money for the benefit of our earth, our nation and our fellow travelers here on this journey.