Tag: gratitude

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Amazing

This was truly one of the most amazing stories of recent memory. The pilot deserves a presidential medal. The passengers are unbelievably calm after such a traumatic event. This event will stand in the annals of aviation history as simply incredible. The people of New York City and particularly the operators of the tugs and ferrys that rescued everyone deserve the highest praise. New York City gets a lot of bad press at times but this week New York City and its residents can stand tall.  They are and were their brothers keepers.

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Watching the Obama Train

Lots of thoughts today. I got up this morning to bone chilling cold. Our home is warm, but it was -9 degrees fahrenheit outside. I thank God that we have heat and a well insulated home. Our daughter is home this weekend. She and I headed to the gym earlier for a good workout. I got in 40 minutes on the eliptical machine and Dara varied her workout among eliptical, weights and a stationary bicycle.

As we headed to the gym I let Dara know that 34 years ago I put on my dress blues and headed to work at the Naval Hospital in New London, Connecticut and reported to the officer of the day who signed my orders to leave. That was my last day of active duty. I was happy to be going home. Now, all this time later I’d like one more day with or at least a few hours with those men and women with whom I served. I’d like to say thank you again and catch up a bit. The perspective at 56 years of age is different than it was at 22.

I’ve been relaxing on the couch next to our pellet stove most of the rest of the day. I had some rice krispies with milk and honey which is my favorite breakfast.  I’ve been watching C-Span, CNN and MSNBC most of the day to see President-elect Obama, Vice-President-elect Joe Biden and their wives touch the lives of millions of Americans with their train ride from Philadelphia to Washington, DC.  There is quite a contrast from four and even eight years ago.  Obama isn’t God and he’s got his work cut out for him but people everywhere along that route and in much of our country and around the world are excited too. I’ve been thinking about my nephew Tom who is a sailor serving in the United States Navy Ceremonial Guard in DC. Tom’s going to be marching with our new president on Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday. I wish I could be there. I’m so proud of Tom and wish I could be there in person to see him. Many times today I’ve been moved to tears as I watched the President-elect’s train and listened to he and other speak along the way.

My brother Brian and his friend Lillian will be in Washington for the inaugural too.  Lillian stood on the mall with Dr. King in 1963 as a teenager. How special for her to return now to see a member of her race inaugurated. I’ve been thinking too of Dr. King himself and what he would have thought of all of this.  Today is a day that makes me proud to be an American. It’s one of those signature days.  I’m grateful to be an American and a veteran of the United States Navy. I salute my countrymen, our President and Vice-President Elect, their families and the millions of soldiers, sailors, marines and coast guardsman who serve us. God bless America and may America bless God again.

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A new day

The  inauguration of Barack Obama is still a few days away, but I cannot hide my delight. I’ve been getting emails from Republicans or folks concerned about Obama.  President Obama is not super-human. He’s charismatic and intelligent. He’s engaging everyone even his adversaries. He’s not easily pinned down nor pigeon-holed.  He’s got a lot of work to do and the country hasn’t been in this much trouble in decades. We face a crisis much greater than anyone we’ve faced since World War II and if the United States of America is to survive we must pull together. That doesn’t mean we all have to agree, but it does mean we have agree not to be disagreeable. For too many decades now we’ve been alienating and marginalizing people. That’s got to stop.

The United States of America is a melting pot. We are “E Pluribus Unum.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmUUYo9o9eg]

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Competitors Creed

I came across this quote in the exercise room where I’ve been working out on the elliptical machine lately. Running 5 miles has taken a toll on me and I’ve retired to the elliptical. Actually I think I’m getting a more strenuous workout on the elliptical machine. I’ve been going 4.2 or 4.3 miles in forty minutes on the machine. I love working out because I feel so good afterwards. It’s the runner’s high.

I like the quote because today was one of those days where I wasn’t winning and I felt a bit frustrated at days end. Now, however thanks to this quote and forty minutes of strenuous exercise I’m feeling a lot more peaceful. Life is really about trying and leaving it all out there. Roosevelt’s quote reminds me of a passage from the Book of Revelation 3:16.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”–Theodore Roosevelt

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Still don’t know

In just six days it’ll be three years since I started blogging. My first post on January 9, 2006 contained this quote from Thomas Merton.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.Nor do I re ally know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.- Thomas Merton, “Thoughts in Solitude

I still have no real idea of where I’m going and it really doesn’t matter. The more open I am to change the more successful I am. Openness and flexibility are signs of life while stiffness and rigidity are symptomatic of death and dying. I pray always to be open and in the words of the St. Irenaeus,

It is not thou that shapest God
it is God that shapest thee.
If thou art the work of God
await the hand of the artist
who does all things in due season.
Offer Him thy heart,
soft and tractable,
and keep the form
in which the artist has fashioned thee.
Let thy clay be moist,
lest thou grow hard
and lose the imprint of his fingers.

– St. Irenaeus

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Many thoughts

I”ve been very busy in the last couple of weeks and haven’t really felt inspired to write here. I’m learning a lot more about Drupal, an open source content management system that I began using almost two years ago. The learning curve is fairly steep with Drupal, but now I’m beginning to get it as I’ve built a half dozen or so Drupal powered sites.  I’ve enjoyed this time of learning and I’m looking forward to a new business venture with my son. It was his idea and perhaps I’ll write more about it in the days and weeks to come.

A good friend died in the last week. He had been sick for a long time. Frank Geaben was one helluva man. He touched my life in so many ways and had keen insight that he often shared with me. It troubled me that I was not able to see Frank in his final days as he really didn’t want any visitors. I will never forget the impact he had on  my life.

I’m troubled too by the situation in Gaza. It’s yet one more example of the utter failure of the war on terror. War only begets war and whatever Israel hopes to gain by attacking Hamas in Gaza will result in no gain. More terrorists will be created. If only Israel would follow the wisdom of its great prophets, much of this could have been averted. Their zeal has blinded them to the truth.  My sister visited that area a couple of years ago with a group of American nuns. She returned with stories of how the Palestinians that she saw were treated like dogs.  My sister is not a politician nor an activist. She was with the nuns on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

I’m also happy that our children have been home for the holidays recently. It’s nice to hear their voices around the home. Tomorrow they’ll be heading for their respective homes and getting ready for the work week. Our daughter, Dara, will be off to student teaching and her last semester as an undergraduate at SUNY Fredonia. I’m very proud of her efforts. She finished last semester with a 4.0 GPA and completed 21 credit hours. She’ll graduate in May with a 3.97 GPA.  I told her I was going to paint that on the roof of our home.

Our son, Devin will be returning to the Rochester, New York area and his work. He’s survived in a very tough economic climate as a salesman for a radio station.  I’m praying that our business venture can help him this year.  Tomorrow will be bittersweet as we bid them goodbye. They’ve both grown to be fine young adults.

I hope to get to Mass at Mt. Irenaeus in the morning and then a trip to Abbey of the Genesee later. I’m running out of Monks Brownies. Thank God for the Friars and the Monks.

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Diane

This lovely picture of the lovely woman with whom I share this life is one of my keepsakes. I took it on Christmas morning in our home. Diane was looking up at our son Devin. The look in her eye and the smile on her face are very telling. I have no words that can adequately describe how much I love her. I hope you and your families have enjoyed the holidays.

Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved,
ah, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves!
Ah, you are beautiful, my lover-
yes, you are lovely.–Song of Songs, Chapter 1
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Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28

That verse and the thought of it is has been with me.  Sometimes bad things happen to good people and I don’t think that God fore ordains those bad things. I think they just happen,  just like rain falls on everyone whether good or bad.  When things happen in my life that I think are bad I tend to blame myself. That’s one of my character defects. Lately I’ve been thinking more and more of this verse when adverse events come and they do. Just today our son called to say that his car had “conked out.” It’s only a couple of days before Christmas and we’re looking at over three hundred dollars to put a new starter in the car. Last night my sister was due to arrive from out of town to celebrate her 50th birthday, but the weather didn’t cooperate and her flight was cancelled. Naturally, we were all discouraged, but in this too I need to look for something good to happen out of this.

Much of my life I’ve spent walking around under a gray cloud when in fact I should be looking for something good to happen.   It really all depends on how I look at a situation. My tendency is to be negative rather than positive.

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A snowy evening

Last night my wife left for an overnight with our daughter. The mission for them is Christmas shopping. Whenever I ask my wife what she’d like for Christmas, the answer is, “don’t buy me any clothes,” or “I don’t need anything.” Truth of the matter is neither of us really needs anything. We’ve got our health, a warm home, employment, our children and twenty-five years of wonderful memories. Nonetheless, Christmas won’t be complete without gifts. Each day of our lives is Christmas. Each day we give of ourselves and sometimes the gifts are only a kind word, but it is still a gift.

With Diane gone I was left to find my own meal and since it was Friday night and I had business in nearby Ellicottville, New York I decided to stop by my favorite eatery there, Tips Up Cafe. I know the owner and he makes the best strip steak I’ve ever tasted. Tips Up was packed last night even though the weather outside was wintry. I love coming to Ellicottville. It’s such a lovely village and as you can see from the picture it’s decorated with lots of lights for the holidays.

Ellicottville is home to Holiday Valley, one of the largest ski areas in New York State and even though the rest of the country is in a steep recession Ellicottville is doing well with all the snow we’ve received thus far. A couple of weeks ago the snow totals for Ellicottville had exceeded 71 inches. We’ve added to that in recent days and then too the resorts make snow. Last night after dinner I drove with a friend to an area just below the slopes. The skiing had finished for the evening and the trails looked surreal as lights shined through both man made and earth made snow. It was a chillingly beautiful sight.  My ride home was exciting too as I made my way slowly along Route 242 which was snow covered and not plowed well. The dense snowfall made it difficult to see. My visibility was limited to just much less than a tenth of a mile in spots. Still there is something mystically beautiful about snowfalls.

Times like these always remind me of the words of Robert Frost.

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep

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Gratefulness

Today is my birthday and I’m fortunate to have so many friends with whom to celebrate. Birthdays are events for looking forward and sometimes looking back. Today I did a little of each as I wondered how much longer I get to hang around here. Fifty-six is only four years from sixty and that used to seem old. Now that it’s right around the corner it’s different. My brother Mark called at 7:30 this morning to wish me well. He was in Charleston, South Carolina and it was a warm 32 F compared to our 8 F here in Franklinville. Mark always calls and this year we chatted for longer than usual. I asked about my nephew Tom who is serving in the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard in Washington, DC. Mark said he was doing well and had even served at the White House already.

I spend most of my day in an elementary school where my office is and so each morning I’m greeted by a sea of young faces many of whom know me by name. Sometimes I stop to visit, other times they need help opening a locker or picking up something they’ve dropped. I’ve been greeting young people in this building for just a few months shy of thirty years.  These children are the flowers of my life. They pick me up on days that I’m down.  This morning I greeted a kindergarten class that was passing near my office. I asked them to wait so I could bring a special friend to greet them. I quickly retrieved a life-size Teddy bear from my office and held him so the children could touch the bear. They were delighted that I brought the bear out. Most of the children took time to hug the bear and when I saw them later in the hall they mentioned the bear again.

I usually eat alone in my office but today my wife came and made sure that I’d come to the faculty room at 11:30 AM for a special lunch. When I entered the room all present began to sing Happy Birthday. It was a nice surprise and I was very touched. We all shared some birthday cake and a few stories.  I’m grateful for my wife, my life and the students of Franklinville Elementary School who have been so much a part of my life since March of 1979.