Sergeant-Major Earnest Sharpest
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Sergeant-Major Earnest Sharpest
Earnest Sharpest wasn't always a highly decorated soldier with many medals for bravery and courage. In fact, the Sergeant-Major has experienced quite a few major life setbacks. He hasn't always been so well liked and respected.
His difficulties began early on when Earnie, always the smallest kid in school, developed a profuse moustache and very thick eyebrows. The other children couldn't help but make fun of poor Earnie. And shaving the moustache didn't help, because by the time he came down the steps of the school bus, the thick moustache was again grown over his lips, hiding his entire mouth.There is no rule that children must be cruel, but sadly that often seems to be the easiest course of action. Even in the first grade, Earnie was known as "the boy without a mouth," and "caterpillar lips" and the always quick standbys of both "fur face" and "hair boy." Earnie often hid in the boy's bathroom, crying. School was not easy for Earnie, even aside from the teasing of the children.Earnie was not very good at school. He had a hard time concentrating, and often sat staring out the window, twirling the great ends of his thick moustache. Also, it didn't help at all that Earnie's last name was "Sharpest," which inspired all kinds of comments about how he was very much the dullest.Recess, which is usually the most fun time of day for all children, was a nightmare for Earnie. His moustache was grown so long by recess that Earnie would trip over the ends of it if even thought of coming near to a football or jumprope.(play sound file to hear the Sergeant-Major)
Not all the teachers were very understanding as far as Earnie was concerned, because every single day the boy and his moustache inspired all manner of ruckus in the classroom. Many of Earnie's teachers wished he would drop out of school, entirely.But Earnie Sharpest hung in there. He never gave up. And though school never was any easier, Earnie did become better at the whole scheme. He learned to read and he learned to love to read, and found that books could take him off into incredibly impossible adventures.In the course of these adventures, Earnie Sharpest met a lifelong friend, Cyrano de Bergerac, who also had unique challenges to overcome, who also knew quite a lot about being teased. Through Cyrano, Earnie discovered that being unique is good.It was not until early on in high school that Earnie met a teacher who was wise enough to recognize his special mission in life.It was because of Earnie's many differences
he was able to meet his own special destiny
It was true, Earnie was the smallest kid in class, every year. And no one could overlook the moustache. No one could deny that Earnie was different from every other child. Despite all the teasing, regardless of the hardships, Earnie was always a bright and jolly child (if you saw him just after shaving, you would notice how shining was his smile, but sadly, rarely did anyone ever see that beacon of light as it was always hidden beneath his thick moustache). Though hardly anyone ever saw Earnie's smiles, no one could fail to miss the bright, twinkly eyes, always sparkling (even if they were shadowed by thick unruly eyebrows).Early on Earnie learned that he could choose to be happy, even if school was hard, even if children did not like him because of his handicaps. "It's not so bad," he would tell himself, and then he would look outside and see the sky, and he would smile his massive smile. And he was happy. It was a conscious, purposeful decision, and Earnie knew anyone could do it.And Earnie would never give up, he would never stop trying. It didn't matter how often he tripped over his moustache, he would get back up and do what needed to be done, whether it was kicking a football, helping someone who needed help, or befriending another child that did not fit in.Earnie's 10th-grade teacher gave him the clue, that not everyone has such positivity, not everyone has such stick-to-it-iveness, not everyone perseveres, not everyone overcomes, only a few persist, and with such a good attitude Earnie could not only accomplish just about anything he attempted, but he could inspire others to do so as well. Earnie realized the dream had always been there, deep inside him, even with all the teasing: Earnie wanted to help people, he wanted to inspire them, he wanted to encourage them. Earnie wanted everyone around him to know that they could be happy. They could CHOOSE to be happy.Happiness is not based on external circumstances; that is an illusion, as people are often miserable regardless of their surroundings, blessings and luxuries. Things do not make you happy. People do not make you happy. Happiness comes from inside.The help of a good teacher, the realization of his dream, and the keying of his own personal happiness — all of these good, powerful, necessary things — did not in the short run make Earnie's life circumstances any better. Life still was tough. Wherever Earnie went people stared. His classmates teased or were even worse. His studies came no easier.But Earnie soldiered on. When people were rude or mean he smiled inside, and smiled behind his moustache as well, and he told himself: "Soldier On." And Earnie kept on. He maintained his positive outlook, he smiled, he encouraged himself, and he began to encourage others: when they fell down, he helped them up, when they did something wonderful, Earnie told them that what they had done was wonderful. Earnie was not acting, it was real, and the more he practiced his special talents, the more they naturally flowed outward from him to other people.And people began to notice. Even the cruelest children began to crave Earnie's encouragement. Even strangers began to appreciate a kind word from Earnie. And the magic thing was, to get what they wanted, these people, some of them very rude, some of them rarely kind, began to do kind things, they began to say nice words, and they wondered at the glow inside themselves when they saw the answering sparkle in Earnie's eye, the twitch of his great moustache which suggested an underlying smile.Earnie came to believe, more and more, that you must practice what you believe, a little bit at a time, constantly, every day, whenever a chance arrived to offer encouragement. He believed that the little things you do today, in this moment, accumulate, build up, layer upon layer, and that destiny is created this way. Through action. Through belief. Through practice. Through soldiering on, and Earnie kept soldiering on.When Earnie graduated from high school — which was quite an accomplishment, as Earnie had many doubts as to ever succeeding, and he was only surpassed by his teachers who doubted him even more than he did himself (except for one brave 10th grade teacher) — he received a very loud cheer as his name was read to receive his diploma. It would be ridiculous to suggest that Earnie never doubted himself, or his dreams, as to doubt is the human condition — Earnie never dwelled on his shortcomings, misgivings, or all the terrible things that had happened to him — doubts can be a useful tool, to aid in planning, to receive warnings, to practice caution, but doubts should never define you.Earnie couldn't reach the microphone at the podium, he was far too short, but the principal gave him a boost, and Earnie thundered to the cheering people: "Soldier On!"* * * * * * *
This might be a nice place to end the story, with Earnie's achievement, but this was not the end of his hardship. Life had been tough and cruel in school, but now it was even tougher and crueler out in the "real world." At least in school there were some kindly people who were paid to look after Earnie, but in the job market no one wanted to give Earnie a chance. He was very short. And that whole moustache thing, which was thicker and longer and more profuse and fast growing than ever.Earnie kept going. He smiled inside and his eyes flashed their fierce twinkle.Hard times came to the country as war loomed, and Earnie turned his moustaches toward the recruiting office. In normal times, the war board would never have even considered a bloke as short as Earnie, but in times of war, Earnie was accepted (even if the recruiters all grouped together and laughed at him).All Artwork and stories on this "Soldier On" Site ©Copyright 2007 by Douglas Christian Larsen
Message from Sergeant-Major Earnie:
"Hello my friends. I'm Sergeant-Major Earnest Sharpest.
Be Brave. Be Courageous. And most importantlyBE GOOD. Soldier On. I say Soldier On!"
I Dinna Ken Aboot
Surrender.
Never, never, never
never, never, never
NEVER give up.
Soldier On!
Sergeant-Major Earnest Sharpest
"Did you ever think, when you were a child, what fun it would be if your toys could come to life? Well suppose you could really
have brought them to life. Imagine turning a tin soldier into a real little man. It would involve turning the tin into flesh."
— C.S. Lewish
Links to other Douglas Christian Larsen - DCLWolf Sites on the Internet:
www.TruthSeek.net - Seek Truth with Your Whole Heart, Mind, Soul, Spirit and Strength, and you will find HIm
www.FluHQ.net - Fight the Flu Naturally, Don't put your faith in placebos, you have to fight the flu
www.SoldierOn.net - Motivational truth and wisdom quotations: NEVER give up, Soldier On
www.DramaticParables.com - Christian Skits, Plays, with parable storytelling making the difference
www.Tolkster.org - The Fine Art Tribute to J.R.R. Tolkien by Douglas Christian Larsen
The BIG Book of Gospel Drama - Scripts in print for drama ministries and Biblical illumination
www.BeautyGospel.com - Spark interest on the Beauty of the Gospel, original spiritual artwork
Douglas Christian Larsen at other sites and venues:
Fine Art America - Douglas Christian Larsen black and white optical obsessions
Soldier On Fine Art Posters at www.SoldierOn.net:
"Soldier On" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
"Creativity" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
"Artistic" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
"Never Give Up" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
"Eclectic" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
"Renaissance" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
"Fate/Destiny" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
"Dreams" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
"Persistence" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
Cyrano Hercule Savinien de Bergerac - a Tribute by Douglas Christian Larsen
"Sword" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
"Genius" Fine Art Posters by Douglas Christian Larsen at Soldier On.net
"Aboot" - learn more about the fine-art posters of Soldier On at Soldier On.net
"Site Map" to find your way through the Fine Art Posters
of Douglas Christian Larsen on Soldier On.net
Fine Art Posters, all original, created over thousands of exhaustive hours of concentration, labor and love, combining the power of words with all the colors of the rainbow, authentic artwork meant to last a lifetime (or longer!). This is artwork meant for intense study and concentration, exercising the eyes and the mind, focusing on beauty and optical illusions, the power of Virtual Shattered Glass by Douglas Christian Larsen, virtual stained glass that seems to glow and shimmer. Optical illusions, bold colors, intense color contrasts and sympathetic hues, the fine artwork of Douglas Christian Larsen. Now available on ImageKind with a vast selection of framing and matting options, available on fine-art canvas, on the finest museum-quality papers, and even as greeting cards.
Other Sites of Note:
www.Rodolphus.org - the Dark Fiction of Rodolphus, artistic psychological horror stories, angry and bittersweet
www.DCLWolf.com - Fiction of the Wolf, the mystical fiction of Douglas Christian Larsen
