And it all begins at home

“When my time is up all I ask for is to get married and be able to be with my wife for some sort of a decent amount of time.”

— All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings by George H.W. Bush

The above quotation came from a letter that President Bush wrote to his mother. It was dated April 27, 1944 and President Bush had entered the military and was leaving soon for active service as an airplane pilot during W.W.II. He was twenty years old.

From personal experience and from serving as a spiritual advisor to many young men, it is my observation that his letter reveals what every twenty year old young man needs…

• A mother who loves him
• A noble duty that calls him
• A young woman who will marry him

There are, of course, other things a young man must consider, but there are few things more important.

I suspect that much of the confusion and consternation of our day lies in the fact that we have largely abandoned these timeless values.

The ONE THING for today: Not to denigrate and underestimate the importance of any of the rest of us, but great civilizations are largely built by great young men and great young men are only produced by a civilization that is committed to great values…and it all begins at home.