Each New Morning

One For Their Ages

2009-03-09T23:37:00.004-04:00

Tonight, I had a front row seat at an amazing basketball game, one that I can truly say ranks among the best games I've ever been involved in in my 15 years of coaching youth sports.

As their parents and grandparents and siblings looked on, a group of 5th and 6th grade girls, once timd and passive and unsure of themselves, rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win, 30-29.

The girls's opponent this evening was the best team in the league, Middlebury Blue, which featues the best player in the league, a player who could easily being playing a level or two up. Blue had put a hurting on these girls in January by a score of 29-13.

After that game, their worst loss of the season, the Devil Ducks were 0-3. With their comeback, one they will remember for quite a long time, the girls are now 4-4. And the dreaded Blue team, and it's star player, are no longer intimidating and invincible.

Showing guts they had not before, the local girls pulled themselves up off the floor, sometimes literally, battered and hurting. Displaying a growing confidence that fully blossomed tonight, they played together, they played aggressively, and they played with desire.

When the Devil Ducks pulled within one point with a minute to go, they knew they could do it. For the first time all year, they sensed something big happening and they wanted it. They tied the score, and this group that shied away from yelling "WIN" to break team huddles in its previous seven games, asked to shout that word at the start of overtime.

As I looked in their eyes at that moment, I was more proud of them than of any other team that I've coached, no matter what was to happen. That 29-13 loss just about two months ago was so far gone. They were focused on the here and now.

Winning is not everything. But putting your heart into something and giving it your all is. So is getting up off the canvas when you're down and counted out. Special memories are made of those times.

Yes, tonight I was courtside and it was pure magic. Way to go, Ducks!

Thanks for the memory.

See Below

2009-01-21T04:33:00.000-05:00

A Bright, New Day

2009-01-20T13:37:00.002-05:00

As our country's newest president was just beginning his speech, two men who had walked into the restaurant where a co-worker and I had sat at the bar to watch, had this conversation.

"What's going on today?, one asked..
"It's the inauguration," said the other.
"Oh yeah, I forgot," said the first.

There's only one word for that questioner. Forgive me. Idiot.

On the most historic day of our generation, how could you forget that the 44th president of the United States was being sworn in to office? How could you not have been anticipating this moment since November? And like half the patrons in the restaurant, how could you be in the same room with a television and not watch?

I've been back at my desk just under 30 minutes, and already I've re-read the speech and its key phrases.

"...hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord..."

"Our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed..."

"...we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.''

"...the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics..."

"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility..."

"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works..."

Today is indeed a new day, and it's bright and clear and welcome.

President Obama's inaugural address

Let New President & Cabinet Enjoy Themselves

2009-01-19T09:01:00.001-05:00

We've all been there. We've all had big moments in our lives. We've all come back to Earth shortly thereafter to deal with the reality before us. So let President-elect Barack Obama and his new Cabinet enjoy the days leading up to, and including the inauguration.

No matter what our triumph, no matter what our high, we know those times are brief interludes in lives filled with ups and downs, with the routine and the mundane, with the crucial and the trivial. We don't forget what business awaits us when the moment passes. We know there are things we have to deal with immediately following.

Life is about living in the moment and about being able to enjoy that moment. We need those times when we can tuck everything else away for a few hours or even a couple of days. It's not that don't realize the importance what we'll have to do after the moment, but we don't have live through the good times feeling guilty for enjoying them.

So, unlike one reporter I heard this morning on CNN, who talked about the incoming administration enjoying itself but..., let's forget the but. Let's all understand that we all understand that the but is there. And let's not bring it up in our conversations, in our analysis, in our questioning.

The President-elect, his family, his staff, his Cabinet and their families may only experience this pomp and circumstance one time in their lives. Let's allow them to enjoy it and not be so caught up in what's coming next.

That's how we would all want it, isn't it?

Wonderful or Not? It Depends

2009-01-05T07:05:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite movies of all time is It's a Wonderful Life. It ends up being a feel-good movie about the holiday spirit, but it's much more complicated than that.

Here's a column a friend of mine wrote for the New York Times. It's a fantastic look at a movie that became a classic years and years after it's release. I'm sharing it now because, through the season, a couple of weeks removed from seeing it last, I thought you'd probably enjoy reflecting on it more.

Wonderful? Sorry, George, It’s a Pitiful, Dreadful Life

New Meaning "I Love Lucy"

2008-12-30T10:47:00.002-05:00

In the USA Today Life section snapshot this morning, the feature was most popular cat and dog names of 2008. What I learned from that little graphic was that nowadays, the phrase "I love Lucy" refers to more than just a 1950s comedy series.

The name Lucy ranks fifth for dogs (496) and first for cats (354) in the Petfinder.com survey of the names of more than 145,000 adoptable dogs and more than 140,000 adoptable cats.

Lucy is the English form of Lucia, in use since the Middle Ages. which is the feminine form of Lucius. Lucia was a 4th-century martyr from Syracuse who was said to have had her eyes gouged out. She is the patron saint of the blind.

Wonder if any guide dogs are named Lucy?

What God Wants

2008-12-28T07:17:00.001-05:00

God doesn't want us as a business partner, as a distant relative, even as a close friend. God wants to live with each one of us, as one of us. That is the miracle of Christmas. God takes on flesh. It sounds impossible. Do we choose to believe it anyway?...

God's coming doesn't depend on us, on the depth or steadiness of our believing. This miracle depends on God, whom we cannot understand or contain, who reaches out to us at Christmas and every day of our lives...

Finding ourselves slightly puzzled and in awe before this mystery is a faithful response.

By Mary Lou Redding in WHILE WE WAIT: Living the Questions of Advent, as published in Sound Bites, the e-mail ministry of the First United Methodist Church in Green Bay, WI.

Saturday Special: Words Ending in 'End'

2008-12-27T00:14:00.000-05:00

1. Did Not Spend...too much for Christmas this year. Is there really such a thing? I know, I know, there probably is. But the giving, the joy, and the resulting warmth do so much for you. And usually when you need it most.

2. Year End...Bonus. Having never worked for a company that did anything like that, I wonder why it's on my mind.

3. Did Not Attend...The company Christmas party. Sometimes corporate get-togethers don't feel right. This was one of those years.

4. Extend...best wishes for a happy, healthy, and heavenly year in 2009, filled with all the love and peace and kindness we all long to receive and provide.

More Saturday Special here...

Then Sings My Soul: Mary Did You Know

2008-12-26T23:55:00.000-05:00

I was treated to this song by a very special friend a few days ago. There are many versions on YouTube. I wanted to share this one by Donny Osmond because he's a memory of an innocent childhood when I was ready to be introduced into pop music and the Easter Bunny left me my first record album, From Donny with Love.

Corny to be sure, and certainly far from what's expressed in this powerful song. Osmond takes a back seat, as he should, to the powerful lyrics. I very much appreciated being able to think about Christmas in this way this year.

More Then Sings My Soul songs and messages here...

A Nice, Calming Pause

2008-12-26T10:46:00.003-05:00

"…God gave the world the gift of His presence -- in a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manager. God understood how empty and alone we were, so He visited our dark world, lighting our lives with His presence. He gave us the greatest possible gift -- Himself!"

By Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T00:01:00.001-05:00

By YouTuber JSB777...

Suppose that God was truly and supremely and, above all else, the great Giver; just that, the great Giver. Just suppose that God, who devised this whole creation in the first place, knew all along that giving is really much more fun than getting. God knew that nothing in all creation can quite match the joy of seeing someone else unwrap a gift that you have chosen with your deepest and most careful love. That's what God is actually like, what God and love are really all about. So in giving us the Son, sending us the greatest gift there ever was or will be, God got such a charge, such a sheer delight out of the whole thing, that the entire creation laughed and rang with joy.

From "Jubilee: Readings Through the Year" from Alive Now" by J. Barrie Shepherd as published in SOUND BITES, a five-day-a-week e-mail ministry of the Rev. Dave Wilkinson, pastor of First United Methodist Church (Green Bay, Wis.).

Silent Night

2008-12-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

The St. John's Parish Choristers are learning sign language for their Christmas Eve service. Here is Silent Night, with the Choristers singing in the background as their instructor signs the carol.

A Message from a Friend

2008-12-23T10:12:00.001-05:00

Tweet, Tweet: Comment Here

2008-12-22T09:27:00.001-05:00

This post is strictly a comment holder for Each New Morning's Thought of the Day tweet.

If you'd like to add a comment about a daily tweet, please clicks comments here and include your thoughts about my thought. Be sure to reference the tweet to which you are referring so everyone knows the scoop.

See Eddie D.'s Each New Morning Thought of the Day tweets here.

Subscribe to the Each New Morning Thought of the Day RSS feed.

EXCERPT: St Nicholas, Mirror of God's Love

2008-12-01T04:09:00.000-05:00

Advent is a time for repentance, a time to dismantle, to prepare the way of the Lord. It is a time when we are asked to hold a mirror up to ourselves and see if the reflection in it reveals who we are called to be. If we are unsure, let us take as our example good St. Nicholas.

In whatever he did, Nicholas reflected the calling of all of us to be "other Christs." And that possibility, as Nicholas himself has shown us, is there, hidden in each of us like a Christmas surprise. It is there because God put it there.

God is, after all, the giver of all good gifts, the one who can turn a baby into a savior, an obscure fourth century bishop into Santa Claus, and all of us into the saints of God.

Rachelle Birnbaum in St. Nicholas: Mirror of God's Love, published by Forward Movement. Adapted from a sermon preached at Trinity Church, Boston.

Matter of Fact Monday: Thanksgiving

2008-11-23T18:48:00.000-05:00

For this week's Matter of Fact Monday, here are some definitions relating to turkey, and thus to the theme of the week - Thanskgiving.

Caruncle - brightly colored growths on the throat region. Turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.

Gizzard - a part of a bird's stomach that contains tiny stones. It helps them grind up food for digestion.

Snood - the flap of skin that hangs over the turkey's beak. Turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.

Wattle - the flap of skin under the turkey's chin. Turns bright red when the turkey is upset or during courtship.

Source: Kid Zone

Matter of Fact Monday: Pineapples

2008-11-17T13:55:00.007-05:00

I've been on a pineapple kick for about a year now, ever since I found a place to get one for between $1.99 to $2.49. So my post for this week's Matter of Fact Monday theme of FRUITS is pineapple.

1) We think of pineapple as naitve to Hawaii, but it is native to southern Brazil and Paraguay. It is thought that the Spanish introduced it to the Phillipines in the 16th century, and later to Hawaii and Guam.

2) The most popular pineapple sold in the U.S. is the Smooth Cayenne. The other three varieties sold in the America are the Red Spanish, the Sugar Loaf, and the Golden Supreme.

3) One cup of pineapple has about 135 calories and 33 percent of the RDA of Vitamin C.

4) A pineapple is ripe if one of its top leaves can easily be pulled out.

5) And most interesting...under the you can try this at home category...The bromelain content (enzymes found naturally in the juice and stems) in fresh pineapple keeps gelatin from setting, so you can only use canned pineaple in Jello-O. The canning processes destroys the bromelain.

Sources:
California Rare Fruit Growers

Health Diaries

Matter of Fact Monday

2008-11-09T18:38:00.001-05:00

I present a variety of little known presidential facts here to go with the Matter of Fact Monday theme of PRESIDENTS:

1) As sheriff of Erie County, NY, Grover Cleveland once volunteered to serve as executioner. when Jack Morrissey was sentenced to death for killing his mother in 1872, Cleveland declared that he would handle the execution of Morrissey because he couldn't in good conscience impose that duty upon another. Cleveland was elected president in 1884, despite the fact that his opponents decried him as the "Buffalo Hangman."

2) President John Tyler was saved by his son-in-law's singing of a military song. He paused as he ws about to climb the ladder to return to the deck of the warship Princeton to see the third firing of what was the world's largest cannon, the Peacemaker. As the gun was fired, its breech exploded, sending shards or hot iron into the crowd. Six people were killed, including Tyler's Secretary of State and US Navy Secretary.

3) It was President Millard Filmore who in 1852, triggered the establishment of diplomatic relations with Japan. His purpose for the securing the treaty was to open trade and secure for the U.S. a place where it's ships could obtain supplies. Filmore, the 13th president, never ran for office. He was appointed when Zachary Taylor died in office and served 30 months.

Source: The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told by Rick Beyer

FFH: I'll Join the Rocks

2008-11-08T21:32:00.001-05:00

FFH was the first Christian rock group that I was able to really enjoy. Shortly after we discovered Ready to Fly, we went on a VBS mission trip and we made copies for everyone driving up to enjoy. I fell in love with this song off the bat.

The time has come for me
To leave this place of complacency
And step out across that line
To the place where I
Can leave all that I have behind
And give you this heart of mine

But what if I'm the only one to break the silence
What if I'm the only one to crack the ice

(chorus)
I'll join the rocks with their singing
I'll join the ocean as it harmonizes with the shore
I'll clap my hands with the mountains
As all creation cries for more
I'll never stop, if I'm the last one living
Your song goes on and on and I must testify
I know that I was born to worship
So if all the singing seems to stop
I'll join the rocks

My ship is sailing now
Into an ocean and I can't tell
What's on the other side
But I know if I don't leave
My heart will never forgive me
And I'll be left behind

But what if I'm the only one to see
there's more to this
What if we have just begun to
scratch the surface

(chorus)

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah

Listen to I'll Join the Rocks

This post is a part of the Then Sings My Soul Saturdays blog meme.

Saturday Special

2008-11-07T21:25:00.002-05:00

1) Why are there still idiots who burn crosses on the property of those who supported president-Elect Barack Obama?

2) Could there be a stranger weather pattern than what we're experiencing temperaturewise in the Northeast the first week of November? The heat's not even on!

3) Today I don't mind the economic turmoil at all. $20 nearly filled my gas tank at $2.28 a gallon. That's a price we've been at least two years removed from.

4) Going, going gone!

Read more Saturday Special here.

Matter of Fact Monday: Arithmancy

2008-11-03T11:14:00.003-05:00

The prompt for Matter of Fact Monday was anything to do with WITCHCRAFT. I chose Arithmancy, an ancient system of fortune-telling based on names and numbers. It is offered as an elective at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the Harry Potter novels.

1) Arithmancy is an ancient system of fortune-telling based on names and numbers. A is 1 and Z is 8. The name PETER, for example, would add up to a numeric total of 27 [P(7) e(5) t(2) e(5) r(9) ].

2) For make predictions, the final result must be less 9 or less. So in the case of Peter, which adds up to 27, add those two digits together to get 9 (2+7). If you add the two digits of a numerical name value and still get more than 9, then add them together again. For instance, a 58 yields a 13, which yields a 4.

3) The total of all the letters in a name gives a person's character number, or the general personality type of an individual. By adding the value of just the vowels in Peter, you would get 10, or 1, which is a person's heart number, which represents the individual's inner life and can indicate desires and fears hidden from others. Adding just the consonants would produce the number 18, or 9, which is a person's social number, the way they are perceived by the outside world.

OK...so here is what EDDIE D [5+4+4+9+5+4=31 (4)] yields:

Character 4 = Like a table that rests solidly on four legs, four indicates stability and firmness. Fours enjoy hard work. They are practical, reliable and down to earth; they prefer logic and reason to flights of fancy. They are good at organization and getting things done. Like the cycle of the four seasons, they are also predictable. They can be stubborn, suspicious, overly practical and prone to angry outbursts. The conflicts possible in "two" are doubled in four.

Heart 1 = This is the number of the individual, the solitary unit. Ones are independent, focused, and determined. They set a goal and stick to it. They are leaders and inventors. Ones find it difficult to work with others and don't like to take orders. They can be self-centered, egotistical, and domineering. They are often loners.

Social 3 = Three represents the idea of completeness or wholeness, as in the threesomes past-present-future and mind-body-spirit. Three indicates talent, energy, an artistic nature, humor, and social ease. Threes are often lucky, easygoing, and highly successful, but they can also be unfocused, easily offended, and superficial.

You can find out where you are here, the source of this fact post.

Matter of Fact Monday: SKY

2008-10-26T19:44:00.000-04:00

A co-worker of mine is heavily into skydiving, so my post for this week's Matter of Fact Monday theme of SKY is about the parachute.

1. André Garnerin, on Oct. 22 of 1797, gave the first public demonstrations of the parachute. He was the first person to use theme regularly and successfully.

2. Garnerin, who leapt from a hot-air balloon just over a half-mile up, did not include an air vent at the top of his parachute, so he oscillated wildly in his descent.

3. The intent behind the invention: It was originally designed to enable people to escape from the early balloons during an emergency and to land safely.

SOURCE: Reference.com

Saturday Special

2008-10-25T09:12:00.004-04:00

1. Believe in ghosts, spirits, or the supernatural?

Of course...the unexplained orbs in photographs, the faces in the trees and on the tombstones in photos of old cemeteries, the unexplained feelings of a presence nearby in times of trouble, visits in dreams, the whisper in the wind...

2. Ever had a supernatural experience?

Certainly. All of the above.

3. Favorite horror film?

I can't stand horror films. They're not worth my time. There are too many "good" movies to be watched.

4. Finish this line: Silently I walk in the moonless night... carefully measuring each step. Tonight was not the night to get tripped up. How would I explain how dirty I was when I got home. They wouldn't understand why I was out this late on a school night. And they certainly wouldn't see how important it was to take care of The Thing. They don't believe in this kind of stuff. Nobody in town believes it, either. Jamie and I would just have to save Anytown ourselves...

While we're at it...your turn. What happens next in number four? Follow the comment trail...

More Saturday Special here

Simply Snickers: Shel Silverstein style

2008-10-24T20:27:00.006-04:00

The prompt for Simply Snickers this week is: toast, touch, tempted.

Unfair Toast

Oh woe, woe is me
Is that there toast I see?
I've had breakfast already
I shouldn't, should I teddy?
Oh, I am so tempted so
Can I really just say no?
Wait, there's a sign there
Oh now is that really fair?
It reads, "Display Only.

Do Not Touch."

Matter of Fact Monday: BASEBALL

2008-10-19T19:29:00.003-04:00

This week's prompt for Matter of Fact Monday was baseball, and my facts are about the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, which is visited by more than 350,000 people a year.

1. Following the discovery of the Doubleday baseball philanthropist Stephen C. Clark, purchased the ball $5 with the idea of displaying the ball aqnd other artifiacts. With the assistance of Alexander Cleveland, the two garnered support for the establishment of a national baseball museum.

2. With the cooperation of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, the first class of former players was chosen to be honored. They were Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson.

3. The Baseball Hall of Fame officially opened its doors on June 12, 1939. Of the 25 greats who had been elected to the Hall by then, 11 were still living. All of them attended the event, which took place as a part of the 100th anniversary celebration of baseball.

SOURCE: National Baseball Hall of Fame

Who Should You Vote For?

2008-10-15T06:42:00.002-04:00

Do you know who you will vote for in the November election? Is that candidate the best match for your concerns?

You may think you know the answer to those two questions. But whetehre you do or don't, please consider visiting Glass Booth. Here you can rank your concerns, answer a few questions, and find out if you're voting for the person who best matches what your concerns are.

It won't take long. It'll be worth it, and you may be surprised. That's Glass Booth. This election is too important not to visit.

Matter of Fact Monday: Holidays

2008-10-12T14:45:00.001-04:00

Facts about Columbus Day:

It is generally accepted that Christopher Columbus was the first European to have discovered the New World of the Americas. Some researchers and proponents of other explorers, though, attribute the first sightings to the early Scandinavian Vikings or the voyages of Irish missionaries, which predate the Columbus visit in 1492.

Although America was named for Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, events honoring Christopher Columbus have been held in the U.S. since 1792. New York honored him with a statue then, and another in 1892.

Out of pride for its native son, the Italian population of New York City organized the first celebration of the discovery of America on October 12, 1866.
In 1869, when Italians in San Francisco celebrated October 12, they called it Columbus Day.
In 1905, Colorado became the first state to observe a Columbus Day.
In 1937, President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed every October 12 as Columbus Day. Since 1971, it has been celebrated on the second Monday in October.

Source: US Embassy, Stockholm

More Matter of Fact Monday here

Simply Snickers: SweetSwinger

2008-10-11T13:41:00.002-04:00

The Simply Snickers prompts this week were swing, sweet , swim and, swell.

There was a sweet little lass
Who ne'er could resist a swing.
She'd jump right on
And smile, laugh, and sing
of life and love
and everything.

On brutally hot summer days,
This lass loved to swing and swim.
She'd grab the rope
On narry a whim,
Glide o'er the creek
Humming a hymn.

One day though she sailed too far
And fell in mud when she let go.
She was covered
In brown head to toe
And one would think
That quite the blow.

Before the mud could cake on
She ran that sweet little lass
To a swell big field

To roll in the grass
And clean right off
Her little ol' ass.

Saturday Special: Autumn Favorites

2008-10-10T18:00:00.000-04:00

1. Activity? Raking leaves! If you buy that, there's a nice bridge not too far away I'd like to sell you. Seriously, visiting an orchard to participate in activities that will lead to #2.

2. Meal? Anything apples - freshly picked apples, apple donuts, apple pie (homemade), apple sauce (homemade). This time of year just feels right for all that stuff. And then, of course, we have the whole Thanksgiving scene. Yum!

3. Drink? To match #2, apple cider. What else?

4. Weather? Sunny, with a little bit of a bite in the air, but a bite that can be overcome by jeans, a heavyweight sweatshirt, and a ball cap. A light wind is OK, just enough to keep it just right in the sun.

A New Meme: Matter of Fact Monday

2008-10-09T13:00:00.001-04:00

There's a new meme out there that's a little different from most of what you'll find on the Web. It's not questions and answers or fill in the blanks, like so many.

It's called Matter of Fact Monday. The goal of the meme is for each of us to learn something new through the information posted by our fellow bloggers.

Here's how it works:

1) Visit Matter of Fact Monday to find the theme, always posted the Thursday before.

2) Post 3 to 5 facts on your blog about any subject in any way related to that theme. Be sure to note your source for those who'd like further reading.

3) On the Sunday Mr. Linky post, up by 6 p.m. EST (US), leave your link noting your participating entry for the week.

4) Visit your fellow participants over the next few days and offer your comments.

I'm just trying to get this started up. I hope you join in what could be a really interesting evening of blogging. Play for a couple of weeks. If you like what you see, please spread the word.

Downtown Draw, Waterbury

2008-10-06T21:10:00.004-04:00

Each fall, artists gather on the Waterbury green to do sidewalk chalk drawings of a particular theme during the Downtown Draw. It's a great event, sponsored by Main Street Waterbury.

This year's theme was matched to The Big Read, which features Fahrenheit 451, or any other book. The image above was designed by my daughter and her friend. Below are two selections by the art classes from the Waterbury schools.

Simply Snickers: A Cowboy Limerick

2008-10-04T16:11:00.004-04:00

The prompts this weekend were clutter, climate, and cloud.

There once was a cowboy who hated his bunkhouse
All the dirt and the clutter he did not espouse.
Finally one day he rode off in a cloud
To a different climate far from that crowd.

More Simply Snickers here

Saturday Special: It's That Time Again

2008-10-03T23:07:00.002-04:00

1. It's 10 am Sunday and I'm usually in church listening to my daughter sing at this time.

2. It's 3 pm Monday and I'm usually tired of work and ready to head the heck home at this time.

3. It's 7 pm Wednesday and I'm usually ready for a nap at this time so I can be ready to do some blogging after my daughter goes to bed.

4. It's midnight Friday and I'm usually asleep at this time, having dosed with the TV on. (There's not much partying going on here...BORING).

More Saturday Special here...

We Have Two Lives

2008-10-03T09:46:00.000-04:00

Glenn Close (Iris) and Robert Redford (Roy Hobbs) have this conversation toward the end of the The Natural, while Roy is in the hospital.

Iris Gaines: You know, I believe we have two lives.

Roy Hobbs: How... what do you mean?

Iris Gaines: The life we learn with and the life we live with after that.

Treat from an E-mail Message

2008-10-02T09:41:00.000-04:00

This photo went around my circle a few weeks ago. I just love it. It was my father-in-law who sent it my way.

The Country by Billy Collins

2008-10-01T11:27:00.000-04:00

I wondered about you
when you told me never to leave
a box of wooden, strike-anywhere matches
lying around the house because the mice

might get into them and start a fire.
But your face was absolutely straight
when you twisted the lid down on the round tin
where the matches, you said, are always stowed.

Who could sleep that night?
Who could whisk away the thought
of the one unlikely mouse
padding along a cold water pipe

behind the floral wallpaper
gripping a single wooden match
between the needles of his teeth?
Who could not see him rounding a corner,

the blue tip scratching against a rough-hewn beam,
the sudden flare, and the creature
for one bright, shining moment
suddenly thrust ahead of his time -

now a fire-starter, now a torchbearer
in a forgotten ritual, little brown druid
illuminating some ancient night.
Who could fail to notice,

lit up in the blazing insulation,
the tiny looks of wonderment on the faces
of his fellow mice, onetime inhabitants
of what once was your house in the country?

Attracted by the Light?

2008-09-30T06:04:00.002-04:00

Deep in the backwoods country, a hillbilly's wife went into labor and a doctor was called out to assist in the delivery. Since there was no electricity in the house, the doctor handed the
father-to-be a lantern.

"Hold this high so I can see what I am doing," the doctor said.

Soon, a baby boy was brought into the world. Then... "Whoa there," said the doctor, "Don't be in such a rush to put that lantern down. I think there's another one coming!"

Sure enough, within minutes, the doctor delivered a baby girl. And twice more after her, the doctor had to tell the hillbilly not to put the lantern down because more babies were about to be born.

Before the arrival of the fourth baby, the bewildered hillbilly asked the doctor: "'You reckon it might be the light that's attractin' 'em?"

Mary Oliver's The Fist

2008-09-29T07:42:00.000-04:00

This Mary Oliver poem from her book, Thirst, was published in the Autumn 2006 Harvard Divinity Bulletin:

There are days

when the sun goes down

like a fist,

though of course

if you see anything

in the heavens

in this way

you had better get

your eyes checked

or, better, still,

your diminished spirit.

The heavens

have no fist,

or wouldn't they have been

shaking it

for a thousand years now,

and even

longer than that,

at the dull, brutish

ways of mankind -

heaven's own

creation?

Instead: such patience!

Such willingness

to let us continue!

To hear,

little by little,

the voices -

only, so far, in

pockets of the world -

suggesting

the possibilities

of peace?

Keep looking.

Behold, how the fist opens

with invitation.

Simply Snickers: A Civil War Poem

2008-09-27T15:33:00.001-04:00

The Simply Snickers prompt for the week was wait, war, water, write (or right).

Mama, I promise I'll write
Every day that I can
I'll be alright
You'll see.

Mama, it's no fun this war.
I seen guys wounded and
yellin' what for
Cause it hurts.

Mama, they were firin' mortars
And had us pinned down good
Couldn't get water
without gettin' shot.

Mama, just can't hardly wait
to be comin' on home
I tempted fate
And oh Lord, I lived.

Mama, my time's up
And very, very soon
We'll have sup
All together agin.

A Lovely Prayer by St. Theresa

2008-09-27T05:38:00.000-04:00

May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us.

10 Commandments of Sports

2008-09-25T06:57:00.000-04:00

Years and years ago, when writing a college paper on Malamud, baseball and society, I came across The Ten Commandments of Sports in a book I was using for research. Later, I wrote about what I had discovered in a newspaper column. Unfortunately, I can't find either.

As my second season of officiating high school soccer is just underway, I wanted to post those commandments. Here is my version of what I remembered and pieced together over the past week.

The 10 Commandments of Sports
1. Put forth your best effort at all times; do nothing to diminish the integrity of the game.

2. Always abide by the rules of the game in letter and in spirit.

3. Never take the ability of an opponent - individual or team - for granted.

4. Remember, the game is the thing; it is a privilege to participate.

5. Honor and respect the judgment of the game's officials.

6. Thou shalt not place winning ahead of all things.

7. Thou shalt not take any unfair advantage over any opponent.

8. Thou shalt not taunt.

9. Thou shalt practice sportsmanship in all situations.

10. Thou shalt not gloat; display modesty in victory and graciousness in defeat.

Please share these if you wish, and credit Eddie D. at Each New Morning

LENS DAY: A Sand Crab on the Beach of Topsail Island, NC

2008-09-24T13:21:00.000-04:00

About Forgiveness: The Sunflower 1

2008-09-22T06:12:00.002-04:00

I've finished the first part of The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness, and I've been meditating on the following two conversations recorded by concentration camp prisoner Simon Wiesenthal.

Wiesenthal always wondered if he did right after he was pulled off a work detail to be with a young German SS man who wanted to confess misdeeds he had done toward Jewish people during World War II. In talking with fellow prisoners about what he witnessed, this is what he heard:

From the Jewish perspective, Josek had this to say:

"I feared at first, that you had really forgiven him. You would have had no right to do this in the name of people who had not authorized you to do so. What people have done to you yourself you can, if you like, forgive and forget. That is your own affair. But it would have been a terrible sin to burdn your consciecne with other people's sufferings. ... [N]ow you don't know whether it was right or wrong. But believe me, it was right. You have suffered nothing because of him, and it follows that what he as done to other people you are in no position to forgive."

Some time later, a Polish fellow, Bolek, who was studying to become a priest before being imprisoned said that Weisenthal really didn't need to absolve the young German.

Bolek: "One thing is certain: you can only forgive a wrong that has been done to yourself....Yet on the other hand: Whom had the SS man to turn to? None of those he had wronged were still alive. ... So this Lemberg fellow showed signs of repentance, genuine, sincere repentance for his deeds-that at least is how you described it."

"Yes," I answered. "I am still convinced of that."

"Then," Bolek proclaimed solemnly, "Then he deserved the mercy of forgiveness. ... In our religion, repentance is the most important element in seeking forgiveness...And he certainly repented."

There are many essays to follow, and I'll be looking to see how these questions are answered:

Who has the right to forgive?
Can you forgive without intent to forgive?
Can you forgive in the name of those who can't?
Who has the right to expect forgiveness?
Can you receive forgiveness without exactly asking for it?
Is confessing a wrong to another enough to earn forgiveness?

Simply Snickers: A Limerick

2008-09-21T00:39:00.002-04:00

The prompt this week included plead, poor, and point.

There once was a man who had no money.

He was poor and didn't find it funny.

To the gods he did plead,

To the point of his need,

But he was sick and granted just a bunny.

More Simply Snickers...

Saturday Special: Fill Ins

2008-09-20T00:06:00.002-04:00

I was in a music frame of mind tonight. These lyrics popped right into my head upon seeing the prompts (in bold).

1. Yesterday, love was such as easy game to play, now I need a place to hide away. Oh I believe in yesterday... (Beatles)

2. Giving it all up for love, up for love, up for love, ove ove... (Huey Lewis)

3. When I see you smile, I can face the world oh oh you know I can do anything... (Bad English)

4. Never say goodbye, never say goodbye, you and me and my old friends, hoping it would never end ... (Bon Jovi)

More Saturday Special...

Breakfast Order

2008-09-19T11:29:00.000-04:00

From my father-in-law:

A trucker came into a truck stop cafe and placed his order. "I want three flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards."

The brand new waitress, not wanting to appear stupid, went to the kitchen and said to the cook, "This guy out there just ordered three flat tires, a pair of headlights and a pair of running boards. What does he think this place is, an auto parts store?"

"No," the cook said. "Three flat tires mean three pancakes, a pair of headlights is two eggs sunny side up, and running boards are two slices of crisp bacon."

"Oh, OK!" said the waitress. Then she spooned up a bowl of beans and gave it to the truck driver.

"What are the beans for honey?" he asked. She replied, "I thought while you were waiting for the flat tires, headlights, and running boards, you might as well gas up!"

Some Word Fun

2008-09-18T06:34:00.001-04:00

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.

4. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

5. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

6. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

7. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was, a nurse said, 'No change yet.'

8. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

9. A man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

10. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects.

Lens Day: BLUE Sky in Downtown Providence

2008-09-17T20:18:00.002-04:00

Kindness from Strangers 2

2008-09-16T07:51:00.004-04:00

I made my way back to the railroad tracks yesterday with a box of bagels, muffins, and danishes left over from the conference breakfast.

The woman who had helped me through the fence to the tracks on Sunday watched me coming. As I neared the place where she lived, she came over and said hello.

"I brought you some food. Is that OK?" I said.

"We'll take anything we can get," she answered.

"OK, well, here you go. Thanks for showing me the way in yesterday," I said.

"You're welcome," she said. "Anytime."

And with that, I smiled, flipped a small wave, and headed back to my room.

ADDENDUM: The hostess who packed the first box also packed another without me asking for us to drop off on our way home Tuesday. What a wonderful world.

Kindness from Strangers

2008-09-15T07:49:00.003-04:00

I can't tell you their names. I can't remember what they were wearing or what they looked like. But I can tell you that if I see them again, I will know who they are.

Two kind people I met yesterday took me on a little trek. I had asked them, as we were about to pass on the street, if they knew how I could get to the railroad tracks to take some graffiti photographs. I had gotten close, I told them, but I stopped because of a posted sign warning of electric fence.

"No it is not electric. Follow us," they said. "Thanks for your help," I answered. "I asked a couple of other people, but they couldn't tell me. I guess you have to know who to ask."

"Well, you asked the right people; you asked two homeless people and that's where we live," said the woman.

We leaped over a short fence, then stepped lightly around a large puddle caused by the day's rain. She had walked briskly to that point, but slowed down to tell me just where to step so I wouldn't get my sneakers wet.

We passed though another fence and they showed me where they lived. Then they showed me some graffiti along the tracks. As they settled in by the corner of two bridge overpass supports, I walked on, snapped a few more shots, and headed out. They waved as I left and I waved back.

For me, the magic of the moment was: Two strangers pass a third. The two offer to help the third. We were all just people. And we created a moment like no other.

Rain by Shel Silverstein

2008-09-14T08:36:00.000-04:00

I opened my eyes
And looked up at the rain,
And it dripped in my head
And flowed into my brain,
And all that I hear as I lie in my bed
Is the slishity-slosh of the rain in my head.

I step very softly,
I walk very slow,
I can't do a handstand--
I might overflow,
So pardon the wild crazy thing I just said--
I'm just not the same since there's rain in my head.

Steven Covey: The Main Thing

2008-09-13T21:42:00.001-04:00

The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing, (Steven Covey)

Covey makes it pretty simple for us, doesn't he. Here's my version...Know what's important and keep it important.

Cheers

2008-09-12T10:22:00.001-04:00

Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health and is as friendly to the mind as to the body.
(Joseph Addison)

Krista Tippett in Speaking of Faith

2008-09-11T22:02:00.003-04:00

Kindness - an every day by-product of all the great virtues - is at once the simplest and most weighty discipline human beings can practice. But it is the stuff of moments. It cannot be captured in declarative sentences or conveyed by factual account. It can only be found by looking attentively at ordinary, unsung, endlessly redemptive experience.

In My Dreams

2008-09-08T10:24:00.004-04:00

I haven't been sleeping well lately, and consequently, I don't have very many dreams that I wake up remembering. Last night, though, was different.

I dreamed of love, laughter, tenderness, and a beautiful relationship, one I sorely miss and would give anything to regain. As a result of the dream, this REO Speedwagon song popped into my head. These words came to me as if I had just listened yesterday.

There was a time some time ago
When every sunrise meant a sunny day, oh a sunny day
But now when the morning light shines in
It only disturbs the dreamland where I lay, oh where I lay
I used to thank the lord when I'd wake
For life and love and the golden sky above me
But now I pray the stars will go on shinin', you see in my dreams you love me

Daybreak is a joyful time
Just listen to the songbird harmonies, oh the harmonies
But I wish the dawn would never come
I wish there was silence in the trees, oh the trees
If only I could stay asleep, at least I could pretend youre thinkin' of me
Cause nighttime is the one time I am happy, you see in my dreams

Chorus:
We climb and climb and at the top we fly
Let the world go on below us, we are lost in time
And I don't know really what it means
All I know is that you love me, in my dreams

I keep hopin' one day I'll awaken, and somehow she'll be lying by my side
And as I wonder if the dawn is really breakin'
She touches me and suddenly I'm alive

Chorus repeats 2x

Billy Collins: The Lanyard

2008-09-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

The Serenity Prayer

2008-09-03T18:56:00.004-04:00

I needed to take a couple of breaths the other day and I said this prayer, only the first part, which is the piece most people have heard. But the rest is pretty darn good, too.

God,

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Grant me patience with the things that take time, tolerance of the struggles of others that may be different from my own, appreciation for all I have, and the willingness to get up and try again, one day at a time.

Amen.

An Original: In the Darkness

2008-09-02T06:49:00.000-04:00

There's a gap right there
Barely visible by
The light of the moon and stars.

That must be the way
Through the trees and high grass
To get close to the water.

You tread carefully
As a blind man
Inches, feels his way along.

There's supposed to be
A dock stretching
darkness engulfing you.

There's no way to be
Sure that in the darkness
You are safe on sound footings.

A ginger foot taps
A board, then another
Perhaps solid, perhaps not.

You trust the straightness
Trust the soundness but hope
For a gap you can fall through.

Maybe, just maybe
You'll bang your head and
Will be gone from your heart.

There would be no more
Thinking and crying and
Hurting over your failure.

There would be nothing
Like you never were here
If there would just be a crack.

An Unusual Family Outing

2008-08-31T05:37:00.002-04:00

A year ago last spring, I went with my wife and daughter to Hartford and New Haven in search of graffiti. It was one of the best days I ever had.

We walked the railroad tracks under Route 84 along Capitol Avenue in Hartford and found plenty. We took photos, we found old, rusted railroad spikes, we joked, we laughed, and we had fun. We were impressed when our daughter's imagination starting churning...she's going to write a story about magical railroad spikes.

Later on Water Street in New Haven we met three graffiti artists and we stayed a while, talked with them about their craft, took photos and video, and our presence was welcome.

An unusual family excursion, to be sure. But what a blessing on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Saturday Special: I Say, You Answer

2008-08-30T12:31:00.001-04:00

1. Computer...you answer? network

2. Body of Water...you answer? ocean

3. Kitchen Disaster...you answer? oven fire

4. Letter Writer...you answer? What's your email address?

First Day of 5th Grade

2008-08-28T12:16:00.002-04:00

The best thing about this new morning was taking my daughter to school. It was a fun, but sad trip in. On the way out, talking with another parent, we had the feeling this was the last year for walking our kids to the classroom. Next year is middle school, and parents don't walk their kids to homeroom, do they?

At Simon's House

2008-08-26T05:03:00.000-04:00

A wonderful and powerful poem, and an incredible video interpretation by the author, Sandy Carlson of Writing in Faith.

Mary Oliver: What is the Greatest Gift?

2008-08-25T04:31:00.002-04:00

What is the greatest gift?
Could it be the world itself-the oceans, the meadowlark,
the patience of the trees in the wind?
Could it be love, with its sweet clamor of passion?

Something else-something else entirely holds me in thrall.
That you have a life that I wonder about
more than I wonder about my own.
That you have a life-courteous and intelligent-that
I wonder about more than I wonder about my own.
That you have a soul-your own, no one else's-that
I wonder about more than I wonder about my own.
So that I find my soul clapping its hands for yours more than my own.

A Holy Moment

2008-08-24T05:27:00.000-04:00

Quoted from Moral Lessons by Richard Seltzer:

I stand by the bed where a young woman lies, her face post-operative, her mouth twisted. A tiny twig of facial nerve, the one to the muscles of her mouth, has been severed. The surgeon had followed with religious fervor the curve of her flesh; I promise you that. Yet, to remove the tumor in her cheek, he had cut the little nerve. Her young husband is in room. He stands on the opposite side of the bed, and together they seem to dwell in the evening lamplight, isolated from me, private. They touch each other so generously, greedily.

The woman speaks: "Will my mouth always be like this?" I respond: "Yes, it will. It is because the nerve was cut."

She nods, and is silent. But the young man smiles."I like it," he says. "It is kind of cute."

At once I know who he is, and I lower my gaze. One is not bold in an encounter with God. Unmindful, he bends to kiss her crooked mouth, and I am so close I can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate to hers, to show her that their kiss still works.

Saturday Special: Arts & Entertainment

2008-08-23T06:03:00.001-04:00

Favorite Quote or Saying?
"On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: Either you will reach a point higher up today or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow. (Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, 1844 – 1900)

Favorite Line from a Play or Movie?
Ray, people will come Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack.

And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray.

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.
(James Earl Jones as Terrence Mann in Field of Dreams)

Favorite TV Show of All Time?
Everybody Loves Raymond, MASH, Frasier, Wonder Years

Favorite Poem or Ode

Flock by Billy Collins
It has been calculated that each copy of the Gutenburg Bible...required the skins of 300 sheep. (from an article on printing)

I can see them squeezed into the holding pen
behind the stone building
where the printing press is housed.

all of them squirming around
to find a little room
and looking so much alike

it would be nearly impossible
to count them.
and there is no telling

which one will carry the news
that the Lord is a shepherd
one of the few things they already know.

PhotoSharks: Architecture

2008-08-22T03:44:00.000-04:00

PhotoSharks: Animals

2008-08-20T11:59:00.000-04:00

Stumbled upon this little guy sunning himself on the hydrangea bush while shielding his head under the leaves to the right.

Happiness by Helen Keller

2008-08-17T22:14:00.001-04:00

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.

Simply Snickers

2008-08-16T10:03:00.000-04:00

Simply Snickers prompts for this week include the word above and the image to the right.

There once was a man with an umbrella,
Who thought he was truly quite the fella.
He'd pretend to be grand by offering his arm,
And play with her heart using all his charm,
While talking of "Plunge," his favorite novella.

Could Have Been You

2008-08-15T05:59:00.000-04:00

This is a very powerful multimedia presentation by Sandy Carlson.

When I Talk to You

2008-08-14T22:13:00.000-04:00

In this book by Michael Luenig, there are prayers of thanksgiving and hope and declaration. There are prayers of everyday things, some simple and often taken for granted, and there are others that are just downright silly.

Luenig worried that when these prayers were being created to appear in the paper, they lost their sincerity. But when you pick up the book, it's just you and the words. You can choose simply to read and enjoy them for what they are, or you can pray them.

Below are some of my favorites. Enjoy...

Dear God,We pray for balance and exchange. Balance us like trees. As the roots of a tree shall equal its brnaches, so must the inner life be equal to the outer life. And as the leaves shall nourish the roots, so shall the roots give nourishment to the leaves. Without equality and exchange of nourishment there can be no growth and no love. Amen.

Let us live in such a waythat when we dieOur love will surviveAnd continue to grow. Amen.

God bless the lost, the confused,the unsure, the bewildered, the puzzled,the mystified, the baffled, and the perplexed. Amen.

God bless those who suffer from the common cold. Nature has entered into them; Has led them aside and gently lain them low To contemplate life from the wayside; To consider human frailty; to receive the deep and dreamy messages of fever. We give thanks for the insights of this humble persepective. We give thanks for blessings in disguise. Amen.

To Pray Successful

2008-08-13T06:11:00.000-04:00

Thought Conditioners from Norman Vincent Peale
Mark 11:24 reads: "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

To pray successfully, you must employ affirmation and visualization. Form a picture in your mind, not of lack or denial or frustration or illness, but of prosperity, abundance, attainment, health. Always remember you will receive as a result of prayer exactly what you think, not what you say. If you pray for achievement but think defeat, your words are idle because your heart has already accepted defeat. Therefore, practice believing that even as you pray you are receiving God's boundless blessings, and they will come to you.

Commentary: Some commentaries about prayer talk about asking God for what's in your heart. Peale says you will get what you think. Many times our hearts and our minds are not in the same place - we think one thing, but feel another. There's a line in the Chorister's prayer that goes like this - "Grant that what we sing with our lips we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts we may show forth in our lives..." While we all pray sometimes asking for guidance because of that conflict within us, I believe, when we are asking for something specific, that we need our mind, our heart and our mouth to be as one.

Lazarus: A Stunning Meditation

2008-08-12T06:07:00.000-04:00

This stunner is by Sandy Carlson...

Why Each New Morning

2008-08-10T06:45:00.001-04:00

Every day is special. Waking and hearing the birds, or seeing the sunrise or the rain or the snow. Being alive and knowing you have more time to be with the people you love, try something you haven't, or do what you enjoy is incredible.

I've come to realize just how lucky I am and just how much opening my eyes in the morning is one of my favorite things to do.

So that's what this blog is about...my favorite things. I'll be sharing quotes, movie lines, photos, video, music, jokes, and experiences.

I hope you take something away from your visit. I hope I make you smile because you've found something you like or can relate to or share as a favorite.

Thanks for stopping by.