What will be the rest of your story?
Through the years of driving to work early in the morning, I would listen to the talk radio with a primary focus on the traffic report. For the most part, Houston has an excellent spate of freeways and as long as you know where they go, how they are named, and the flow of typical traffic then a well timed traffic report can help you puzzle out a faster route to your destination.
There was a time when my brother, Vaughn, rode with me to my job and we enjoyed listening to several different “news reports” that were presented in a way that sounded like a magazine where you would find the story spread over several pages and interrupted by advertisements.
Charles Osgood presented his Osgood File, and is still doing it today. I do not find him around locally, but he was always a pleasant voice and story to listen to. I know he did a Sunday Morning TV show and after technology caught up to the rest of us, then we could listen to it through the internet. You should check him out… He’s still going strong! www.osgoodfile.com
Another story teller that caught my ear was when he first did a presentation of Alaska. Since this is my favorite state, anyone who presents Alaska in an honest approach has my appreciation. Charles Kuralt passed away in 1997, but one of his famous pieces and books was titled “On the Road” back in the day with the news was presented by the favored newscaster, Walter Cronkite.
Oh, and do you remember Cronkite’s tag line? “And that’s the way it is…” and he would then tell you the date as it appeared on the calendar! He was often cited in the 1960s and 1970s, as “the most trusted man in America” after being so named in an opinion poll.
He reported many events from 1937 to 1981, including bombings in World War II; the Nuremberg trials; combat in the Vietnam War; Watergate; the Iran Hostage Crisis; and the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, civil rights pioneer Martin Luther King, Jr., and Beatles musician John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U.S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landings to the Space Shuttle. He was the only non-NASA recipient of a Moon-rock award. ~Wikipedia
My favorite memory of him was announcing the landing on the moon. Since we grew up around the astronauts and their families, I have always paid attention to the reports during the day.
Whether they be with us still, or passed on, the one I miss the most is Paul Harvey. His opening salvo was very familiar and you might hear him start off saying this several times a day:
“‘Hello, Americans, this is Paul Harvey! Stand byyy for Newwws!'”
He would present a number of stories on the radio and would move from page one to “Page 2” and so on, until he reached the final page. Generally his last story was often blended with a sense of mystery and history. He would leave you hanging through the last commercial break and would come back and say, “And now, the rest of the story.” He would then wrap up the story and you would be amazed by the ending, often learning the name of the person in the story during this last segment.
He signed off his news report the same way every day, “Paul Harvey … Good day.”
At the age of 90, his voice was silenced. The same year as Walter Cronkite.
As with every notable person we think about, not every one is perfect. Facts of their past often surprise us, or affirm what we thought we knew. Was Paul Harvey perfect? Just like others I have written about, he was not perfect. It does none of us good to rehearse the past, but it is much better to remember the good that was done, the joy they gave us, and the warm fuzzy memories we have of what they left us with.
“What will be the rest of my story?”
How will I be remembered? Was I effective?
Is my speech as trusted as the news reported by Walter Cronkite? Is my presentation as smooth as Charles Osgood? Will I have a good story remembered like the ones I remember from Charles Kuralt? Will I ever be able to unfold a story like Paul Harvey?
It will be true that not everyone will have fond memories of everything I have done, but, just like I assure you that I will remember the best about you, then please remember the best of me…
But here’s the best thing. Our past, as I wrote yesterday, is the back story of our life. The way we live today is often a direct reflection of that “yesterday”. But the way we live tomorrow is yet to be unfolded. Isn’t that a blessing! Just like the Lord of our yesterday’s remember our past faults and failures…No More… (Hebrews 8:12, 10:17), and our future is still in our grasp to direct.
So… Live the best today for the hope of tomorrow. But be ready to adapt as we have no clue about the future.
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15 NKJV)