The World of Grandpa Don  

Stop! Did you read the Thought and the Prayer for this week?  It is always good to start anything with a prayer. It sets the mind at ease and gets us prepared. I little thought doesn't hurt either. OK, let's go on ...

On Friday November 20 a new life was born to our world. Emma Anne, the granddaughter of Joe and Mary Krajewski arrived after 24 hours of waiting by Mary and Joe. They were exhausted from lack of sleep and grueling anticipation. Have you ever seen an angel such as Emma Anne? (Click for a better view) Joe sent a bunch of pictures, many with Mary, himself and even the parents, as if they had anything to do with it all. He didn't bother to mention how the parents felt after all that. But, just look at this child. How can she not be loved? Is there any doubt that she is a gift from God?  By the way, given that this is indeed a beautiful child, a precious gift of God, credit must also go to Joe. This man has a gift of knowing how to recognize the best aspects of a photographic subject, the time to take the photo, and how to frame the shot to make it beautiful. Thanks Joe.

I had intended to go shopping Friday afternoon but I had plenty of everything and so, I invested a part of the afternoon in my Kindle version of John Adams. Truly a remarkable man and the more I read of him, the more I admire him. Having a nice large monitor for my computer, I am able to sit back and very comfortably read. Page turning is an easy click of the down arrow. I am sure however that sometime in my future I will be sitting in the living room or out in the gazebo with a Kindle in hand. This is the future. I have been seeing this on Star Trek episodes for some time, books replaced by an electronic tablet, and anything on Star Trek is great! It was a good thing that I stayed home because Anne Marie called to comment on the newly updated web site. She particularly liked the new Palinchik page ( have you seen it?) but said she was having a problem viewing the slide show of Bella's birthday party ... must be her computer. Well, I checked, and ... it wasn't her computer. It seems that the file had been corrupted during the upload but I was able to restore it.

I have to miss another opportunity to get reacquainted with the Simousek cousins. One of their daughters is getting married in December and although I would like to go to North Judson for the event I have a conflict. With my immediate family expanding and some having to be out of town for Christmas, we are having pre-Christmas celebrations. I am afraid that the Star Trek method of transportation ... "Beam me up Scottie" ... is beyond our reach and we are not able to transport ourselves instantly from one location to the other. Regrets have been, regretfully, sent.

 

Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.  ~ Albert Schweitzer  .

In my current reading I discover that the American colonists had a concrete example of what could be their fate in the subjugation of Ireland under the rule of the British king. Adams stated, that they (the Americans) faced the prospect of living like the Irish on potatoes and water. Little tid-bits of trivia pop up as I read such as the fact that Americans began substituting coffee for tea as a protest to the British tax on tea. Adams related an experience, while he was in Philadelphia as a delegate to the Continental Congress, when he and others including George Washington attended a "Romish" mass at St Mary's Church. He found it to be "awful and affecting" - the word "awful" then meaning full of awe, or that which strikes with awe, or fills with reverence." He was at the same time somewhat disturbed at the  use of Latin, which no one understood, and the ornate appearance of the church.

Back in my world, Sunday mass was one of those extra special glorious experiences. To begin with the Choir was augmented by two trumpets and the music in celebration of Christ the King was glorious. In addition, four new candidates for membership were welcomed in special ceremonies. After mass I stopped into the great room where the new people were gathered just to say hello. Some have been baptized and one, I am sure, will be baptized at the Easter Vigil next Spring. I left the church, much as my cousin did many years ago, in awe and reverence. 

Meat loaf was the treat at Anne Marie's later in the day. Hunter was there because Dominick, Sarah and Bella were in Detroit for Sarah's family's celebration of Bella's Birthday and Thanksgiving as well. Hunter attempted to play with Mikey and when he placed his paw on Mikey's back was rebuffed with a warning growl. My little friend is not reluctant to assert himself with a big dog. With new windows and new paint on the ceiling and walls, along with a rearrangement of the furniture, their living room looks great. A new couch is soon to come to complete the renovation. 

Monday morning I got a call from my cousin Ken Snyder. Was I going to the wedding in North Judson? He, Gert and Bob are going and a ride was available for me had I been going. We spoke for a while on the joys of senior living and of course the usual, "we have got to get together", often voiced, but seldom done. Coincidently, I had a recent email conversation with my sister Marilyn about her Polenchik cousins, the names of some of whom I ran across when researching her mother's family genealogy. They had lost contact with almost all of them. It seems to be in the nature of "cousins". Each marries into a new family, have different interests and even live in distant places. When aunts and uncles were around to keep the family united they may have been closer, but with those ties gone, drifting occurs if it hasn't already happened. It seems to be in the nature of things. In any case, we hold them dear in our hearts and all the memories as well. Those were the days! But ... life moves on ... and just as the universe keeps expanding, so do families, transitioning and transposing. One thing is for sure, nothing stays the same and although memories are precious, we live in the present ... that is what we have to deal with and that is what we are to enjoy.  The old days formed us, giving us a start, and they were good. But cousins became parents or aunts & uncles or both. Some become grandparents and even great grandparents. The circle is ever expanding and when a circle expands points on the circumference move farther apart. Sometimes long absences, like my four years in the Navy intervened. Does that have to be? I don't know. I look around and that is what I see. We were instructed to "increase and multiply" and that results in spreading out. We can't all live in the same place. Maybe it is in the nature of populating the world.

Of course most of the populating has been accomplished. Maybe now we have evolved into mixing up that population, diversifying and utilizing that diversity for world improvement in the grand scheme of things. We all have acquired talents and abilities from the past. Now we stretch out and contribute our uniqueness to the benefit of the rest ... the rest who have their own distinctiveness to contribute to the mix. Is it a grand plan? I don't know, but I am inclined to think so. Are all cousins destined to drift apart? I don't think so. Some will become more than cousins, developing into life-long friends and that may be the key to staying together.  

 

Much unhappiness results from our inability to remember the nice things that happen to us. ~ W.N. Rieger .

While I was talking to my cousin Ken, the lawn guys were busy cleaning up. I had told Mac that I wanted to leave the decorative grasses in particular and all the rest of the perennials standing for the winter. To my initial horror, I discovered that the workers had trimmed down everything. But, I reasoned, that is what they had been trained to do and so it is probably for the best. Spring will find the plants unencumbered in their new growth. Besides, it all looks much neater now. The patio and shrubs were blown clear of leaves and they were all cleared from the lawn. Everything is neat and tidy. It looks great! And maybe there is a lesson here. We are all in need of pruning at times, being cut back in preparation of new growth. New growth is necessary for to remain stagnant is to die. Such is nature's way ... such is God's way. It follows that what is God's way should be ours also. To oppose God's way ...well, I think the results are obvious. But why is that so hard to remember?

I  usually have the first appointment at the foot doctor and always arrive shortly before he arrives at the office. His office is part of a much larger facility and his receptionist's desk is in the main waiting area which has the ambience of a small hotel rather than a doctor's office. He has a smaller but very comfortable waiting room which is separate from the main room. After registering Monday I went back to his waiting room. The lights had not been turned on and shortly Cheryl asked if I wanted the lights on. I responded that I was quite comfortable in the pleasant light coming in from the window.   Shortly Dr Tillman came in and in passing asked why I was sitting in the dark. I told him that I had asked that the lights be turned on but Cheryl said that I was too ugly to have the lights on. She was instantly in the room, protesting my statement but of course the doctor already knew my intent and had a broad smile on his face. The rest of my visit was as pleasant as the beginning and I was soon on my way with nails trimmed and feet pampered.

And ... speaking of cousins ... we were a couple paragraphs back ... Anne Marie had talked to her cousin Chris and heard that her cousin Matt (Chris' brother) had married Kate in a quiet, private wedding in Ohio, ... Columbus, I believe. Congratulations Matt. But she also heard that Carol Lawler, her aunt ... my sister-in-law, had undergone serious back surgery recently. Anne Marie followed that news up with a call to Carol and they spoke at length. The surgery was indeed serious and Carol is now painfully recovering and wearing a back brace. She has retired from work. Our prayers are with her as always. Chris and her husband George plan to visit Chris' parents in Florida over the Christmas holidays and we wish all the family a very happy and blessed Christmas. And of course we pray for a swift and complete recovery for Carol.

Maria is making it a tradition of always bringing a treat for grandpa Don when she comes to clean. This week she brought what I think were Clementine's, four of them. Like a tangerine, but smaller. After lunch I had one and it was very tasty, like an orange, almost seedless and very easy to peal and eat. How did she know I should be eating fruit? But of course, everybody should eat fruit so I guess it's a no brainer. As she waits for the van to pick her up she always calls Mikey over to her and he gets his petting. She talks to him in Polish and he responds better than I do. Then as she leaves she always tries to entice him to come with knowing full well that he runs from the door to look out the window to see her off. We all have our little rituals.

In the afternoon I made my semi-annual visit to the Cardiologist. I have never seen such  an elated doctor. When he asked what was new in my life I responded by telling him I was in love. Then I continued that I was in love with Dr Akbar, the endocrinologist he had recommended the last time I saw him. At that time, my blood tests showed I was in terrible shape and going down hill. Now it was all reversed. Every one of the indicators were in the "normal" range and I had also lost weight. He checked my heart and lungs which were also in good shape and we discussed politics and the economy before he sent me on my way. As I checked out and got my next appointment I overheard him talking to members of his staff about the "miracle" performed by Dr Akbar. I like to make my doctors happy.

Better to expose ourselves to ingratitude  than fail in assisting the unfortunate. ~ Du Coeur .

If you are interested in history (Nick) I highly recommend reading "John Adams" by David McCullough.  It is like being in the hall with the delegates to the Continental Congress as they wrestled with the problems of the 13 colonies and the King of England, the decision, after much anguished debate, to declare independence and then form a new republic such as never before seen on this earth. The men involved knew full well that they were opposing the most powerful nation in the world, a nation with a huge navy and well trained army. They also knew that they had few resources beyond their courage and believe me it took a great deal of courage on their part as they knew full well that failure meant being hung as traitors if they did  fail. I am filled with awe and admiration of John Adams and others like him. Even his wife Abigail had an unbelievable courage. I was surprised to read that while John was in Philadelphia and during an outbreak of smallpox she took her children to Boston to be "inoculated" for the disease. I didn't know that there were inoculations at that time but further reading revealed the "inoculation" to be much different than the needle injection with which we are familiar. They went to a place where they would be in isolation for several weeks, in their case, the home of a relative. A cut was made on the arm and the puss from the sore of an infected person was put into the wound. The result was, hopefully, a more mild case of the disease, from which they would recover after several weeks, and then have immunity. Strangely enough, the procedure was one introduced by slaves who brought it from Africa where it was commonly used. We learn from some very unlikely sources. 

Here is something special from Alex Kapocius:

Click here: TO ALL THE "SWEET TATERS" IN MY LIFE

Thanks Alex. That email from Alex was followed by a heartwarming story from Mary Moskal ...

The Whale Says Thanks

And also, my subscription to Simple Truths brought a new link for the Inspiration page. I invite you to view ...

The Best Way Out

Mikey's grooming appointment had been moved from Thursday to Wednesday this week and so we were out early to get him there. I came home, had my breakfast and was enjoying my coffee in the living room when Paula called to let me know that Mikey was ready to come home. After picking him up, I got out my Property Tax bill, wrote the check and then went to the local branch of Chase Bank. They are the authorized payment agent for the Cook County Collector. This second installment of the 2008 taxes is due December first. As I left the bank, an employee wished me a "good day". Giving him my usual reply, "That's my plan and I am going to stick with it", he asked, "Does that always work?"  I said that it does because it is my choice whether to have a good day or not and external happenings have little if anything to do with it. He then let me know that he thought that was wonderful and he would try it. When I returned there was a message from Karen. I had Dan get some special 12volt light bulbs for my under cabinet lights. They had come in and Nick placed them at my back door when he found me not home.  The next time one of my helpers is over I'll get them installed. It is not difficult to plug them in but you need to bend backwards over the kitchen counters to do it and I don't bend that way anymore.

I was out of dog food!  It was an emergency. I needed people food too so I went grocery shopping on the afternoon before Thanksgiving. I expected a crowded parking lot and was not disappointed. It was a zoo! Well, that's what I thought but what I found was several Budweiser wagons and the Clydesdales at one end of the lot. After finding a place to park, far from my usual spot, I found the store busy but not horrendously so. I was soon on my way home with at least another weeks supply of provisions for both of us. After putting it all away and feeding Mikey, I settled into my favorite spot in the living room with the latest issue of National Geographic.

 

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. ~ W. T. Purkiser .

There is always something in that magazine regarding the condition of the planet as well as the people on it. I recently got an email in opposition to proposed government action to reverse global warming. Some of my friends don't think there is a problem and think that measures to combat what they consider the non-problem will hurt the economy. Well, it may ... in the short term. As the old song, Mañana, says, why fix the window today because ... "we don't need a window on such a sunny day". I am convinced that there is a long term problem and unfortunately if a lot of people chose either to burry their head in the sand or, even worse, choose to ignore the problem because they would rather let future generations deal with it, then maybe the government must address the problem with more laws and regulations. Sometimes we must be saved from ourselves. Of course, we would be better off if everyone swallowed their self interests and behaved responsibly. That includes corporations and individuals. That is, in fact, a redundant statement since corporations are managed by individuals. If every individual conducted themselves responsibly most, if not all, problems would be solved. It is a matter of, as W. T. Purkiser advises us in the above quote, how we use the gifts of God, our natural resources, is more important than lip service to them.

When Abigail Adams allowed herself and her children to be infected with smallpox she was taking tough medicine which, for the short term, would cause fever and pain. But she believed it was a necessary step to gain immunity from this often fatal disease in the long term. When John Adams and the others in the Continental Congress put their names to the Decoration of Independence they knew they were risking their lives and also starting a war which would take the lives of many. It would also precipitate years of hardship on the people they represented. But they saw past the short term and envisioned a glorious free nation in the future. They were the examples we must follow in our own limited way. When we receive a gift from one who loves us, we cherish it as a sign of that love, either using it for its intended purpose or if decorative, by putting it in a place of honor. We do not trash it for to do so would be to dishonor the giver and reject His love. So it should be with the world in which we live, a Gift from God, given in love. We must use it in the spirit in which it was given, to sustain us and enhance our lives. At the same time we must remember that it was given to mankind and must be preserved and maintained for future generations as well as for ourselves.

We give thanks, on Thanksgiving Day in word and prayer. We give thanks every day in our actions as we exercise our stewardship over the gifts that God has given to us and our descendants. The world and its resources were not given to me, but to all of us. It is a shared gift, entrusted to our care. These gifts include the material things of our lives and the world as well as the people who are a part of our lives, near and far, close and distant. May we show our gratitude by our gentle touch, leaving a warm feeling with whomever we touch and leaving the resources of this world usable for those who follow. We are stewards of the gifts of God, not just users and hopefully not destroyers.

At this point I invite you to view "Thanksgiving". This link was sent by both Bob Lewis and Marilyn Buchler. It gives yet another part of our collective lives for which to be thankful. Thanks guys.

  

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven. ~ Johannes Gaertner  .

On Thanksgiving afternoon, Mikey and I journeyed, a short one, to my daughter's house. Members of her family and Dom's family gathered there for the festivities. Their children were all there along with Sarah and of course Bella, Tom and Kelly were in attendance and great grandma Rose, Aunt Pauline and cousin Amy. Oh yes, not to forget Ashley who arrived from Indiana the evening before. Anne Marie was ready. Libations and hors devours were plentiful as we gathered and greeted. Everyone was kissing everyone and not to omit anyone, Bella was seen to plant a kiss on Mikey's nose. Presently the feast was brought in and we all found places around one huge table made of of the ping pong table and another table along side of it all dressed in three table cloths. Turkey, dressing, potatoes, sweet and regular, corn, string bean casserole, cranberries, gravy, rolls & butter were in abundance. Did I miss anything? Oh yes, there was a relish platter with pickles, scallions, olives and such, almost forgotten, but rescued from the upstairs refrigerator just in time. It was all on my plate. I was invited to say grace. I was speechless, overwhelmed by the love, and the spirit of the occasion and could only find words for a very brief "Thanks".  A great deal of the feast set before us was dispatched as our conversations and memories of the past were related and reviewed. Soon Anne Maries' boys were clearing the table and there was a recess from eating while some gathered around the bar and some the TV. But the bar won out for that is where the deserts on all kinds were presented along with a pot of coffee. The choices were too abundant to count but I slipped back to the table with an apple slice and cup of coffee. Anne Marie gathered us for group photos. (I'll have them for next week) When Mikey started to ask to go home I was ready. The coffee would keep me awake for the 20 minute trip along with containers for one or two duplicate feasts for me at home. And yes, the two dogs participated in the festivities, especially around Bella's high chair.

Tom brought new photos of his girls. I share them here.

	Click for a better view.

What can I say about these granddaughters. To try to assign adjectives would indeed be gilding the lily. This Thanksgiving while we gathered, our hearts were with all those not present, away at school, with their "other" families, in distant cities or otherwise separated in space but not spirit. The circle is large and getting larger, but it is still a circle, ever joined and continuous as it encompasses us all. I hope you all had a day as blessed as did I. May we extend Thanksgiving day into the coming year and be grateful in knowing that when we gather again the mix will be different, still family and still all loved by God and each other.

I Am blest I Am  anointed I Am overjoyed .