Uncle Joe, The Preacher Man, Today I am going to , " Fix Your Mind."

There is probably no one in America or the world who has more love and respect for his uncle than I have and have always had for my Uncle Joe. If God ever sends a troop of angles to watch over me … I hope Uncle Joe is one of them. Powerful Man!

The Moment I turned Sixteen.

First, I should tell you this: For some reason unknown to me, my dad had told my mother that he was not going to sign for anyone else to get a driver's license before they turn eighteen. Ha! Ha! If that were true, it would have been the only lie my dad ever told.

Days after I turned 16, my dad signed me up to get my driver's license, and shortly after that, he brought me a 1956 blue-and-white Chevy. It was a very clean car, but not very dependable. I can remember having lots of maintenance problems with it. I was very fortunate because my uncle Joe was a master mechanic, and he would (no matter how busy he was) always stop by on the way home to help me with any car problems that came up.  

One day, I called him (Uncle Joe) to tell him that I had a problem with my car and I needed his help. Apparently, he felt it was time for me to take on more responsibility and accountability for my car's upkeep. And of course, as always, he was as busy as anyone could be.  This time, rather than say "O.K." as in the past, he said "O. K."… but this time, rather than "Fix Your Car", I am going to "Fix Your Mind". Hence, My Title: This Time I Am Going To Fix Your Mind.

Well, I caught part of what he said, but I had no idea what the hell he meant. I thought about it for a brief two seconds or so and passed it off, knowing he would fix my car, as he had always done. When he arrived, I was very happy. I could tell that he was in a hurry. But I had a hot date that I felt I could not afford to miss, and his problems were no concern of mine. 

After polite greetings, he reminded me that he stop by not not to fix my car but to … "Fix My Mind". "Fix My Mind", under my breath, I said, "I have no idea what the hell you are talking about, old man, but what I need right now is for you to fix my car, … my date is hot and ready, and anyway, you've got forever to fix my mind!" 

Uncle Joe told me that the mechanics of a car are like the mechanics of the human body in that the human body will always give you some small warning signs before it begins to administer suffering or pain. He said, "In other words, you should never assume that something major is wrong with your car until you have checked out the minor problems that could have gone wrong."  He went on to say, "If you did not notice anything major that had happened, assume that there is only a minor problem and proceed to locate that problem and fix it". 

Then he turned about and began walking toward his car. Before departing for home, he said, "Here is what I want you to do": "First, sit down for a moment and think through the repairs that you have done already. Then think through what could have gone wrong just before noticing the problem. "Second, retrace your steps and recheck the repairs that you have already done". "Third, now that you have located the problem, fix it. Fourth, regarding your hot date, I hope that I haven't contributed to the delinquency of two minors".  

In parting, my uncle then said, "If you will always look at things in this manner, no matter what area of your life it falls in, you will more than likely always be able to ' fix ' your problems.

Within ten minutes of my uncle's departure, I had found and fixed the problem, and my car was running like a charm. It's been more than 45 years since I had this experience with my uncle, and I can honestly say that it was one of the most important "Pivotal Moments" of my life.  

Dowdy's Axion: You can do to much for those you love … let them learn as much as they can through their efforts. You should always remember: the closer you look at anything, the clearer and simpler things become. 

"Where attention goes, energy flows, results "show - Unknown.