The Merriam-Webster Dictionary tells us the word honor means to have high respect for something, for it to be held in high esteem, that it’s worthy of special merit and, it can be a gesture of high regard.

It seems that word follows us from infancy to forever but, for me, it was just a word until my first political science course at Augustana College. It was in a class led by Professor Alfred Holtz — someone who had made a career of serving in the State Department — when the word ‘honor’ was honed to a fine edge for me.

In the class, we learned one wasn’t only born with honor — you had to earn it everyday of one’s life. That’s how special the word was to him. Honor was given to anyone — no matter your rank, file or birth place — one intrinsically had honor as a human being.

“But, Professor Holtz”, I asked, “if that is true, why do we have so much inequity and agony in the world?”. He sighed, looked us all in the eye and replied that it was the way of human nature to think one person is better than the other person. The sadness in the eyes of this long serving public servant lives with me today.

Then, with a bit of a smile, he stated we could help honor everyone by working hard to be good people. There is so much of my higher education I do not remember but, isn’t it funny, I remember that moment sitting in Old Main Hall?

When I entered the Navy, along with everyone else, I took a pledge to defend our country – we would honor our country and it’s history by doing so. The word, honor, took on a whole new meaning as we wore our uniforms.

When taking courses in theology, honor was thrown around a lot and that’s when I began to get upset with it’s usage. In many of those courses, honor meant fealty to a person or a certain institution — not honor to the individual. The institutional collectiveness became more important than the individual. Where was the honor in that? Had we corrupted faith that badly?

We learn as we live. Over the years, it’s become apparent to me to just be good, do good. That’s easy to say but very hard to accomplish, at times. Yet, in difficult and trying times, we must honor each other and be good. Try to understand what the store clerk is experiencing today, what the postal clerk is going through each day, what the young family is experiencing, what the senior citizen is trying to understand and the list goes on and on. Honoring that person as part of a human chain binds us together and respect grows from that connection.

Uff da! Such deep stuff…maybe it’s time to have a glass of something? Yea, you betcha, do it!

I know the wines from the McManis Family Vineyards –they have been with me for quite a period of time and they are always enjoyable. There’s a lot of family history in the vineyard operation and they have honored their region with not only good wines but, also, by taking good care of the land.

The other day I had to have a Zinfandel. Don’t ask why I needed it — it was necessary to offset some nonsense. McManis Zinfandel is a smooth full bodied wine with pleasing tastes of caramelized sweetness and toasty oak. It’s affordable, tasty and fully honors the grapes, the vintners and the family.

In this era of IPA’s, I’ve also come to respect a good Amber Lager. Maybe it’s because I need to return to basic goodness periodically to stay in touch with reality. Fulton’s Northern Standard Amber Lager is a classic.

There’s plenty of malt and smoothness — no puckering bitterness, no off tastes — just a good lager. At 4.5% ABV, it’s a nice sipping beer that will allow you to be good as you are doing good!

If you happen upon a bottle of Planalto Douro Vinho Branco Seco Reserva, get it. This really cool wine from Portugal honors centuries of wine making in the country and its soft acidity, nice tasty fruitiness and pleasing dry finish is so very good.

It had been awhile since I’d had a cream sherry and I found a bottle of Meier”s Wine Cellars Cream Sherry No. 33 to take home with me. If there’s one way to find respect in a bottle and to honor whomever you’re sharing this wine with, having a night cap of this wine is perfect.

I keep thinking of Professor Holtz. Perhaps it’s time for us to set aside our egos and privileges and just be good, do good.

Thank you, Professor Holtz! I honor you.

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!