A Gift Beyond This Life

On this day, and this weekend, I offer Happy Passover to my Jewish friends and embrace my personal
Faith...Never forget, dear friends, SALVATION IS FREE.
(Touch)
Old Rugged Cross

That's a Good Thing from a Bad Thing

A few days ago, the historic Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris sustained massive destruction from a fire of uncertain origin. The iconic 700+ years old Catholic Church has more annual visitors than he famed Eiffel Tower and is cherished by thousands of worshippers.

The devastating fire was covered 'live' by American television networks and extensive follow up T.V. Programming consumed news airways  after wards. It is reported that donations for the refurbishment of the Cathedral has topped one billion dollars. Interesting to note that many European countries covet their historic landmarks contrasted to America where we will raze historic landmarks in a heartbeat to build a Casino or high-rise parking facility. But remember, were 'bottomline' capitalist.

For well over one hundred years domestic terrorists have been burning churches right here in the good old U.S. of A. Just recently, seven Louisiana 'Black' Churches have been torched by obvious racist hate folks. Throughout the decades of Black church burning, I have never noticed great national media attention likened to the coverage given The Notre Dame Cathedral fire. At best a moderate church structure attended by people of color hardly turns heads.

There is 'Good News' to report. On the heels of The Cathedral fire and subsequent one billion in re-construction donations, interest to donate to refurbishing three historic Black Churches torched by  fires has reached one million dollars.

We understand that church structures are simply buildings of brick, stone and mortar. The 'Church' is anchored in the people. The people who view their house of worship as their spiritual retreat haven.
Their Church is that physical place, which connects in a personal relationship manner with their God.
Whether it is a Church, Temple, Synagogue or Mosque, it is sacred to some and should be respected by all.
(Touch)
My Chapel

Dreaming; I'm Always Dreaming

Remember some of your childhood dreams? Betcha do. I do. I think about the age five, I dreamt about becoming a cowboy. Two six-shooters strapped to my waist, a big white horse and capturing bad guys. Shortly after that notion, I dreamt of being a soldier-war hero; John Wayne supplied my blueprint.  About age 11, the young student pastor at our church impressed me enough to dream of becoming a preacher and telling folks about Jesus. Preachers seemed to have a lot of free time and church people were always inviting them to supper. However, that was my preaching deal-breaker, I don't like eating strange fixin's. The first base hit I got in Little league baseball came the summer before my first made basket in the East St. Louis CYO Basketball League; WOW, now I'm dreaming about a dual professional sport life.

Childhood dreams and aspirations seldom workout, do they? Well, I did enjoy both a high school and college baseball / basketball experience but both ended at the latter station. Funny thing about our dreaming; dreams may keep changing but the lucid and very conscious dreams never leave our mind.

The remainder of this writer's story is anything but boring or mundane. I've kept dreaming and still do until this day. Some would call it luck others might say I was blessed. In any event, I refused not to dream of making something good happen in my immediate world. It's amazing to count my continued opportunities.
(Touch)
Dream

Fickle Fan or Nature of The Beast

Like many Americans, I found myself observing and processing Tiger Woods' recent Master's Golf Tournament Victory. Some sports' analyst are calling it the greatest come back in sports' history. I suppose that's a debatable matter. One thing certain, we would agree that Woods was at the top of his profession when he self-destructed due to bad choices. I find it interesting that Tiger's story points to an equally significant phenomenon regarding the public's modus operandi.

Most normal people have their 'heroes' or iconic figures. We like to be in the camp of winners, champs and the talented. We are fascinated seeing or being a part of 'King' or 'Queen' building. Some television shows allow us to journey with and even help build the champion, i.e. American Idol, etc.

Eventually, it would appear that many often tire of the one dimensional Super-hero. Suddenly, folks are excited to read or learn of the fall of the mighty. The plethora of successful super market tabloid magazine sales supports this notion.

Why? Why do so many enjoy the fall of the mighty? Is it envy and jealousy that gets the best of us? Perhaps our nature is fickleness. Just maybe we get tired of the same person being 'on top.' But then a person like Tiger, who was on the pro golf mountain-top tumbles into the deepest of valleys only to be resurrected many years and tournaments later. He climbs back to the perch and lo' and behold the massive fandom is back. Long live the Tiger! Eh? Well, at least for now.

...and then maybe I'm making something out of nothing.

Hello

A while back, I was sitting on the backyard swing when my cell phone rang. It was one of my adult children who asked if I knew something about another family member. I said, "Nope." The conversation shifted to another subject of which I was void of information and soon the chat ended. I immediately went back to swinging and staring at the backyard fence. It's a cyclone fence that I'd like to replace with a taller privacy fence.

I must tell you that my wife and I appreciate our adult children and adult grandkids who are very good about telephoning, however most often they talk at length with their mother/Nana and kinda small chat with dad. Look, if I telephoned this house, I'd much rather talk with Gerry than Mel and the reasons are too extensive to go into. That said, my wife has much more information to share than do I. I'm kinda like Sergeant Shultz from the long ago sitcom, Hogan's Heroes, "I know NOTHING!"

I will continue to carry my cell phone to the backyard swing just in case one of the kids telephone to tell me something about scheduling, i.e. Birthday parties, graduations, dance recitals, etc. or if they just have that 'little voice' inside them saying, "You oughta call the old folks."

Now, back to that privacy fence matter. I believe that I'll have one installed. I do recognize the down-side to a privacy fence. It will cut down on the nice cool evening summertime breeze. However, the up-side of the privacy fence allows a fella to swing and scratch should he wish. Gotta go. House phone just rang and I know darn well it's one of the kids calling; too early for those 'credit-card gals' to telephone. They call at the dinner hour just before the Police Athletic League.
(Touch)
I Just Called To Say I Love You

Outdated Words

My East St. Louis high school basketball / baseball coach, Louis 'Pick' Dehner (1938-Basketball All-American from Illinois) was a vocabulary freak. He would memorize a new word each day and attempt to find ways to use that word throughout the day. I recall vividly Coach Dehner telling me what the word 'omnipotent' meant. I got the feeling while playing varsity baseball and basketball for three years under Coach Dehner's tutelage that he sometimes believed in his own omnipotence. That opinion is not meant to be disrespectful towards Coach. He was a legend of sorts and he enjoyed the role. I will always be indebted to him for his guidance.

I thought of Dehner's passion for adding words to his vocabulary when I recently read that there is over 829,000 words and symbols in the dictionary. And each year we learn of 'new' words being added. In 2018,  these three words made the Webster publication: "mansplain" "hangry" & "snowflake."

Mansplain > is when a man talks in a condescending and patronizing manner to a female.
Hangry>is when a person is mad and irritated due to hunger.
Snowflake > was already in the dictionary meaning that gentle weather percipatation event. The newer meaning takes on a 'negative' connotation. The new meaning suggests a person who is soft and easily offended due to their softness and tendency of entitlement.

I'm wondering if the 'dictionary gods' ever consider REMOVING or DELETING a word. If they do then I shall offer a word deletion suggestion...let's remove the word 'discreet.' The simple reason is we as a culture are no longer discreet; we no longer are careful with speech or action. We no longer care if we offend others.

Just trace the history of our television commercials. We Americans have an insatiable focus on sex and more specifically sex-performance. Evidently, there is a terrific money making market around this passion for performance proficiency. First we had the erectile dysfunction commercials, then came the enhancement product push and now we are telling men to checkout their 'peyronie disease' or as once referenced 'clubbed-penis.'

Please don't take my words wrong or think I am being flippant with these remarks. I'm just wondering if our message delivery in this 21st century America could be more 'discreet.' Then maybe the 'ding-a-ling' TRUMPS discreet.

Ps. Nope! Too easy to play Chuck Berry's song! I'll be discreet and pass.

We'll, You Know What 'They' Say

I'm always reluctant to invoke that cliche', "You know what they say." However, I'm currently sorting through some long-standing adages, i.e. "One help to a happy marriage happens when you find a mate who makes you laugh. You've heard that. Then there's the folksy belief that a young man tends to marry a woman with many of his mother's traits. I just telling you that's what they say.

My son telephoned me from Busch Stadium this Tuesday past where he and his wife were attending the Cards-Dodgers' game. My son said that my daughter in-law just asked him, "Is Joe Torre still the Cadinals' manager?" (Note: Torre last managed the Birds in 1994) Whereas that question in baseball circles would appear bizarre, it's not as off the wall as one of the girl's more recent comments. Just before the Mueller Report on the two-year investigation of Russia's collusion with Trump's campaign, my son said to his wife, "Hey honey, The Mueller Report is going to be released tomorrow." Her response, "Who's Mueller?"

In the late 1957, my wife (my 17- year old girlfriend at that time) and I attended a Cardinals baseball game at old Sportsman's Park. During batting practice, she commented, "Why I'd take that pitcher OUT, every batter is hitting the ball HARD." Then during the third inning, she asked, "Why are all the posts painted pink half way up and then green?" My wife came from one of the most well-known baseball families in East St. Louis...go figure.

There is a possibility that this 'stuff' in DNA driven in some cases. Our youngest daughter followed in the cheer leading footsteps of her older sister. During a high school football game she was heard on the sideline chanting, "Hold that Line, Hold That Line." You guessed it, her team had the ball on offense.

A few years ago, I was attending a Cubs' baseball game at Wrigley Field with my son in-law, grandson and granddaughter. I should mention that the granddaughter did NOT want to go to the game but reluctantly agreed. After the game and while walking across the parking lot to our auto, my granddaughter asked me,  "Did the Blackhawks win?"

Say goodnight, Gracie!