It is amazing to me what good people will
accept as truth when someone sends "information" about people with whom they
do not agree. It is much easier to fight someone who is in league with the
devil because believing that gives us an excuse to hate them. Such a message
came from a friend who mentioned that the Democrats have a Muslim candidate
for president. (Set aside the fact that no candidate has been selected at
this time,) I knew who he meant but I asked in order to make sure and he
responded with three emails, the first identifying Obama as the Muslim, the
second with a cute story, and the third with what could only be described as
a tirade on why a Muslim can not be president of the US. Obama of
course is not and never has been a Muslim. His father was raised in that
faith but became an avowed atheist. Obama himself is a Christian. The cute
story uses an completely unrelated analogy to demonstrate the advantage of
being Republican. The final email was a list of lies, half truths, common
misconceptions and exaggerations aimed at turning uninformed people into
haters of Islam. I am sure my friend was a victim here but I was disturbed
to find him passing it on. I corrected him in the matter of the first
error and ignored the "cute" story. As for the tirade against Islam, I
simply suggested that he sit down with his pastor and go over each point on
the assumption that the pastor had some education in comparative religions
and would set the man straight.
It is not that I am defending Mr. Obama
or that I favor him. It is not that I need to defend the Islamic Faith. My
point is that when we promulgate lies and half truths of any kind for any
reason we degrade ourselves and impugn our own veracity. This is the
work of rabble rousers and I, for one, have no intention of being one of
them or part of the rabble that is ignorant enough to fall under their
influence. So, when you get something in you in-box that looks suspiciously
caustic regarding a person or a group, ask yourself if you want to be
identified with the rabble rousers who sent it before you hit that "Forward"
button.
Refraining from sending hate mail is also
a way of using the internet responsibly. It is, if you will, the Christian
way of living.
|
The time is
always right to do what is right.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr. |
My food shopping was done on Friday
afternoon and included microwavable servings of soup and chili in
anticipation of the cold on the way. Hopefully the bitter cold will not
linger too long and the predicted snow during the week will not
be too troublesome. In any case, I am prepared. Not that I use them much
but I had two old snow shovels, One. broke beyond repair recently and
after removing the long wooden handle, the metal portion was relegated
to the recycle bin. The handle will remain here for eons because I can't
throw away a perfectly good wooden handle. I used the second shovel a
week or so ago to push a dusting of snow to make a path to my newspapers
and found that a rivet had popped. I replaced the rivet with a 1/4 X 20
machine screw which made it as good as new and well suited to the light
duty I will give it. I leave the heavy work to the two stage snow blower
and the helpers that come to run it. The discarded shovel probably
started with a broken rivet also but no one told me about it until it
had so much strain on the remaining rivets that another gave way and the
scoop portion twisted completely out of shape. .
Things don't last for ever but if we
know of a problem we can sometimes extend their life a little. Other
things last forever if we let them. I finally completed one small step
in cleaning up my office. Small boxes of check copies have been
accumulating for seven years. I would not throw them out
because they had too much information on them. Last week they were torn
from their bindings and shredded. Now when I write a check, I remove the
copy from the binding as well and put it in a receipt envelope. They
will get shredded along with my credit card receipts as soon as they are
no longer needed.
My friend Bob, wintering in Florida.
had trouble using his plastic to buy gas and checked his account as soon
as he returned to the house. He and Mary were disturbed by finding two
identical charges on the account and went back to the gas station
complain. No satisfaction there except for a suggestion to call the bank
on Monday. The fact is that most cards register a charge as soon as you
swipe it to initiate you purchase. This is done to insure that the
account is valid and there is enough cash to cover the cost of the
anticipated purchase. This is particularly true of debit cards. When the
purchase is completed the amount is adjusted to the actual charge. If
there is a problem with the transaction the original amount may stay on
the account for some time before being deleted.
Discover Card zeros out the
Initiating transaction and enters a new one. When I download my
transactions from Discover to Microsoft Money I always have several $0
transactions in the list. I don't know if they leave them there
intentionally or if it is a programming error. I just delete them.
|
Failure is delay, but
not defeat.
It is a temporary detour,
not a dead-end street.
~ William Arthur Ward |
The Chicago Archdiocese has a fund raising drive each
year to support its costs and a number of charities. Each parish has a
goal equal to 7% of its normal income based on the previous year. Our
pastor related that he once said he would rather have a root canal than
get up and ask his parishioners to contribute but due to our past
response, he has been converted and no longer has this fear. The fact is
that our parish which is far down on the list of "rich" parishes has had
far more families participating in this pledge drive than any other in
the dioceses. All funds collected over the 7% goal are returned to the
parish and $22,768.90 was returned St Julie parish last year. It
is placed into savings for major maintenance expenditures. This summer
we will repair a large section of the parking lot.
Fr. Steve mentioned that about 900 families
responded to the pledge drive last year. Knowing we have over 3800
families in the parish one wonders where the rest are. However, times
are tough and a response of 24% is high for Catholics. There is no such
thing as a "fair share" when it comes to charitable giving. Each family
gives according to their means, needs and level of commitment. From some
there will be little or nothing, a reality that makes it more imperative
that those who are able and willing to give more. I consider it to be a
privilege to be able to give. It is said that 20% of the parishioners provide 90% of the support
of the parish. I am blessed to be in that élite group. Bragging? No! It
was not always that way for me. I consider it to be one of my many blessings.
I did some reading from the book my sister gave me and was reminded
of an incident many years ago. It was in the early 50's and I was in
uniform, probably on weekend liberty. As I left the movie theater bright
sunlight streamed into the lobby so it must have been an afternoon
showing. The name of the film, indeed the name of the city, escapes my
memory. But I do remember several young girls entering the building,
giggling and happy at the prospect of being there. One, probably eight
or ten years old, attracted by something, split from the group and would
have passed near me but suddenly an older one grabbed her by the arm and
violently pulled her away shouting "Get away from him! He's a
SAILOR!" If I could have melted into the floor I would have.
All eyes seemed to be on me probably wondering what vile thing I had
done.
My reading had brought this to mind because of the
letter to the editor of the Honolulu Star Bulletin written in August of
1920 by Pvt. A. J. Copeland. He had had a similar experience. He and
another soldier offered help to two ladies involved in an auto accident
but were rebuffed with, "We don't want no help from no soldiers!"
My father had the gumption to write a letter addressed to the editor and
the people of Honolulu dressing them down for their treatment of the
soldiers that were there to protect them. The two page missive was a
well written reminder of the fact that soldiers were from families just
like theirs and deserved much better. It was replete with patriotism and
compassion for these men so far from home. Well done, Dad!
Being there myself, different time, different place,
different service, but the same attitude toward the military I
agree with my father. Many cities with military installations were like
that. Norfolk, VA being the worse, was actually hostel to the
military men stationed there. Hopefully that has changed. But in the
1950's it seemed that the only place we were welcome was in the seediest
places in town where rows of bars provided a little entertainment and
gladly relieved us of our cash.
I must admit that many sailors reveled in the
reputation and indeed fostered it to some extent. It was, I believe, the
introduction to the "I'm Bad" claim of many city gang members, trying to
get some kind of recognition as dubious as it may be. In my experience,
however, it was more talk than substance. Many of my shipmates talked a
notorious lifestyle and led a subdued existence. .
There were exceptions to this sad treatment of the
service men. One alternative was found by
my friend Woody who sought out and always found a friendly Protestant
church. As a result, he always found civilian girls and guys to
hang around with and even got invited to their homes. But Woody was an
exception, one of a very few who would risk being found in church. The
other exception was in cities like Philadelphia. There were many
organizations dedicated to providing activities for service men. The
city government was a leader there. There ware always free tickets
for plays, musicals, dances and more. The USO always had a cot for the
night and a meal or just some snacks and something to read. We went
roller skating and bowling and always were welcomed with open arms.
The City of Brotherly Love lived the part..
|
If we are intended for great ends,
we are called to great hazards.
~ John Henry Cardinal Newman |
Although it was strictly forbidden to
us Catholics I did go to the a Youth Group gathering with Woody one
evening at a Presbyterian church and was treated as a welcomed
guest. There was no effort to convert me (although I fully expected some
sort of effort along those lines) and I had an enjoyable evening. In
contrast, there was the time I got up early one Sunday and went into
town for Mass. It was a large brick church with many steps to climb
before entering the massive doors. A large number of people were
entering to join those already there. My Navy uniform drew several
glances and I remember feeling a bit out of place. At the time it was
the custom in most Catholic parishes to have a box at the door for the
deposit of "seat money" to offset the cost of the mass.
Twenty-five cents was considered an appropriate donation. Not having any
change, I passed it by and found a pew with a space on the end. I had no
sooner settled in when there was a tap on my shoulder. "You didn't
pay your Seat Money". I quietly got up and left to find
something else to do with my Sunday morning.
. One would ask, in the light of my
experiences, why I remained a Catholic. The fact is that I was not sure
I even believed in any religion at the time. I was fairly certain there
was a God but the fact that there were so many variations in beliefs and
all these rules, obvious to me of human origin, had me confused. It all
seemed at odds with logic. With me, logic was king. The one thing I did
know was that the actions of one individual or even a group were not the
actions or intent of God. He had to be better than that. In the mean
time, my family was Catholic and that would do until I could figure it
all out.
Speaking of figuring it all out ... I
have been a fan of Joseph Girzone and his Joshua books. He and I agree
on many things and tend to take a simplistic approach to the problems of
the world. (If you haven't noticed!) I particularly liked his
"Never Alone" in which he describes his personal relationship with God.
One of the books received as a Christmas present was his most recent,
"The Messenger". After reading the first two chapters, I am a bit
disappointed. As a priest who retired for "health reasons" his works
leave no doubt that he is not in agreement with church authority on how
things are run. The hero of his new book has obviously been, at least in
chapter one and two, based on his own life and almost sounds like sour grapes.
... or maybe more that almost. We shall see.
The last few days have afforded some
time for reading although I have other tasks to do, The problem is that
those other things have been labeled "tasks" in my mind and they get
relegated to waiting until I am forced to do them. Be that as it
may, winter has put me in semi-hibernation mode. For me, that is
sleeping a bit longer, eating and more reading when I am not at this
computer. Except for the morning and noon news, I don't watch TV during
the day (except for when exercising and I confess that exercising has
been neglected lately) I have not been watching much TV in the evening
either. There are hundreds of channels available but little worth
watching.
|
There is only one
corner of the universe you can be certain of improving,
and that's your own self.
~ Aldous Huxley |
There
are a lot of "reality" shows. If they depict the "real" world I say no
thanks and will stick to the World of Grandpa Don. I would much rather
live in a world where people help each other to be the best they can
rather than try to eliminate everyone else in order to be the winner.
The one program that promotes people helping people is Extreme Makeover,
Home Edition on Sunday evenings, If I can't watch it, I record it
for viewing when I can. I don't even turn on "American Gladiator" I
thought we got rid of that concept with the demise of the insane Roman
Emperors although our warped culture still hangs on to wrestling, boxing
and such. It is interesting that the TV writers are demanding a larger
portion of the profits when they are failing at providing entertainment
that would improve our civilization. We, as a community, are not
using the television media responsibly.
|
A couple days after I had written the above I learned of
something that, for a moment, made me think I should remove
the reference above to American Gladiator, wrestling and
boxing. I decided not to remove it because to do so would
violate my beliefs. See "Cage Fighting" below. |
On Tuesday the alarm was set for 6:30. It is the only
day of the week. every other week, that I need the alarm. That is
"cleaning day". Barbra arrives as early as 6:50 so I have to be up and
ready. Garbage and recycle pickup is as early as 7:00 so the containers
need to be out at the curb. Cleaning and recycle pickup coincide every
other week. Since I do not generate a lot of garbage I normally don't
bother putting it out on the other Tuesday. The food garbage goes down
the grinder in the sink while clean paper, plastic and metal get
recycled so there isn't much for the garbage can. This week it had
snowed lightly all night so I had to get out and clear a path to the
curb. That made a clear path for Barbara when she arrived . I could then
retrieve my newspapers, and wheel out the two containers. In the winter,
I keep both in the attached garage. That makes it convenient for me and
since there is very little food residue in the garbage there is no odor.
Besides, it is usually quite cool there although it never gets below
freezing.
I was exhausted by my early morning exercise even
though the snow was the light and fluffy variety. As I expected that
day, Barbara didn't arrive until almost 8:00. The ladies all live on the
far north side and are dropped off for their cleaning assignments by the
the van driver, then picked up 6 hours later. The morning news had
alerted me to the fact that the morning commute was very slow due to the
continuing snow. However, the snow stopped shortly before her arrival
and the sun was shining brightly belying the fact that the temperature
had started to drop again. We are into our roller-coaster mode of
extreme cold. swinging to just cold and snow and back down again. The
coming weekend will be above freezing with the possibility of rain.
Mother nature is determined to keep us from getting used to anything for
an extended length of time.
I am amused by the weather forecasters and news
reporters making a big deal about "Below Zero" as if that was some
magical or even critical point on the temperature scale. It is believed
that when Daniel Fahrenheit developed precise thermometers in the early
1700's he set 00 at the lowest
temperature he could create in his laboratory using the technology of
the time. That
resulted in the freezing, or melting point of water being 320
and it's boiling point at 2120. How
awkward! The Celsius temperature scale is much more logical with the
boiling point of water at 100 and freezing at 0. Then Below Zero is,
though not as cold, more meaningful. If we swallowed our ego and
adapted the Celsius system of measurement it would not be a surrender to
European influence but a move to modernity. We would soon get accustomed
to the idea that +220. is very
comfortable and -200. is very cold.
|
Without ambition, one
starts nothing.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson |
During an internet journey looking for something else, I
discovered another web site about the Mayflower,
Famous Descendants of Mayflower Passengers. From the list I was hoping
to find a connection to the "automobile" Packard's but in failing to make
that particular connection I found several others of interest. The following
list all connect to ancestors of either my mother or father Their genealogy
is shown traced back to our common ancestor(s).. .
-
John Quincy Adams → John Adams → John
Adams → Hannah Bass → Ruth Alden → JOHN ALDEN
-
Frranklin D. Roosevelt → Sara Delano → Warren
Delano → Deborah Church → Deborah Perry → Samuel Perry → Ebenezer Perry
→ Esther Taber → Esther Cooke → JOHN COOKE → FRANCIS COOKE
-
George W. Bush → George H. W. Bush →
Prescott Bush → Flora Sheldon → Mary Butler → Courtland Butler → Samuel
Butler → Sarah Herrick → Silence Kingsley → Samuel Kingsley → Mary
Washburn → Elizabeth Mitchell → Jane Cooke → FRANCIS
COOKE
-
Marilyn Monroe (a.k.a. Norma Jean Baker) →
Charles Stanley Gifford → Frederick Gifford → Charles Gifford → Lydia
Tompkins → Uriah Tompkins → Micah Tompkins → Sarah Coe → Sarah Pabodie →
Elizabeth Alden → JOHN ALDEN
-
Orson Welles → Richard Welles → Mary Head →
Orson Head → Jonathan Head → Ruth Little → Fobes Little → Constant Fobes
→ Martha Pabodie → Elizabeth Alden → JOHN ALDEN
-
Richard Gere → Homer Gere → Albert Gere →
George Gere → Sarah Tewksbury → Lucina Fuller → Consider Fuller →
Archippus Fuller → Sarah Wright → Adam Wright → Hester Cooke →
FRANCIS COOKE
-
Anna Mary Robertson (a.k.a. Grandma
Moses) → Russell Robertson → Sarah King → Hezekiah King → John King →
Sarah Reed → Esther Tomson → Mary Cooke → John Cooke → FRANCIS COOKE
-
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow → Zilpha Wadsworth
→ Peleg Wadsworth → Mercy Wiswall → Priscilla Pabodie → Elizabeth Alden
→ JOHN ALDEN
-
William Cullen Bryant → Sarah Snell → Ebenezer
Snell → Zachariah Snell → Anna Alden → Jonathan Alden → JOHN ALDEN
John and Ruth Alden were ancestors of my
Father.
Francis Cooke, Jane Cooke, and Elizabeth Mitchell were
ancestors of my mother.
Plugging this information into my Family Tree Maker
program and running the Relationship Calculator we arrive at the following
relationships:
John Adams was my 2nd cousin 6 times removed..
John Quincy Adams was my 3rd cousin 5 times removed.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was my 5th cousin 4 times removed.
William Cullen Bryant was my 5th cousin 4 times removed
Orson Welles was my 9th cousin
Marilyn Monroe was my 9th cousin
George H. W. Bush is my 9th cousin
George W. Bush is my 9th cousin once removed
Franklin D. Roosevelt was my 9th cousin 2 times removed
Grandma Moses was my 9th cousin 2 times removed
Richard Gere is my 10th cousin once removed
Confused? So was I so I looked it up and this is what I
found:
A system of degrees and removes is used to
describe the relationship between the two cousins and the
ancestor they have in common. The degree (first,
second, third cousin, etc.) indicates the minimum
number of generations between either cousin and the
nearest common ancestor; the remove (once
removed, twice removed, etc.) indicates the number of
generations, if any, separating the two cousins from each
other
For example, the child of one's aunt or uncle is one's
first cousin, because there is one generation (unshared
parents) between the cousins and their shared grandparents.
The child of one's first cousin is one's first cousin
once removed because the child belongs to the next
generation following one's own.
John Adams is my second cousin because he is two
generations from our nearest common ancestor, Ruth Alden. we are 6
generations apart and so, 6 times removed. .
Politics aside,
this is good company in which to be found. I am particularly happy to find a
relationship, albeit very distant, to the likes of Orson Wells, Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow and William Cullen Bryant. Of Norma Jean, I can just
wonder if she is more infamous than famous.
And what does all this mean? According to
MayflowerHistory.com There are millions of Mayflower descendants living
today, but very few descendants actually know it. It is not a very exclusive
club. We all have potential and it is up to us to develop that potential.
Fortunately no one has published a web page listing the most notorious
descendants of Mayflower passengers ... or have they?
In passing, I keep finding differing
accounts of the intended destination of the Mayflower. Some say they had a
charter from the king to settle in Virginia. This seems reasonable since the
Jamestown settlement had been set up ten years previous. Other accounts list
the Hudson River as their intended goal. In any case, they were blown off
course by a series of storms that severely damaged the ship and after 66
days arrived at Cape Cod. They did make an attempt to sail south to the
Hudson but were turned back by more bad whether, finally going ashore at
Plymouth..
|
Talk not of wasted
affection;
affection never was wasted.
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow |
Some would consider it sinful but it was almost 9 AM
when I finally rolled out of bed on Wednesday. By sleeping that long I
didn't miss any appointment or neglect any urgent task. I have neither.
Just spoiled! After my usual morning routine I was in the living room with
a cup of coffee having a conversation with God when Anthony arrived. We
sat for a while and he went out to do the snow but couldn't get the snow
blower to keep running. Fortunately I had fixed the shovel and the
snow was light. He made short work of most of the driveway although the
snow plowed from the street had partially melted from the salt and
refrozen into a formidably barrier. He had apparently anticipated the
problem and broke it up with the ice chipper he had brought with him.
.As he was finishing I thought about the problem with the blower and
asked about the throttle setting. It was on a medium setting and I
am sure that that was our problem. In this cold it should have been on
high. We will remember to check that next time. I would have asked him
to check it then but for some reason the electric starter was not
working and I didn't want to ask him to crank it manually by hand.
My grandson turned down lunch since he needed to get
to his grandma's house to clear her snow before going to baseball
practice with the RMC team. Marc has started working at the tax firm
with his mother so he is busy these days. Joe was on a field trip from
school. On Tuesday he went to the downtown campus to be filmed for a
commercial for the college. He was supposed to bounce a ball repeatedly
on a bat and while doing it, look up and smile as some co-eds passing by
but every time he looked up. he missed the ball. I can't believe they
could not gave faked it but maybe they have strong convictions in truth
in advertising.
My daughter arranged for Joe to stop by on Thursday
to try his hand at starting the snow blower since he has had more
experience with it. He arrived shortly after I returned home from Bible
study but only confirmed what Anthony and I found on Wednesday. So, we
did the only thing we could ... went to Ashford House for lunch and
conversation. On our return home, I had him change the fluorescent lamps
and an accent light in the guest bathroom. The boys do these things a
lot more efficiently than their grandfather.
My faith in Joseph Girzone has been partially
restored, having read all the way to chapter 9 of The Messenger. His
simple solutions to problems still have the ability to bring a lump to
my throat at times. The most recent chapters have recaptured more of the
writing style and attitude of the Joshua books. although there is the
thinly disguised use of himself as the model for the main character. I
am perplexed by an obvious error when he writes of a former priest being
upset that he can not say a private mass and is seeking permission to do
so. I know several laicized priests and know that once a priest, always
a priest and although they are forbidden to publicly say mass or perform
their priestly functions they can and do say mass privately and for
immediate family.
Cage Fighting
I was rather shocked to find that my grandson Nick
has been in "training" and will be participating in cage fighting in the
near future. Of this pseudo "sport" I will only say that it is, in my
opinion, barbaric and that it has been created by greedy promoters. Some states
have banned it. Having said that, I must follow with the fact that I
love Nick and hope that he survives this phase of his life without being
hurt or hurting anyone else. I see him here as a victim of the
promoters.
Nick has demonstrated the potential for right thinking and success.
Having blurted out my opinion, I must add that people do not need to agree with my every opinion to retain my
love and respect. Nick will always have that.
|
Yard by yard, it’s
very hard.
But inch by inch, it's a cinch.
~ Anonymous |
When the gal answered at Countryside Home & Garden
and asked if she could help I simply said, "I have a snow blower
that doesn't." After a moment of silence it got to her and she
chuckled and connected me to her boss. They will pick up the machine on
Tuesday morning.
My Cousin, Tilley Plefka sent a long letter. It took
two days to write it. I had written her shortly after Christmas to let
her know about my children, their spouses and my grandchildren having
failed to convey the relationships in phone conversations. She now has
it all straight. Her letter spoke of her parents and she said she knew
nothing of her grandparents since they had lived in Europe. Her father
never spoke of his life before immigrating. Tillie has three
grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.
She told an interesting story from her youth, before
she met my cousin Joe. Even as a teen she loved to fish and when several
of her girlfriends decided to take the train to Lake Delevan, Wi. for a
weekend, she brought a fishing pole. The other girls laughed at her,
they were hoping to meet boys. She caught a catfish but was afraid to
remove the hook in fear of being "stung" (bitten) by the fish so she cut
the line leaving the hook in its mouth. Without a spare hook, unable to
fish, she took the big catfish to their cabin and put it into the bath
tub. When the other girls returned from their "fishing" in town one
decided to take a bath. There were screams of a monster in the tub and
she was ordered to remove it. In the mean time, the fish had dislodged
the hook by itself and now she was even more afraid of being "stung".
Finally, with the aid of towels wrapped around the beast she was able to
get it out of the tub and back to the lake. She eventually met Joe. and
she always relied on him to remove the hooks. They both loved fishing
and she loved her home in Northern Wisconsin.
I remember the time my parents along with Uncle
Charles and Aunt Kate rented a
cabin at Lake Delevan. When we arrived, the ladies were ready to turn
around and go home. The cabin was a shack and you could look out through
the cracks in the wall, There was no running water and a wood fired cook
stove. My cousins Ken and Bob and I wanted to swim but the air was cold
and the water was colder. We tried to stick it out but the temperature
didn't rise, it went down. We stayed a few days and went home. One of
the men mentioned that the rent was not refundable but the ladies didn't
care. I don't know if the photo at the right was taken on that
trip but it may have been. The only good thing that happened on that
trip was that I fell off the pier. It was then that I learned I could
swim.
On Friday mornings it is my habit during my
meditations and prayer to review in my mind what will go out on the
internet in the World of Grandpa Don. I ask what Anne (and God)
would think of what I have said, particularly when other people and
family members are involved. Sometimes this results in changes or even
deletion of parts of the page. On this day I will add a thought.
Strength is good. For my part, if remembered at all,
I would not want to be remembered for the number of people
I have subdued by force. I would prefer to be remembered for the
people I have drawn to my way of living through strength of character
and gentle touch. I stand by my signature below ...
