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A parable about lists

  • Published
  • By Chaplain (Maj.) Craig Abee
  • 315th Airlift Wing
CHARLESTON, S.C. --  There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who make list and those who make list. What I mean by that is, there are those who make up the list and then there are those who make it on the list. For example, my wife is one of the people in my life who makes up lists. And.... you got it, and I am the one who makes it on her lists.

The most famous of these lists is the "honeydoo" list. She knows and I know, it is her job to make up the list and it is my job to make it on the list - more to the point - it is my job to do the list. The list is always in progress and there are always more things on the list than I can do.

There is a saying that goes along with this - they say - lists role downhill. Well, that is not what "they" say, but it is what we "chaplains" say. This is where I get to make up the list and those two people called subordinates -aka my children - get to make it on the list. In the grown up world we call this delegation, in chaplain speak we say "lists role downhill", and well you know what "they" call it.

Everyone below the rank of wife/mother in my family knows how the system works. And we do our very best to get the list done, only it always seems more things keep getting added to the list or sometimes a whole new list gets made up, long before we in the lower ranks can get the first one completed. From time to time there are revolts. And there are threats to run away but this is a family and we in the lower ranks can't run far - before we get hungry.

What makes it work? Two things make it work in the nation/family - reality checks and love. The reality is, patience is needed from the top list maker and as long as the love gets spread around - the system works. We at the bottom need to know we are loved from the top, because we at the bottom love being part of the family.

From where I sit - in the middle - and from what I hear, I wonder - could the nation/family we call the Air Force learn something here? The bottom line is - we love our nation - and we want to do right by her! That is the mission.

Have a blessed Air Force day!

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