I would like to tell you this Bible passage just came to mind, but that would be less than truthful. The truth is I have little of the Bible committed to memory. I’m not impressed with those that do either. Learning from rote is not necessarily learning at all.  I find it best to read the verse or passage and then contemplate what it means. More specifically what it means on a personal level. Some passages are meant to be taken literally and others I believe are subject to interpretation. It is in those passages that riffs appear. What does it mean to you ? One of the strongest arguments I ever had with my best friend was over the meaning of a song. Silly ? You bet it was but it was an emotional thing for us both. Why ?  I can’t offer an explanation for that.
 Anyway,  here is Deuteronomy Chapter 4 verse 9. ” Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life, and teach them to your children and grandchildren. ” It is a passage I took particular interest in. Just what is it saying ? Well first I had to look up just what Deuteronomy was all about. It is the fifth book of the Torah and a book in the Old Testament. It begins with the phrase, ” these are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel. ” Okay, so I know that this was intended as advice for everyone. It is not a commandment, rather good advice. I have found the Bible full of good advice.
 I think this is what it is saying. Only take heed to yourself,  and keep yourself,  means don’t be influenced by others. Pay attention to what your own heart and mind are telling you. Do not be deceived, believe the things you have seen with your own eyes. If you allow yourself to be fooled you will remain so forever. There are many out there that will try to fool you. We see that everyday. Some have become convinced of things that we know to be untrue. We hear the argument of ” times change ” and ” we must change with the times .” The truth never changes my friends. Truth remains and is often hidden in plain sight. If you allow others to tell you what you’re seeing and how you should feel about that,  how can you know the truth ? You can’t simply because truth resides in your own heart. If that heart isn’t true how can the perception be true ? In brief, this passage is really saying, mind your own business.
 And what should we be teaching our children and grandchildren ? The advice Moses is giving is to teach them to believe in themselves. We need to teach our child and grandchildren that truth really doesn’t change, Truth is eternal. We need to teach our child to take care of themselves and remain diligent in doing so. I would call it self control. We need to teach our child and grandchildren that they must exercise restraint in their lives. All things in moderation. That is not a Bible verse but is attributed to Chilo, one the seven sages. I do believe it is good advice to follow. Just doing whatever makes you feel good is not necessarily the way to go ! The abandonment of truth in favor of harmonious relationships will not benefit you in the end. Be careful, pay attention to yourself and what you are doing. Don’t follow the crowd. Follow your own heart lest you forget what love really is. You ” saw ” love as a child, do you remember ? What did it look like ? Don’t allow others to tell you what that love looks like, you should remember that on your own. That is what you should be teaching your children and grandchildren.

” You, who are on the road must have a code that you can live by.
And so become yourself because the past is just a good bye. ”  are the opening lines to the song by Crosby, stills and Nash. The chorus says to teach your children well.  Living by a code requires restraint. To me that is what Moses was saying as well, take heed to yourself !